Pic a posy (image heavy)

It has been a big few weeks around here. Both creatively, and life wise.

The last three days have featured some pretty heavy migraine duty going on which is never a good thing. I suppose I didn't really need the nutrition out of everything I ate according to my body, but it's certainly a nuisance getting rid of it. ~sigh~

The bad news is - our car crapped itself a couple of weeks ago. This is not your standard 'oh man that's gunna take a lot to fix' type of curling up of toes, but the big nasty 'it's going to cost more to fix than the stupid thing is worth' type of toe curl. So, the 'bloocah' as Master Mayhem called it has now gone to god, or the wreckers as it were, and we are now car-less aside from a car generously loaned to us from my father in law.

The good news for this is that Mayhem and Chaos is now offering awesome prizes that you go into the running for by signing up to our next sock club. It's going to be an 80's themed sock club, three months of yarn and treats mailed to your door. The segway of course of this being that it helps me get funds towards a new car. So if you want to have a chance at winning some Wollmeise, sulky silk and camelspin, or alternatively fabulous fibres by M & C, Southern Cross Fibre, Ewe Give Me The Knits and Ixchel bunny - not to mention the gauruntee of some seriously sexy sock yarn - check it out!

Moving right along - I participated in the Ravelympics. Timed to co-incide with the winter Olympics it's run on Ravelry, and you can sign up for different events. I signed up for the spinning, the sock challenge, and the challenge of finishing a work in progress. The only one I even knit a stitch on was the work in progress, but I triumphed, and on the final day I pulled one blocked cardigan off the floor, sewed on buttons and wore it proudly. I also think it looks awesome over my favourite black dress.

The yoke is knit from a handspun corriedale in a 3 ply I was sent in a handspun swap. The spinner was Verabee, and the yarn is spun from PigeonRoof Fibres in the colourway 'Vitals'. The rest of the red yarn is Bendigo Woolen Mills 5 ply Classic in 'Cherry' and the gorgeous buttons:

are from a second swap. They were sent to me by the lovely Liedra who is currently living in Belgium. They are vintage buttons, handmade in the 1920's that she bought for me on a recent trip to Paris. Things like that tickle me pink and I treasured them as soon as I received them because of their history, and how far they came.

I made up the design on the fly and am calling it 'CandiCaneCardi'.

Once that was done, I was itching to cast on something quick, but interesting. Miles of stockinette and garter stitch like in a cardi DO tend to bore the hell out of me, no matter how worth it the end product may be. Now, Miss Chaos seems to have this thing happenning whereby whenever you put her in a beanie she winds up looking like a hobo. For whatever reason the shape of a beanie makes her look kinda bedraggled and what not. Regardless of how practical they may be! I had been wondering what a Tam / Beret would look like on her. So I pulled out a skein of Mayhem and Chaos Socky Goodness in the colourway 'CherryBomb' and cast on a 'Snapdragon' Tam for her, pattern by Ysolda Teague. (I love Ysolda's patterns, so much). It was a small enough project to satisfy my desire for a quick knit, but certainly interesting with its intricate cables.

I obviously modified it, given it is an adult pattern written for worsted weight yarns. I knit the band on 2.5mm needles, and the rest of it on 3mm needles, and the Socky Goodness is a 4ply or Fingering Weight Yarn. I knit the largest size given, and it was a really enjoyable knit!

I think the end result suits her down to the ground. It's a perfect fit and can be pulled forward and over the ears to keep them warm quite easily, and as much as I may hate to admit it, she DOES rock the pink. She seems to like it too - judging by the fact that it had to be wrestled off her before she went to bed the night it was finished, and she begged me to let her wear it to kinder.

Finally, I realised that it had been quite some time since I had really sat down and done some spinning. I pulled out some 'Coffee' batts that I actually managed to snag at the second to most recent Southern Cross Fibre update. (For those that don't know, David's Southern Cross Fibre updates go so fast you generally don't even get time to see the stuff, much less buy it unless you are an itchytriggerfingered ninja of the lightning fast variety)

I plan on making a cabled beanie for the Big Mac this winter and the fibre was lovely and tweedy and brown, so I spun it into a worsted weight 2-ply yarn, because I think it will be perfect for the pattern I had in mind.

