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Miss Kaya dog sleeping in the sun is a good measure of how we spent our weekend...soaking in the Autumn sunshine.
We read, collected, rode, walked, drank tea, snoozed and Zahra cuddled. She loves her frocks this girl of mine. Chooks, frocks and boots, a perfect combination.
Tomorrow we head North for a week.
May soft sunshine find you wherever you are friends
~Cxo~
I've been meaning to make this simple pod bag since I bought this book about a year ago. Like my knitting, for me wet felting has only ever extended to simple projects. Over the weekend I was feeling game and ready to part with the last of my favourite coloured, merino, sliver.
I followed the instructions but ended up with a 'frill' of sorts around the outside. This piece of pre-felt was meant to bind with the rest of the pod in the felting process. Turning the pod inside out makes the frill disappear but I've decided I like it and it can stay. I had Zahra's runaway maths counters in mind when making this, I tell you there like marbles, you find them in the oddest places, but then this idea was quickly disposed of in favour of it becoming a rock collecting pod by a certain girl of mine. I did manage to convince this little geologist in the making that perhaps some of the rocks that are lugged home would be too big and weighty for such a fragile thing which might be better suited to something lighter, lets say, um, wool? and needles? Really now, in all honesty it's too small for this, but I like the idea, maybe a bigger one is in the pipeline.
Still wet from the felting process, the pod was whisked outside to hold seeds, leaves and berries from our garden. I can see that this pod will be spending some time in the bush, down in the gardens and in my bike basket, ready to bring home those little treasures we always seem to find.
Happy collecting dear friends
~Cxo~
I always have mixed feelings about today. On one hand I don't support war and yet on the other the solemness of this day deserves reflection. I have always gone to the parades. Watching those who left their families and have seen things that I would never dare to imagine, pass in front of me. Maybe it was my charismatic high school history teacher that instilled in me a strong respect for today or maybe it is now that I have a child of my own that the full force of what war is and does to families is more tangible, or perhaps it is the emotion of the rouse and reveille.
Last night Zahra and I were looking up symbols of ANZAC day and I felt that I wanted to make something small to remember this day. So I sat and stitched these little pieces, a poppy and a corsage style rosemary brooch for remembrance.
And at the risk of sounding sentimental...
They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them
Laurence Binyon, "The fallen"
~Cxo~
Dinner is in the oven, shopping is packed away, Zahra's in the bath, I have a cuppa by my side....lets talk knitting.
As I adventure further on my novice knitting journey I find that I am getting more and more excited about the possibilities. I'm now looking at knits in the store, checking what they're made off, looking at the patterns and thinking nah, I could make that... well almost... soon... a girl can dream can't she? Last winter I was finishing off most of the hats and scarves I was knitting right at the end of the cold weather, but this year, this year, I'm getting in early. Yesterday I cast off my biggest knit yet, and not a minute too soon with temperatures dropping and icy rain falling. When I say biggest knit I'm not alluding to anything fancy, I simply mean the most stitches I've ever had on my needles, some two hundred or thereabouts. I say thereabouts because it became clear after casting on and beginning the increases that the number of stitches I had on my needles was a wee bit different to the pattern. I frogged it three times. With Elizabeth's advice on knitting courageously and some encouragement from a seasoned knitting friend I decided that with so many stitches a few odd ones wouldn't be noticed, this time at least. For someone whose top stitch count for a project has only ever reached about eighty,this project seemed huge, voluminous, something I imagine knitting a cardigan is like...my strategy you see is to slowly work up to just that. When you're starting out at something new it helps to get some quick results to boost not only confidence but the desire to keep on learning and growing with the process, so I've generally stuck to small things like baby socks, bootees or beanies for Zahra.
After finishing with the increases, a few rows here and a few rows there over a couple of weeks turned into a comfy and warm Winter hat (the montana beret, third pic third row down) which I am very chuffed to say fits all of my thick and unruly hair inside when I've pulled it back. Love that.
I think it's back behind the lens for this shutter shy Mama
~Cxo~
Some of the goodness out there that has been taking my fancy of late...
I have to start with Kinfolk. I came across their films a couple of weeks ago and promptly ordered their magazine. Thank you Kinfolk for a beautiful, thoughtful, tactile, relevant publication. It has struck a chord.
Organic, free range photography from this very talented lady. Keeping me dreaming about our farm.
Mighty books for mighty girls. Love this.
Head over to rikrak studio and cast your votes in the 2012 Handmade Olympics.
Some more cowl love. Admiring this easy knit cowl...what a gorgeous colour and knits up in less than an hour.
Wishing you a week of goodness
~Cxo~
Today we slowed down after a busy week and enjoyed the morning rain. We baked, ate and walked...happy weekending dear friends.
