mini knits

life has been very hectic lately and sadly it's not even self inflicted! what with study, kids and home inspections, there's very little time to do the fun things. i've recently had to move my entire enormous stash of fabric and yarns out of the workshop i was renting, and into my garage. it's definitely an incentive to create seeing it all there, but where to get extra time?? i decided to take some old fashioned advice i once read; something about baby steps, building Rome and moving mountains. i might have mixed my metaphors there, but you get the idea, it's all about little things.

first up, a present was needed in a hurry, and Abby's friend specifically asked for these furry monstery mitts. she'd seen Abby wear hers to school and begged for some in purple. now, my stash is enormous, but it's well organised (i've got the spreadsheet to prove it!), so i found the right stuff and whipped these up in a night. the little girl was most impressed so job done!

next i worked on a lovely capelet i spied in the latest issue of Mollie Makes magazine. i used some interesting tape yarn from Spotlight called "Filou" which worked out nicely. it's quite heavy so it sits beautifully on the shoulders, but is wide enough to pin with a vintage brooch if its windy. the cotton yarn is perfect for a cool evening after a sunny day when you need to water the garden.

mollie capelet

actually i felt a bit Austen-tasious in this capelet (that's Jane, not Powers), its definitely got some vintage flair. well where is Mr Darcy anyway, i;ve been waiting quite a while for him to show up and move some of these boxes for me!

waiting for Mr Darcy

afternoon tea with mollie

mmm, gluten free banana cake and a cup of tea. what could be better?

GF banana cake

how about a minty fresh copy of Mollie Makes and a summery knitting project to go with it?  aah, that's much better now! i'm off to iron my tablecloths...

its all Mollie

pockets of spring

hello there! i'm back to life after a bout of the flu that was bad enough to make me not feel like crafting anything. glad that's over and this week i've started making some accessories for the coming spring/summer season. i used my sick days to browse blogs and magazines for inspiration and the bag & bracelet combos i came up with tap into three strong trends for spring 2012.

ethnic:

ethnic bracelet

ethnic matchup

bracelet made from a tutorial from swellmayde, a great DIY site to visit, and the bag was a jeans recycling idea from burda style June 2012.


fluoro:

fluoro bracelet

fluoro matchup

this bracelet was made from an article in issue #16 of Mollie Makes and the clutch was based on a tutorial from style scrapbook except i lined mine and bound the edges of my zip in a contrasting vinyl for a neater finish.

festival:

friendship bracelet

festival matchup

the friendship bracelet was made from the same issue of Mollie Makes as above, and the bag was another denim recycling idea, this time from burda style February 2012.

that just leaves pastel, tie-dye, lace, ombre, mermaid, africa, two-tone and floral to try out! hopefully this winter sun will re-energise the batteries for some full bore crafting. see you soon...

tea and potatoes

today i'm in the garden again and also daring to try a new-to-me craft. i've admired Di's beautiful needlepoint before but never found the right pattern to tempt me. that's until i saw the cutest cushion in Mollie Makes magazine #12 in an interior spread  and thought i'd have a go at making my own pattern. i'll show more of this as it progresses.

stitching in the vege patch

while the weather stays fine i'm also cutting strips from recycled denim clothing to make my own yarn, inspired by forever love, also featured in Mollie Makes #13 (anyone notice a trend here?). this is a messy activity creating lots of fluff, so it's a perfect way to enjoy the sun while still getting a bit of crafting in. i haven't decided what to make from my yarn yet, but i can't wait to try it out!

recycling jeans

denim strips

i think my 'dutch cream' potatoes are really enjoying my company; i've complimented them on their glossy foliage and gently warned them of impending frosts, all the while thinking of mass murder mashing! ssshhhh

by the way, i get my Mollie Makes locally from Albany's Paperbark bookshop or from Brooks Garden newsagent. you have to be fast but its worth it; nothing compares to having that copy in your hot little hand to browse over a cuppa. i know the spin doctors say books will be obsolete in the future, but i'll never give up  that smell of paper and being able to read in bed for hours! thanks for your comment Bec!

sunshine, lollipops and rainbows everywhere

we are having a run of beautiful sunny weather at the moment, it almost feels like spring already. the daffodils are out in the garden and the warm sun turns my thoughts to...spring cleaning! well, short bursts of spring cleaning that is because it takes time to warm up in the frosty mornings and the night draws in quite early as well.