It's luscious and tweedy and oh so soft - a blend of Superwash Merino and Bamboo Viscose that I can't wait to get on the needles - just as soon as I finish up this shawl that was accidentally and rather sneakily cast on while I wasn't paying attention. Ooops.

There will be another blog update soon, I'll have some details to share about a HUGE project that I've been stealthily working on for ages after tomorrow night.

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On Turning 30 and the simple things in life..

It's been a busy and often hectic few months. There was kindy break up, chirstmas and new years and all the hilarity usually involved in those times of year. There has also been the launch of the first Mayhem and Chaos yarn club, and two sizable updates in the shop thrown in there too. There was also the non stop hunting for and applying for a new house, which took all my time and got very scary in there, followed by the subsequent moving to a new home as well. In that time there has been no small amount of dye poured, tea poured, miles covered and tears shed. Much of the time, most things had to fall by the wayside in order to reprioritise other things - like finding a new roof to put over our head. Out the other side of all this, I have emerged to look around me, and be blindsided by turning the big 3-0.

It's a fairly momentous thing in my life, this turning 30. It's not something I dreaded or feared at all, I have always maintained that women only get ~really~ interesting after they turn 30. The last few weeks in the lead up have seen me re assessing things a little more. Wondering what lays ahead but for the first time in a long time, appreciating what I have right now, and letting go of a few things I've been hanging on to, and shouldn't have been. It's very cathartic.

I've realised that I really do enjoy some simple things in life the most, and that there's naught a thing wrong with that. I've come to the conclusion that some people really do enjoy playing high school games, some people really do enjoy being miserable and negative, and I need to let go of my annoyance with that, and just move on and leave them to it. And I've decided that when it comes to my family, it's ok to fight for the things that I believe in, to state my thoughts and opinion, and that I have just as much right to be heard as anyone else.

I'm wondering if this is a midlife crisis, (of sorts) but have decided if it is, that's ok too. Some people get fast cars and faster women (or men), I get emotional and mental revelations. Fair enough.

Enjoying simple things is something that many of my lovely friends understand about me, judging by the gifts I have received. From my mum and dad I received a new food processor and blender combo - my previous one was killed from over use through time, so I am pleased to have a brank spankin' new one, and wasted no time at all in cranking out something tasty.

From my sisters I received the first series of Miami Ink on DVD, and a Dymocks book voucher. With the voucher I went and bought myself a recipe book I had been eyeing for a while - 'Apples For Jam' by Tessa Kiros. My husbands lovely family gifted with another of her books also - 'Falling Cloudberries'. Both books are filled with stories behind recipes, beautiful photography and fantastic homely recipes that cross many cultures. As a bonus, both books are extremely beautiful to look at, too.

From another of my sisters I received some delicious loose leaf tea, a brand spanking new beautiful teapot, and some matching tea mugs. From a gorgeous friend of mine Darrow I received a tea tray, some madagascan vanilla loose leaf tea, a big infuser, and a mug that is more of a BUCKET than a mug. It seems people know of my love for five minutes quiet (when I can get it) with a hot strong mug of tea. Is there anything better, I ask you? It forces you to just SIT for ten minutes, assess your day, and just be a little more aware of your surroundings.

Not pictured but loved just as much I was also gifted with two free fiddle lessons from the lovely Gillian, a beautiful necklace from the stunning Jen, and some cashmere to spin and a felted project keeper from Susan :) I have most certainly been spoiled!

Last but certainly not least there is the gift I received from my husband (and children, by proxy) which detracts from the running theme of simple pleasures being the best. Co ordinating it was not simple, and it in itself is not simple either - intricate and detailed is a better description.

After five hour in the chair, I have a complete outline which I love. More pictures from start to finish coming in a month or two when it is fully completed on glorious colour.

Adios!

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A Stitch In Time..

It's been a big week around here. There's been knitting, there's been new additions to the household, and there's been cake of the birthday variety. Lots and lots of cake.

Wednesday of last week saw my wee boy, Master Mayhem, turn 4. He was such a tiny baby - 5lb 9oz when born, and even the 00000 size baby clothes swam on him. But so cute!

