sugarlemon

My Creative Space – Decisions, Decisions

Posted on April 29, 2010 | 3 Comments

My creative space today is once again a study in jostling priorities. I have a bad case of can’t-decide-what-to-do-next-itis. The knitting bug is still about, after finishing off a beanie for Rohan at the weekend – I’d like to do something lacy, perhaps this (Ravelry logon necessary for that link)? The dyeing bug is biting once more as well, since a visit yesterday to my local Savers yielded all this crochet cotton, which is just crying out for a colour-makeover; and the crochet bug is also still on the loose, since Mr. Ebay kindly delivered my new crochet hooks, which will hopefully be kinder to the once-broken wrist than my regular hooks have been lately. (I’ll no doubt be satisfying the dyeing and crocheting urges in one hit, since the dyed cotton is destined for more ric-rac)

But what I really really am supposed to be doing, is sewing. The fabric beneath my goodies is leftovers from a friend’s kids’ playroom curtains. I promised weeks ago to turn it into a couple of floor cushions and a new doll-stroller cover. Easy really, I just can’t seem to get myself in the mood to do it. Perhaps the kids will be kind to me and have an early bedtime tonight?

Feel like playing along with your creative space? Head on over to Kirsty’s to leave your link and check out the other great spaces today.

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Posted in Memes

Tagged my creative space

Knitted Thing #2

Posted on April 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

Apparently it’s not that difficult to knit a hat – who knew?! This weekend, that’s what I did – cast on 80 stitches Saturday, sewed up a hat on Sunday. Brilliant!

The difficult thing, it would appear… is convincing the intended recipient to keep it on his head for more than a second or two! Even when distracted by a delicious ANZAC biscuit (prepared earlier by his big brother).

So with that in mind – here is the front:

…and here it is off!

Here is the back:

…and here it is off again (nearly)!

The End.

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Posted in Yarncraft

Tagged crafting for children, Knitted Things

My Creative Space – Speaking of Colour

Posted on April 22, 2010 | 7 Comments

I did say I was itching to get stuck back into the dyes, didn’t I?! Funny how when I get something into my head, the priorities list has a way of rewriting itself! Last night I dyed a few pieces of 100% wool felt. It’s the first time I’ve done this – I’ve been meaning to try it for an age, but was finally spurred on when I saw a) the lovely hand-dyed felt Trudi has been creating, and b) the deliciousness out at Winterwood. Winterwood is where I picked up my base felt – it is so soft and lovely, and it thickens up a bit more in the dyeing process. The trick is getting it not to thicken up too much – I was scared to poke and prod too much once it was wet, and as a result there is a bit more mottling than I was after in two of the pieces. Now I’m a bit more familiar with the process, I’m sure the next time will be a bit easier.

Combined with a little bit of car-crafting from Monday (doesn’t this make a lovely knob-cozy for my stereo?)…

…I think you can tell what I’ll be making more of today

Visit some more creative spaces via Kirsty.

Oh, and also Speaking of Colour, it has recently been brought to my attention (when I switched to using the family Mac, with it’s whizzbang monitor, instead of my less whizzbang laptop) that on some screens, my blog and all my photographs look a bit… crap! So if you have one of those screens, I’m really sorry. It would appear I’ve been blasting your eyeballs with oversaturated colour for the past however-long-you-have-been-reading For what it’s worth, the background felt in the above pictures should be a lovely creamy colour, not the light yellow it appears on my screen currently (of course, the problem could lie with the whizzbang screen I suppose!)

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Posted in Dyeworks, Memes, Other Craft, Yarncraft

Tagged bead people, hand dyed felt, my creative space

Colours In My Life

Posted on April 17, 2010 | 4 Comments

Autumn sunshine. Cloth nappies. So nice to be able to get them dry on the line for a little bit longer before the cold and damp set in and we are stuck with clothes horses over heating vents. Not sure how I’m going to manage this winter – I’ll probably be making more than an occasional trip to the laundromat to use the dryers.

The beginning of a new tradition – Games Night: fortnightly, interspersed with Movie Night. This is Carcassonne – one of my new favourites since we gave this to Finn for his birthday.

I hope your weekend is just as colourful

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Posted in General Ramblings

Tagged cloth nappies, family games

Bead People are Go

Posted on April 16, 2010 | 6 Comments

Success! But a little bit funny around the neck where their insides are showing (oo-er!) I shall have to make a whole gang anyway no doubt, since at present there is only one each for the bigger kids, and that is not enough to prevent ‘troubles’. So I’ll improve my technique a bit as I go.

The Steiner/Waldorf blocks (also affectionately known as ‘offcuts’ around here, thanks to Dermot being the son of a joiner!) were from Mum for Rohan’s birthday. They came from Winterwood, we visited for the first time last week. For the record – beautiful shop, beautiful, beautiful felt, but I don’t recommend driving from here to there and back again with a passenger prone to carsickness. Sorry Mum! (She couldn’t even drive us, since my car is a manual and I won’t let her drive it!)

