Autumn is upon us already!

Where is 2012 going?


I am knee-deep in hat knitting (head-deep?) at the moment, and I'm loving how quick they are to finish!

I'm averaging one a night, the nights I get to knit.  

I wish I could say that was every night, but the South Sea Roller Derby season is just about to kick off, and things are incredibly busy behind the organisational curtain.

So far I've managed three this week though, which isn't bad I guess.  It's adding to my "baby-knitting" stash box which is awesome!


My fingers are itching to finish some more big projects though, so this long weekend coming I am dedicating myself and hoping to finish my Whisper cardigan. I'm about 60% of the way through so it's incredibly do-able, especially as we have two long car drives scheduled.


Will she do it, I hear you ask??  


stay tuned... 

new baby in the house!

hehe...not the kind you may think though ;)


after much scrimping and saving, I finally got myself a decent SLR!

much less messy than the other type of baby...


oh, and I totally copycatted on Soule Mama's recent knitting last night and whipped up one of the little flower hats - so adorable (and QUICK!). 


...to add to my (real) baby knitting box.


and using stash yarn ;)  - Pear Tree 8ply, for those interested, in either Rosella or Galah.  It was unmarked and I can never remember which one it is!  

yee-haw!

After suffering enough taunting from a few friends about my ghetto-style shopping bags that pass for my travelling project bags, I cleaned my workspace today (mainly so I could GET to my sewing machine!) and sewed a little lined drawstring pouch.

Nothing new or different to any of the hundreds of other project pouches out there, but I do love it I have to say.  How cool is the fabric? It always makes me think of Tom Robbin's novel Even Cowgirls Get the Blues.  It was given to me as a Kris Kringle gift years ago, and this is the final bit left...

For the lined pouch, I used this tutorial which I found pretty clear and easy to follow.  I don't always follow written instructions easily; apparently it's not my brain's preferred method of comprehension, but I did manage to get this first go.

And all finished just in time for our next SnB meeting...

yee-haw!

frippery

I do love all things vintage, but vintage hats would have to be one of my favourite accessories.

I was recently very privileged to be invited to a dear couple's wedding, which was super exciting and I can't wait! However, funds are a little tight after Christmas, and starting-high-school fees/books/uniform - eep that's expensive stuff, even for public schools, isn't it??  

(but I digress...)

I have a perfectly lovely dress already in my wardrobe and in fact, I also have shoes and a bag to complete the ensemble, which is most fortunate.  I did feel a little frippery would just complete it though, so I headed off to a vintage emporium I know, and look what I found!

In fairly good condition, aside from a few minor tears in the netting and a bit of grubbiness, this sweet little Harbig concoction.

Velvet and silk flowers and leaves, in the *perfect* shade for my dress - how awesome is that?!  Honestly, I can't tell you how good a match this is colour and style-wise!  I am well-chuffed.

from the side...

 those gorgeous velvet petals...

from above...

Those who share a Facebook friendship with me would have also seen my recent etiquette question, which was:  if wearing a hat to a wedding ceremony, should said-hat be removed for the reception?  I think we've established that hats should be removed at the table, so hair 'do will need to accommodate that! 

While I was there I also spied this little lovely, buried down the bottom of a display.  

She's a little more worse for wear than the green one...

The netting is a lost cause - nearly completely in tatters, and many of the large silk petals have small holes in them but I couldn't leave her behind!  The owner of the store gave me a very good deal on both the hats (both combined were less than one alone at other places I'd looked)

This hat is more of an half-circle headpiece, which I imagine was worn to the back of the head?  Or maybe like a crown, at the front?  I don't suppose it really matters these days, as one can apply a modern take on it, but I do like to know these things so if anyone can shed some light please leave a comment?

Look at those sweet little forget-me-not's tucked in there under the floppy petals -so gorgeous!


Don't you think she'd make a perfect "something blue" for a modern/vintage bride?

{inspired by}

I was trawling Ravelry looking for a simple project not so long ago and I came across "Norby" by Gudrun Johnston.  Loved it!  Love the slouch, the tassel, the zig zag...

The pattern calls for 4ply fingering weight, but I wanted to use up some {stash - huzzah!} 8ply alpaca I had.  I was pretty sure I had the stitch pattern in an old Harmony Guide, and having knitted a hat or two in my time, I felt reasonably confident I could make something decent-looking.

ta-da!


My inspired-by-Norby hat.
Bendigo 8ply Alpaca in Grey, 5mm needles.  


Simple.

just for fun

I made these this afternoon, just for fun

It was another reasonably warm day here today, so after we got our chores done this morning, both of us settled into the darkened living area to relax the afternoon away with some music and quiet time...

I went looking for something a little bit mindless, a little bit instant gratification, and this is what I decided on.  And I'm glad.  They are coming to work with me, to be strung above my workspace on a large branch that I have suspended on fishing line from the ceiling.  I try and change what's hanging off "my branch" fairly regularly and the students will soon be returning, so this is perfect!

(The free pattern for these Lotus Mandala Prayer flags/medallions can be found here)

and I have no idea why Blogger has decided to load the photo upside down, but I have neither inclination or energy to try and work it out, so instead you get the crown-like version!

sweater knitting

January may have started out all about hats, but I think it will finish being dubbed "Sweater-Month"! I have cast on a Whisper for myself, using my madelinetosh "Mate" - gorgeous inky tones with flashes of cobalt. And to balance all that laceweight knitting, I also cast on a Quintet from Twist Collective (sans stripes) for my girl, in a retina-scorching shade of aqua

and to top it off, my copy of "A Stitch In Time, Knitting and Crochet Patterns, 1920-1949 Vol. 1" by Jane Waller and Susan Crawford arrived!

First cab off the rank will most likely be "It Cannot Fail to Please" by Susan Waller. This little sweater was already a favorite, but this version 100% sold me.

And I also love, love, LOVE this little sweater!

"Enchanting in Black and White". I will definitely be making this, most likely in exactly the same combination of yarn and colours as show, because I think it's just perfect.