He was an IVF baby, and we tried for many years to get him. I remember saying when he was in the special care nursery when he was born that he was sooooo quiet. He almost never made a peep! I was assured that would change and it did. By the time we got him home, colic kicked in and he routinely screamed the house down every night from 9pm till 1am. We got that sorted out with the help of a chiropractor, and things were pretty good from then.

Until of course, he learned to roll. And then we got the first inkling of the daredevil within. He would roll at lightning speed around the house, getting himself wedged under coffee tables, entertainment units. I would go to the toilet and come back and he would be, just.. gone. I would have to search the whole house to find out where he had rolled to. It only got worse once he pulled himself up and started cruising the furniture! Then he got into the pantry, and the fridge, (and the cat) which was a sign of things to come.

Since then there has been numerous emergency room trips - the screw he got out of the kitchen cupboard hinges then deliberately swallowed - the faceplant into the fence outside that split his head open from eyebrow to eyebrow - the faceplant into the coffee table which cut open the underside of one eye. The measles. So far, no broken bones, touch wood.

However, he is a fiercely affectionate kid, who is only too happy to hand out kisses and cuddles, and who often tells us he loves us. (he tells the cat too, but thats besides the point) He's really creative, he loves music, and has impeccable manners 80% of the time, almost always using please and thankyou.

Like most kids he loves a good chocolate frog, 'pink milk!' (strawberry milk) and of course lollies, but his favourite food remains broccoli with cheese sauce, and he will knock over a hot jam donut faster than I can :p

Happy 4th Birthday my boy! (how'd you grow up so damn fast?)

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Since I finished the Swallowtail for my sister, I had not knit anything. I felt a bit knitted out after the mammoth effort it required to finish in a short spanse of time. As often happens though, during the week, I had a moment where I HAD to knit, and it HAD to be handspun yarn. I have little fits like this sometimes. I had a skein of beautiful merino and seacell sitting here, in about a sportweight, in really subtle dark colours. I cast on a pair of mitts, and less than ten rows in, Mac proclaimed they were 'his'. I was dubious he would continue to like the colours as they were knit, but I was wrong. The seacell has knit into a really soft gorgeous fabric, and the sizing and colours suit him right down to the ground. They were a quick, and immensely satisfying knit.

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Finally we have a new addition to our household. On Thursday I took a little drive and picked up she who has now been named 'Stitch'.

She is a 7 week old Jack Russell mix, cute as a button with a lovely nature :) She has made herself quite comfy in her new home, follows her chosen favourite (Master Mayhem) around everywhere he goes, and his adoration is certainly mutual. We are in the process of beginning to train her, but that said - she has most of us wrapped around her wee paw (particularly Mac - it's hard not to love someone who is smaller than your foot and has big brown eyes, huh?)

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For Whom The Bell Tolls..

You know, I'd love to have a big cottage garden. A massive vegie patch out the back, filled with potatoes, plump carrots, brightly coloured capsicums, piles of tomatoes for eating straight, and making sauce. And elsewhere within the garden, fruit trees, laden with goodies, spring being heralded by massive shows of tulips, daffodils and irises pushing their way through the earth. Huge climbing vines of roses in loads of colours (particularly yellow), a big kitchen garden of herbs in every flavour, along with Lavender, pansies, gorgeous colour and flowers.

There are a couple of obstacles to this though, not the least of which is the fact that big mac is allergic to bees. You see, I have been living a double life. I am of course, me - music nut, knitter, spinner, sewer, food freak. But although I might try to hide it I also have quite the black thumb. One might go so far as to say that I am the botanical grim reaper.

Got a plant you want to die, quickly and horribly? Give it to me. Through over loving it, neglect, or plain stupidity I will manage to kill it in under a fortnight. They catch horrible diseases. They wither and crack. They burn, they get mould on them, they flatten out onto the earth and sometimes - they plain just up and vanish. 'What the hell? I swear to god I planted a gardenia here two days ago? Now there's just a hole?' I am of the opinion it upped and ran as soon as it got a chance, one moonlit night.