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Posted in Kid Crafts, Other Craft, Sewing, The Kids

Tagged crafting for children, waldorf toys

My Creative Space – Bead People

Posted on April 15, 2010 | 4 Comments

Today I’m making wee folk for my wee folk. Do you want to know how? Trudi posted this great little tutorial a couple of weeks ago as her Creative Space. She also sells kits in her etsy shop, with all the little bits and pieces you need, including some pieces of her hand-dyed felt. The embroidery floss is the only thing not included – I picked these two out of my stash of my own hand-dyed floss. (I’ve been itching to get back to some dyeing, too – so little time, so much to fill it with! But who’d be happy if that was reversed?!)

Have a happy Thursday, whatever you’re making or doing. Check out some more creative spaces over at Kirsty’s.

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Posted in Memes, Other Craft, Sewing

Tagged crafting for children, my creative space

Now We Are One

Posted on April 14, 2010 | 7 Comments

Some months back, a small girl, perhaps two, pointed Rohan out as we meandered about the greengrocer, and made much of ‘the baby’. No, said her father, he’s not a baby anymore, he’s growing big, like you. He is so still a baby!, asserted I, clinging desperately to the fading days of Babyhood. My last.

But One brings definite change, doesn’t it? With the coming of One, not even I can deny any more – it’s over. No more baby. We’ve crossed the threshold and run face-first into Toddlerhood. (Rohan does have a tendency to run face-first into most things – hence the bruises, see above).

We had a small family celebration at the weekend. Robot cake was mandatory – our Ro gets “Ro-pop” quite a bit. His big brother and sister both made cards featuring robots. A RicRac discobot was on the cards, but in the end, none of my crafting plans came to fruition, and I decided not to beat myself up about it – he certainly won’t remember that his robot (or his quilt, or whatever else it was on that list…) came late!

Happy Birthday (+ 3), Mr Ro. So glad we made it through this year together intact!

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Posted in Family, The Kids

Tagged babies, birthdays, Rohan

My Creative Space – Beauty and the Beast

Posted on April 8, 2010 | 13 Comments

In the left corner we have Beauty: crocheted ric-rac, inspired by Kate at Fox’s Lane; quick and easy tutorial found here. Fun, easy, and slightly addictive crocheting. No idea what I’ll be doing with it yet – I did threaten the bemused other half I’d trim a lampshade in it!

And in the right, the Beast: product of an impromptu knitting lesson with Mum yesterday. The change in the seasons has started up the two-needle-itch again, and I want to be ready for something a bit trickier than my one completed knitted thing.

Ugly, isn’t it?! But hey, there’s increasing, decreasing, short rows, a wee bit of lacy stuff, heel stitch, 1×1 rib, and picking up stitches along the edge, all in that little piece of ugly!

(Edited to say I realise that sounds like I meant Ro’s cardigan is ugly. No no, I actually meant the grey thing just up there. The cardi is still gorgeous, but I bet it doesn’t fit anymore)

Also in my creative space today are some little bits of not-allowed-to-show-you and a whole lot of nothing-to-see-here-but-supposed-to-be-finished-by-Sunday. (Because a certain wee someone we know is about to be one, and don’t mention it to me or I might just cry!)

My Creative Space comes to you courtesy of Kirsty!

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Posted in Memes, Yarncraft

Tagged crochet ric-rac, knitting, meme, my creative space

Hoppy Easter

Posted on April 6, 2010 | 2 Comments

I hope everybunny had a hoppy easter!

(!!!Sorry!!! Not sure what came over me there!!!)

We had a lovely and far-too-chocolate-filled weekend at my father-in-law’s place in central Victoria. The kids got to run riot with the cousin they don’t see enough of, and I got bit more granny-squaring in, despite the (was it slightly derisive?) commentary from uncles-in-law. Pfft to them, I say. Also, there might have been a little bitty trip to the Bendigo Woollen Mills and Bendigo Spotlight somewhere in there… can’t remember… crafty amnesia has befallen me. (What stash diet?!)

Bunny finger-puppet project from the purl bee. A great little project for the budding crafter: Finn stitched his own, I just added the face and tail for him.

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Posted in Family, Sewing, The Kids, Yarncraft

Tagged crafting with kids, easter craft, finger puppet

My Creative Space

Posted on April 1, 2010 | 13 Comments

Happy April! Hard to believe it is already. My head is still stuck somewhere back in January, I think.

Not sure if I’m going to get very creative today. Depends whether I can banish this headache and get my family packed to go away tomorrow morning.

So here’s one I prepared earlier. As in, yesterday. That’s probably cheating or something isn’t it? Well tough!

My yesterday looked like this:

With a little of this:

And finally, a photoshoot in amongst the basil and marigolds:

This is a little sundress (or perhaps nightie? It looks like a sweet little nightie to me), adapted from a pattern for regular child-sized people (Ottobre 1/2009). I like how it turned out, despite the efforts of craft-room gremlins, who took off with the turquoise bias binding I am sure I own. I’m planning to rework this pattern a bit to see if I can make it fit better on top – amateur improv. pattern drafting on a really tiny scale, fun fun!

Take a tour around creative blogland today, via Kirsty’s place. And have a very happy Easter!