~Cxo~
Remember these river stones from yesterday? One is now holding open our lounge room door and the other, which started out as a curtain stop for keeping those cold drafts out ended up being something a whole lot more special.
After deciding the colour was not quite right for our home, or rather me, I chopped the felt in two from around the stone and was left with two wee felted bowls.
Add some felted 'string' and a few french knots
Et voila! Something just right for this rock collecting girl of mine.
When out walking in the bush, while I'm busy looking at leavesand this plant or that, Zahra's eyes are busy looking at all the shapes and colours of the rocks beneath her feet. Rocks are her 'thing', they resonate with her. In each rock my girl finds beauty and peace. She holds them close and tells me that they fill her heart with Earth energy. I have a lot to learn from this girl of mine. I look now at rocks like I never have before and when out walking alone I find myself picking up a small piece of quartz or pyrite for her collection. Her windowsill is lined with her special bush treasures and she knows each one like a friend...."Mama have you seen that small piece of mica that looks like...", apart from their size and general type I'm telling you they all look really, really similar to me.
So these wee rock bowls became rock pouches.
I watch as she picks up one and snuggles it in her pouch and as she puts it back, or returns it to the Earth as she calls it, and selects a "more beautiful one". This ritual goes on every walk until finally at the very last, on the way home, she settles on the right rock for her. Eventually they all make their way to her windowsill.
These are special times I tell you. Watching this person grow and change. I often wonder if her love of rocks will stay with her through the years. Maybe one day she will be a geologist or maybe in years to come she will rediscover her collection of rocks in a dusty box and remember. In a couple of weeks I'm taking her here. Tomorrow we're going fishing!
warmly
~Cxo~
One river stone and some autumn toned merino sliver
water and rosemary soap
...makes for a simple doorstop
Happy Days
~Cxo~
There is so much goodness out there to be found.
Here's what has been tickling my fancy of late...
these gorgeous little coats from the talented Melissa at Tiny Happy
I would have to agree ... so amazingly beautiful (thanks Ashley)
thinking about making bread again thanks to this film
admiring these
dreaming about and getting ideas for a certain six year old's seventh birthday
Hope you enjoy some of this goodness
~Cxo~
Our authenticity is found hidden in the small details of our daily round. We think that it is the big moments that define our lives. But really these big moments of happiness are just the punctuation marks. The narrative is written every day in the small and simple
Sarah Ban Breathnach
Window light and vibrant greens
Morning strolls, riverside picnics and the company of dear friends
Tea, books and knitting in the most glorious of Autumn sunshine
Rediscovered collections from my childhood for her curious hands
Newly found art materials
Fresh flowers from an artists garden, yummy homemade bruschetta, stories, paintings, a gallery tour
Pumpkin harvest, soup and slipper season
The long awaited arrival of this magazine and the slow, hot bath where it will be enjoyed
~a lovely weekend to you friends~
Cxo
As a last minute errand over the long weekend we headed off to the shops to get some knitting needles. With a tired and hungry girl in the car the plan was to dash in and out. However as plans can be a loosely bound things, especially when on arrival at the store one discovers forty percent of all fabrics, often they never go, well to plan. You see I've had my eye on some linens, oh how I love linen, for some time, but at twenty five dollars a metre I've just been visiting and looking....and waiting for this day. Half an hour later, with a tired, hungry but smiling girl in tow (with balloon, ahem) and a smiling Mama, we left with a small bundle of linen, cotton lawn and cord. There's some Winter pants and a skirt to make for Zahra, maybe a cushion cover or two and I'm thinking a bag for myself (maybe something like this Syko creation) , with that long awaited ...see I am working on delayed gratification... linen. A good start to my winter sewing list. Oh and the giveaway ends tomorrow so take a peek and leave a comment and some paper lanterns could be making their way to your home.
warmly
~Cxo~
I make no secret of the fact that I'm in love with Autumn. I could gush about her all day. She is my favourite season with her soft golden light, cooler weather, calm energy, promise of cosiness and of course her earthy colours. After making our Autumn bunting a few weeks back we decided to keep on crafting with all the beautiful, coloured and many shaped leaves that we've been collecting. This time I thought I'd include my favourite heart shaped Red Box leaves for a bit of Southern Hemisphere love.
The idea was inspired by these little clay decorations we made for Summer solstice. We made a stack of different types of leaves but forgot to turn them while they were drying. Oops. I managed to prise just enough of them off with a knife so we could spruce up our seasonal branch. When I first strung up this piece of wood a couple of years ago I had no idea what a permanent and much loved part of our home it would become, reflecting the seasonal rhythms and where we're at with this and that right now. I love that, how something or someone comfortably finds a place in your life and then one day you wonder how it was before it came along. Does anyone else ever wonder about that? Or what about seasonal favourites?
~Cxo~
P.S There's some handmade lanterns up for grabs. Just leave a comment here. Winner drawn this Friday.