A few christmases ago, my mum gave me a lovely planter box, filled with four different varieties of herbs. Surely, thought I, this lot will live? They were a GIFT after all? And so began my battle with a neighbourhood tomcat. Who decided on top of my precious herbs was the BEST place to sleep. Every morning they were curiously flat and I got up really early one morning and discovered him asleep, and discovered the WHY for the flatness. So I moved it up higher, onto a ledge. He knocked it off the ledge, thus tipping the herbs out, and went back to sleep. I replanted the herbs, put them up even HIGHER, and he did this little trick again. After the second replanting, I put chicken mesh over them. He pissed in the planter and every last herb died. I guess he really did show me who was boss. I can compete with many things, but tomcat urine is clearly not one of them.

When we moved into this house it was February, In the middle of one seriously hot summer. The weekend we moved in it was above 40 degrees celsius both days, and water restrictions were in full force. So, you see the tree out the front never really had a chance. It was a really young tree, you see, and it was already convulsing when we moved in. It was the heat that truly did it in, not me. Although I suppose Master Mayhem ripping it out of the ground didn't help? At any rate, it did leave a round paved area of garden bed in the front yard looking rather bare.

Meet Barry.

Barry is, as you can see, a lavender plant. He is also, however, a hostage of sorts. You see - I said to Mac that if I could get Barry to live, maybe I could try again, you know? Get some more plants. Maybe some pansies, or again with the herbs. But first, Barry has to grow.

Here he is, freshly planted, and has been told of his fate. Live? Get friends. Die? Bin. He looks confident in rising to meet the challenge, dontcha think?

Still. I'm sure any thoughts you can send Barry's way would be appreciated. It's a lot of weight for a $6 lavender from Bunnings to bear all on his own.

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Sproing!

Well, there's a definite feeling in the air outside. It smells like sunshine and wet earth, and the mornings are crisp and cold, but more often than not warming up into mild and sunny days. Spring is well and truly here, and summer is on the way.

From October through April, Master Mayhems kindy has a 'no hat, no outside play' rule. It's a good rule, and I like it alot because I am fairly anal retentive when it comes to sun protection. However, the rate at which he lost hats throughout the first half of the year had to be seen to be believed. Given how much my kids love hand made things though, (ecspecially mum - made) I bought a great pattern, some nice fabric and made them a brand spanking new bucket hat each.

The pattern is the 'Lazy Days' hat pattern from Make It Perfect. It comes sized from infant right up to adult, and I think it's awesome! The hats have enough brim on them to make them truly protective, where a lot of bucket style hats aren't really protective at all. I like them so much I think I may make myself one.

The hats are fully reversible, and for Master Mayhems I used an Alexander Henry fabric of soccerballs and a New Zealand print fabric with classic holdens on it ;) For Miss Chaos, both fabrics are from the midwest modern range, by Amy Butler. Tres cute!

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Also, I can finally reveal one of my secret squirrels! Last weekend we headed on down to my sister's 40th Birthday party. A good time was had by all, and I am pleased to report she loved her gift.

For her birthday I knit a 'Swallowtail' shawl. It is knit from Kaalund Yarns 'Enchante' which is a 2 ply pure silk laceweight. The colourway is 'LillyPilly' which is a beautiful soft pink colour, and I used foil lined glass beads instead of knitting the nupps.

There is a total of 22 repeats of the main budding lace pattern, and I left the final 6 rows off the edging chart and bound off where I was. I like the not-so-pointy edge this created, even though it was done more out of necessity than choice. (the necessity being it was finished at 2.30am the morning of the party and I could push on no longer). It is light as a feather and barely there at all :)

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Things are fairly hectic around here - it is Master Mayhem's 4th Birthday on Wednesday. So sad! I don't know where my teeny boy went, in the blink of an eye. He has gone from being a tiny almost premmie sized baby, to a small tank of a boy who does everything at top speed and breaks down any and every barrier in his way. ~sniff!~ So until I manage another post (hopefully soon - I have the Hostage Lavender to post about next time) enjoy spring, in all it;s forms.

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It's a herd of Secret Squirrels!

What does one blog about, when everything one could blog about, is a secret? It's a toughie.

I mean there is a brand new knitting project in the works - but it is to be a gift. If the recipient saw it, it would wreck the surprise. So I can't blog it. Yet.

There's also a beautiful new blend of fibres on the wheel, in stunning colours? But it is for a swap, and again, if the recipient saw it, it would wreck the surprise. So I can't blog about that, either. Yet.

