Stash busters

On a roll with these hats and they are great for using up those single balls of wool that have been hanging around. Each hat (adult size) takes about 50g of 8ply (or 2 strands of 5ply) on 4.5mm x 40cm circular needles, finishing off crown with 4 x DPNs when there are only a few stitches left. I have sorted odd balls into basic colourways and then added a ball of a contrast colour to be used for the main section of the hat. Easy peasy! Adding to the pile of charity knits...

Another chullo hat

This turquoise hat is a gift for a friend's little girl so I hope she likes it for the cooler months... they are fun to make and the patterns are always random with each hat a different design depending on the colours I have available. Perhaps I should make some for the markets as my daughter is hoping to have a stall soon... Here is a link to the basic pattern chullo hat  although I use a k1 p1 for the rib for a firmer fit.

Have also completed another child's vest for the collection next month for the NSW Womens Refuge Centres. Many women have two or more children with them when they have to move to a refuge centre, so lots of items needed for children as well as for their mothers.

It's a start...

Next month I'm collecting items for the NSW Women's Refuges (victims of domestic violence) and the wonderful volunteer women of the Knit4Charities group will be sending me a huge collection of garments, toys and rugs as they always do each year, to deliver to the admin. centre for distribution to the 53 centres. Although I have a few items made already, now is the time to really start knitting so these mitts and the childs sleeveless jumper are the most recent items off the needles. Last year 568 items were donated for the centres, a wonderful result.

and the winner is ...

Julia from Hand Knitted Things! Congratulations! So the giveaway yarn will be on its way to Scotland very soon, and I hope Julia finds it useful for one of her projects, perhaps one of those cute owls or a beret. Thanks to everyone who joined in for this giveaway draw and I'm sorry that you can't all be winners. The comments suggest that most of us learnt to knit at a young age and have continued to enjoy this craft ever since. Long may this continue...

 

Made these teddies last week when we were away and they will soon be travelling north to Queensland where they will be popped into back packs with clothes and other gifts to be given to children who are going into foster care. What a good idea!

Morning in the tree house

morning melody

tree ferns in our gully behind the house

view from the corner of the street looking into the Jamison Valley

banksia ericifolia in flower in the winter

seed pod with some pods open

old seed pods collected for the fire in winter

We have spent the past few days at our cottage in the Blue Mountains (1 and 1/2 hours from Sydney) enjoying the company of the birds and the peace and quiet. Because of the altitude (1000 metres) it is usually about 10 degrees cooler than the coastal plain so is always pleasant in summer. An old banksia needed lopping so the seed pods were collected to be used as fire starters in the winter. This mountain banksia flowers in winter and honeyeaters migrate to the area in large numbers to feed on the nectar. Unlike some other banksia varieties (of which there are about 50) the seed pod does not require a bushfire for germination but opens spontaneously.

(Giveaway! - last chance to be entered in the draw for the free skein of yarn - to be drawn on Friday)

Kokeshi Doll

Thanks to Miss Aine for sharing the pattern for this delightful and whimsical Japanese Kokeshi Doll. I made her Obi sash from a burgundy ribbon instead of yarn as I wanted a contrast with the wool of the garment.

(Don't miss out on the yarn giveaway to be drawn next Friday 27 January !)

Giveaway!

What better way to celebrate Australia Day on the 26 January than with a giveaway of some Australian made yarn. This is a 100gram skein of hand dyed mohair boucle from Mollydale in warm earth colours. Make a hat, make a scarf or anything you fancy with this lovely soft yarn. 

1. To be included in the draw for this giveaway you need to join this site as a follower by clicking on the blue tag on the right that says 'join this site' (if you have not already joined), and leave a comment about when you first learnt to knit, who taught you and if you can remember, the first item you made. That's it!


2. Remember to include your name and your email in your comment or a link so you can be contacted. I can't reach you otherwise!

The name of the lucky person who wins the draw will be announced on Friday 27 January and contacted by email. This giveaway is open to all Australian and International followers who leave a comment and will be posted by airmail to the winner. Good luck!

Summer in Melbourne

Most of Australia is hot in January, but the past week in Melbourne has been very hot with temperatures climbing from 36 - 40 degrees C for several days. So just had to stay inside and watch the Australian/Indian Cricket Test on tv and do some knitting in air conditioned comfort... Returned to Sydney yesterday by car after two weeks holiday with the family. 

Planning a giveaway soon so watch this space!

cloud formations from the plane

James & his wall hanging

lunch stop driving back to Sydney

A happy note!

This happy note is here to brighten your day. Thanks to my daughter Fiona for this lovely performance.

Australian Christmas Bells

This small plant belongs to the lily family and grows in the sandstone areas around Sydney including the Blue Mountains, and flowers in December, hence the name. I wish you and yours a very happy and peaceful Christmas season and may the new year bring you lots of creative ideas and wonderful projects to explore and share.

In an octopus' garden near a cave

 

Who knows what lies below the turquoise waters of Sydney harbour? I hope James enjoys this for his room. It was fun to add Nemo and Dory, and all the other sea creatures to keep him entertained. (Thanks to the Beetles for inspiration and yes, James knows the songs too) Finished size 23 inches x 37 inches (58 cm x 94 cm)

Technical notes: Great video on binding mitred corners
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJserv3DRQM

Learnt that my machine didn't want to sew with metallic thread so had to sew some designs by hand, and that sequins will melt if you accidently hit them with a hot iron!

Eriskay update

 

The Eriskay jumper is coming together with front, back and one sleeve completed. The only problem is that it seems I probably spun this natural-coloured Merino yarn from two different fleeces or perhaps from just a different section of the fleece. As a result, as you can see in the two balls of yarn, the one on the right is slightly warmer in colour. It doesn't look very different here but when knitted there is an obvious variation in hue. However I guess that is just a characteristic of homespun. This is the original homespun jacket that I recycled.

In the pink

Two little garments for the smallest member of the family, a cardigan ready for next winter and a bolero to wear now for the in-between months. Sewing up and finishing a cardigan takes lots of time but the result is always worthwhile.

More Chullo hats

Chullo hats

Here are some of the chullo hats I have been making this week for gifts. I use a 4mm needle for the child's size and 4.5mm for the adult, and always start with a rib band to keep the hat snug and to allow for different head sizes. The contrast colour patterns are all different and knitted by stranding two or more colours in a fairisle type geometric design. I only use a maximum of three stitches to strand and carry the wool so that the hat is not pulled too tight. These chullos are made with Cleckheaton Country 8 ply wool and the contrast colours are alpaca and wool. The next ones will probably be in black, white brown and grey which are the more traditional chullo colours if using natural alpaca.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/basic-earflap-hat-for-the-whole-family

I used braids instead of an icord and added the contrast patterns depending on the yarns and colours I had available.