Be nice....the world is a small town!

That's all I have to say today actually....

Just a Little Sidetracked...

....but wouldn't you be too? How gorgeous is she? Made the outfit and then couldn't stop and had to knit stuff as well.



...and with the knitwear. It's actually part of a big project. I'm trying to get a book together for sewing and knitting clothes for the Australian Girl Doll.

Fruition of Humble Beginnings

Ok, so here it is. No 1 in the stash busting attempt of 2011. From humble beginnings (see previous post)to all folded up neatly. A 2 metre long scarf for Nicholas to take to the Himalayas. And here's one all stretched out.

Yes, granted it is not the most awesome technical achievement of my life. BUT.....here's the thing : once it was yarn and now it's a scarf.........mission accomplished!
For anybody who also thinks it is awesome and would like to replicate it:
6mm needles and 8 ply yarn held double. Cast on 41sts. The pattern is often referred to as mistake rib. It consists of 1 row only:
Begin every row: k2,p2 to the last stitch, p1.
Voila! Keep going until the offending yarn is finished.

Cheating..maybe

This one may not count as a stash busting exercise. This projet started a while ago. I had a pile of Jo Sharp Aran Tweed. Why? No idea. I don't think I have actually ever knit anything in the yarn to warrant it's existance in my home, but no matter, maybe it was an orphan and I took it in. There's heaps of it and when I saw these amazing cushions I knew my little orphaned balls of yarn had a purpose.

I'll still have some left over and seeing as that is not an option I will knit a blanket to go with the cushions...........Thanking of some kind of log cabin style blanket..........mmmmmm wonder if I need more yarn for that.........

Humble Beginnings

I bought this yarn about 6 years ago. There was plenty more of it. I knitted the most fabulous Aran Jumper for my darling son.There are two things that my son does to his handknit things from Mummy - either he loses it or he washes it. The lovely jumper became the victim of the latter. I have about 200 gram left. My darling son is climbing the Himalayas with his darling Dad this year. I am using this yarn to knit the darling son a really long, really warm (holding the yarn double) scarf to take along. Lets see where this scarf lands up. There's something about losing a scarf in the Himalayas that I can bear. Maybe, it has to do with the fact that every stitch was knit by me and be default it ( the scarf) is taking me along. Anyway, it is the first in my stash busting ventures. Read on......there is another.

STASH BUSTING

Today is the 21 February 2011. I intend to end this blogging hiatus with, in my opinion the biggest stash busting year of the century. I know I should have had it as a New Year's resolution, but, statistically it would have been doomed to fail. I reckon the 21 February 2011 is as good a date as any. The stash busting year of the century, yes, I know it sounds awfully 'over the top'. What makes this different is that the stash busting is extended to busting the stash that lives on my butt as well! Got the $250.00 walking shoes, no butter in the house, a deep freeze full of frozen calorie, portion controlled meals.I have no idea how much I weigh and have no intention of finding out. I just know it is too much. Published are pictures of my stash and if you think I am posting pictures of the stash on my butt, think again!Take my word for it the fabric and yarn stash in the pictures are a really true depictment of the stash on my butt........wool stash, fabric stash and brand new sewing machine. No excuses..........I'm going for it.........

So, How do you know how to Knit?

I am often asked when I started to knit and I can honestly say I have absolutely no recollection. I have just always been able to. Then this photograph arrived in the mail.(see above) It was taken in 1959. That's my Mum knitting on the beach and me - the small one. In the words of my mother: "...now you know where it all started, given to you in the cradle" What more can I say , isn't my Mum cool!!

The detail on this little Damara doll is amazing. Bought from my fellow sewing compatriot (see below). Her fingers are all individually wrapped with sewing cotton around copper wire, for definition. She has tiny little bead earrings and her hair is corn rowed down the back. Taking ito consideration that she is only about 25cm high - what amazing workmanship. On a more personal note - the fabric used is so reminescent of my childhood. 'Fasco' and 'Duitse sus'. My Mum had these fabrics in most of her little convenience stores she opened up whenever she could. Petticoats under these dresses where extrmemly important. The more petticoats you wore underneath the richer you were. I remember the sound of Lucia's petticoats as she went about helping my Mum in the house. And the smell. She smelt of Tambouti wood, from the fires she made at home. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
As I am writing this I have realised that my blogpost is to be for the love of knitting, but I am having a sewing moment. In a knitting vein - I am off to post my first yarn swop ever to America.

About Sewing Rooms

On Sunday I met with my sewing girls. We meet once a month. After a long wait one of the girls has her own sewing room. What a fabulous treat to have a dedicated sewing room. It got me thinking about the spaces we use to knit and sew. I have converted the diningroom-part of our openplan kitchen, dining and sitting room into my sewing space. That way I am close enough to the food, to stop it from burning. Does anybody else put the supper on and then toddle off to do a bit of sewing while the rice cooks? Well, I have thrown away so many burnt pots. Sewing and knitting is just so absorbing. But, hold on, I digress. About sewing spaces...... Some lucky girls have a dedicated room, some have a corner in a room, some eat on the floor because, well, you know, the dining table is the sewing spot. And then there is this wonderful woman..... from my homeland.........I wonder if she feels the same way I do about sewing? This is her space. She makes Damara dolls in traditional clothes. Her sewing space is on the side of the road. I really do wonder if we feel the same way about sewing and do we have the same dreams .... a home with a dedicted sewing room?

And more boy jumpers! This is so historic and if I remember correctly way to warm for a little boy running around in the mountains of Africa.

I am extreeeeemely new at this. So, here is one image...

We have a saying in our family: 'Only real men wear pink!'

A couple of months ago my Mum and I were wondering how many rooms all our handwork would fill. Today I am feeling extremely nostalgic so, I went through some old photographs and found these two jumpers that I knit for my boy when he was little. When a back consisted of casting on 56 sts. 18 years later I am still knitting for him but now backs consist of 156 sts and arm lengths go on forever. Here's to quick knits for little boys.

Books and things

Today I spend the day sorting out my books. I can never find anything I am looking for. Now I have them in neat little piles. Children's ones together, stitch dictionaries together, Rowan magazines together, in number order mind you. Then I came to the Interweave knits. Some months ago in a fit of 'try to orgnise your knitting life' I tagged all the projects I would love to do. That was before Ravelry. Now, look at what it looks like.


See my new organised book shelves and my Interweave projects. Now, all I need is the time to use it all..............

I cannot do without friends like this

This is a 90 year old lady from Shanghai. She grew her own vegetables and sold them at market every day most of her life. She also knit most of her life. The last winter in China was a little bit too much for her, she got ill and after missing 4 days at the market, she died. These are the women on whose shoulders we stand. The ones who taught us patiently, lovingly and asked for nothing in return. This is why I knit. I am sure I have carried it with me through many lifetimes and I am so happy I know how to.

Today Andrea spend almost the whole day with me setting up this wonderful blog. How fortunate to have such a wonderful friend and one who knows exactly what I want. Thank you Andrea - you are special.

Testy test test

Testing for colour testing...