Instead, I will blog about the knitting project that just came off the needles, and a whole swag of fibre club deliveries that arrived last week. Heads up if you are a member of the Southern Cross Fibre, IxchelBunny or Ewe Give Me The Knits fibre clubs, don't have yours yet and don't want a spoiler, you may not want to scroll down much further.

So a few weeks ago, I bought some fiftyfifty merino and silk yarn in a 4ply or fingering weight from the lovely Knitabulous. I wanted a short sleeved lightweight shrug, something to just throw on over a summer dress that covers up the upper arms, but isn't overly warm - and here it is. I knit the Dream In Colour Shrug pattern, which is written for a ten ply, but worked out well in finer yarn. I love the finished object and can see it getting a lot of wear.

Meanwhile (back at the ranch) the postie made regular visits here this week with parcels of goodness. Southern Cross Fibre fibre club arrived, bearing 80g of polwarth and tussah silk fibre in the gorgeous colourway of 'Sprout' which I really really wanted. (really. No, really)

Followed by some equally gorgeous and very interesting fibre blend as the first installment of Ewe Give Me The Knits fibre club. This is an 80 percent merino, and 20 percent Milk protein blend. Yup, thats fibre (which feels very soft and silky) made from milk. Can't wait to load this baby onto my wheel!

And last but not least is the 100g of Blue Faced Leicester and Angora blend from IxchelBunny. The interesting thing about this braid (aside from how very soft it is) is that all of these colours are acheived with natural dyes, from things like lichen and walnuts. Impressive, no?

.....

So anyways that is it for me today. I could post about rearranging the kids room today, cleaning everything up and out of there, but that is a horror I am currently trying to regress.

Instead, I will leave you with all the pretties above and hightail my butt off for a cuppa tea, and to try and round up a couple of wayward secret squirrels.

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Spring Has Sprung!

Around here, it's been kind of a tough week. Master Mayhem and Miss Chaos have been a little more full on than usual - there was the fridge incident (way to say buh bye to 3 litres of milk, 500g of cheese, nearly a half a kilo of butter, a jar of minced garlic and a whole tin of strawberry quik). The next morning it was followed by a pantry incident (1 kg sugar, a whole box of cheerios, and a packet of crackers) and the morning after the medicine cupboard. (Those omega 3 blackcurrant flavoured fish oil capsules? The cat asked to be oiled and massaged. truly. But at least he smells fruity eh?)

Before anyone goes there, all three of these places have locks. We forgot to lock the fridge for the first time in months, and the locks on pantry and medicine cupboard now represent zero challenge it seems.

You take pleasure wherever you can get it though, and this week spring really has sprung around here, and it is everywhere you look. Tiny snow white lambs frolicking in the paddocks, animals everywhere doing that thing that.. animals do in spring, humans feeling the similar urge (everytime i drive past a couple of high schoolers doing the disco-pash around the corner from our place I lean out the window and yell 'BUSTED!' and watch 'em jump six foot in the air. Hy-st-er-i-cal I tell you). Then, of course there's one of my favourite things about spring - the flowers. I love daffodils, and I love tulips - but most of all I love, love, love the cherry blossoms. We have one in our front yard and she is doing a marvelous rendition of snow white this year :)

Since my last post, there was a scheduled stocking of the store - there is still a few things left this time also, which is good because I finally managed to organise some advertisements on Ravelry. I still get a wee thrill every time I see one my own advertisements. I know. I'm pathetic. :p But I am happy this way.

There's been very little spinning or sewing to show this week, however there has been some knitting done :) A couple of weeks ago I bought some sock yarn from knitabulous in the 'Count Sockular' colourway. I paired it up with the 'Froot Loop' pattern from Knitty, and freshly finished are these babies - I'm calling em FrootBat socks.

I also had some more Knitabulous yarn delivered today in a lovely bright orange / red colourway, a 50/50 merino and silk blend which is destined to become a shrug for me. It's very bright, and I love it. I have a feeling my need to accessorise my usual black black and black with a little colour is turning into a full blown wardrobe makeover. Eeek. (stop laughing. You know who you are.)

I also cast on my sisters 40th birthday present last night. It's beautiful so far, which is great, but in my usual style, I have left myself less than a month to complete it. Nothing quite so spurring as working under pressure is there?

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