thrifted sweetie jar

that fits in well with my new philosophy of making smaller projects with quicker results. no longer will i try to whip up a crocheted afghan in 24 hours or a mini wardrobe in a day, but instead make a cushion, pot up some plants or rearrange one room with the small snippets of time i have.

rainbow crochet

i can't go past Mollie Makes magazine for inspiring and simple projects to spruce up the house. i don't just read it for the articles, it has beautiful interiors and heaps of info on new blogs and websites to visit as well. issue thirteen had this crocheted jar cover from love the bluebird that i had to make because i love rainbows. i customised the pattern by leaving off the base so that it would stand more securely and it was done in an hour, perfect for my vintage knitting needles.

technicolour crochet bag

i also finished off this crochet bag from Better Homes and Gardens magazine July 2012. i am debating on adding a lining to it, but i just love how the late afternoon sun shines through the crochet and it makes me think of lazy summer days at the beach (all that sand can just fall through the holes).
comments and suggestions please!

tis the season to be knitting!

tra la la la laa la la la laa...when the day is gray and rainy could there be anything nicer than snuggling up on the couch with a pair of needles and some new yarn guiltily bought last weekend? my big boy thought he would like to revisit knitting after quitting it a couple of years ago (its sooo uncool you know). i bought some fishnet yarn that seems to be a bit of a craze at the moment. after a quick tutorial from my 12 year old niece Krista, i was able to show him how to knit it up.

knitting fever

its good to know he hadn't forgotten how to knit, but he did have a little trouble with the fishnet yarn and kept making more stitches. by that time i was keen to have a go and took over the needles. by the end of the afternoon i had a new loopy scarf!

fishnet scarf

i used Spotlight's "metallic mesh" in black lurex; you only need one ball for a scarf and it looks harder than it is. i also managed to finish a scarf i have been making for a while, which goes with my casual wardrobe-in-the-making. i had run out of one of the colours (story of my life) but luckily Spotlight have finally filled up the shelves in the wool department. i made it in 8ply acrylic so it wouldn't itch me, and used the yarn double for a marl effect. i didn't need a pattern for this, it's just a rectangle of moss stitch about 2m long.

which footy team?

i was on a roll with the scarves, and paging through a mollie makes magazine i saw a nice double moss stitch cowl from quince & co. i rummaged through my stash for some chunky wool and came up trumps with some i bought at Spotlight ages ago; its moda vera "grace" and sadly not stocked anymore. i only had two balls so made up my own pattern based on the one i'd seen in the magazine. its another rectangle twisted into an infinity ring for easy wearing, and i made it in one night while watching tv. it looks quite luxe and got commented on the next day when i wore it out shopping, always a good sign when someone asks you for the pattern!

designer cowl

i really enjoyed spending some time knitting, and love these quick finish projects. these scarves have already come in handy for the cold snap we've had lately, and make up for the lack of warm clothes in the wardrobe. but now i'm sewing, i'm sewing!

coast(er)ing along

sorry for that lame title, but i just love words! i also love Mollie Makes magazine, its stuffed full of projects, inspiring homes and you could almost read it just for the advertising. one such page prompted me to have a look at nook which is a blog mainly about yarncrafting. there are some free patterns available, one of which is for these crocheted jardain coasters.

jardain coasters

i made a set of four because these might become a pressie for an upcoming event (ssshh) and added an extra row to comfortably fit mugs. i love these easy projects that can be made in an afternoon with such good results and just use up scraps of yarn.

petals

i'm thinking this pattern could be used for other things as well, maybe sew lots together to make a matching table runner or some placemats? ready? set? go..........!

mandy makes

I can't believe I can crochet! I wish my mum had taught me years ago. My sister lent me her latest copy of Mollie Makes magazine which must be Valentine's Day inspired as it is all very romantic. I decided to try these crochet hearts (you can find the free pattern on belladia.typepad.com).

crochet valentines

I crocheted these in red, cream and navy as I am very inspired by nautical colors especially for autumn and winter in everything from homewares to clothes. You can also make them in sugar almond colours as seen in issue 10 of Mollie Makes. I am quite happy with how these turned out as they are my first finished crochet project and I enjoy it so much I doubt it will be my last. Crochet, will you be my Valentine?