The cold weather this week (minus one last night, brrr) has got me thinking about a few gaps in our Winter wardrobe...coat, socks, tights, singlets and of course woolens. I love wool and I love knitting. Those temperatures have spurred me on to knit, knit, knit whenever I can. I've been lurking around Ravelry looking at all the beautiful creations and searching for easy cardi, cowl and vest patterns. I'm really a knitting novice, it was only last Winter that I moved on from scarves to beanies and let me tell you I've been knitting scarves for quite some time now. Last Winter I vowed to myself that this Winter would be the Winter of knitting in the round. After hearing many a good word about Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears I finally ordered it hoping for some knitting purls (ha!) of wisdom and a bit of a pep talk to get me going. This woman is amazing I tell you, sassy and full of goodness. I couldn't put it down. Inspired by her words, this simple pattern and the knitting of a friend ( who happened to be knitting the same hat as me but who unlike me was knitting in the round, made it look a cinch and finished last week while I still potter on with my two needles, you're a whizz Kate) I cast on last week...in the round... and it's not even Winter yet! All you seasoned knitters out there will have to excuse my excitement.
Moving quickly past the dodgy self portrait in the bathroom and onto the more important details...knit in Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed in Brindle and DK Tweed in Beanshoot. I love the earthy colours of Jo Sharp wool with it's beautiful speckedly colours and organic, homespun like texture. The pattern is for a fifteen inch cowl but seeing as I broke one of Elizabeth's cardinal rules, always buy one extra skein, and my local wool store was out of the brindle and it meant ordering in more and I kinda wanted some instant knitting gratification (I tell you I'm working on the delayed gratification), the cowl is only eight inches long. It still works but I can see how a fifteen inch cowl will be a whole heap cosier when it gets colder. I love the simple design and the twist. I found the pattern through All Free Knitting which has loads of great freebies.
I'm plugging away at this afore-mentioned hat, a few rows here while cooking tea and a few rows there while enjoying the afternoon sun...
...I've cast on for some fingerless mitts from Erika Knight's Simple Knitting ...
...and a vest for my Zahra, in Aspire merino and alpaca.
Bold colours, just how she likes it.
Big needles and big wool make for many a kind compliment... wow Mama, you're such a fast knitter.
Happy knitting to you
~Cxo~
P.S. My little from Me to You giveaway is drawn this Friday. Just leave a comment in that post to enter.
Have a lovely, long weekend
~Cxo~
Today I have been visiting this little space here for one year. Crazy I know, it has slipped by at an amazing rate.
It was one year ago that I found my journey on a rough and bumpy road and as a result was finding it hard to see the beauty in my day to day and the world in general. It was also just over one year ago, buried in piles of books at a local church book sale, that I came upon the ladybird book The Wise Robin. Those fantastic fifties illustrations caught my eye, and later the story, which got me thinking about all that sometimes incredibly scary and cliche stuff about who I was and where my life was going. I couldn't find many answers to my questions. All I knew was that I didn't really know where my heart wanted to lead me. I needed to start listening. One weekend I sat for hours trying to figure out these paper lanterns that I had been wanting to make for ages and when I finally got it I had an ah-ha moment. The light bulb went on and I knew what I wanted. Gratitude, creativity and connection.
Inspired by all the goodness out there in this virtual community...the creativity, moments of belly ache laughing, reflection and connection I decided that this was something that maybe, just maybe would get me taking photos again, using my hands, creating and sharing, reflecting, looking for the small things... the moments in my days and weeks that were mine to be grateful for and perhaps along the way I would connect with people like you. Kind of blows my mind when I think about how it all happens, like electricity and our bodies, how the Earth tilts and the universe spins.
Looking back at some of my posts from the past year, oh goodness how awkward they seem, and yes I still find it excruciating converting my jumble of thoughts into coherent, typed sentences, I can see that I have a lot to be grateful for...most of all your kind words and encouragement along the way.
Just as the simple paper lanterns inspired me to listen to my heart and look for the small things in each day, my hope is that they can do the same for you. As a thankyou to all of you out there I am giving away two sets of three lanterns with tea lights.
One set in warm colours- pink, red and orange
the other in cool shades of green, blue and purple.
Just leave a comment over the coming week and next Friday, 13th April (EST) I will randomly pick two names out of a hat ( Zahra's suggestion, she loves this). I'm ready to post these babies anywhere around the world!
warmly
~Cxo~
Yesterday we folded and glued for most of the morning. Well, it turned out that I did most of the folding, Zahra helped with the first one and then skipped off to play returning occasionally to find a new star for me to make. I really didn't mind, playing with paper and light is one of my favourites, especially if it means an extra hour or two of easing into the day with a cup of tea. The patterns these window stars make are so beautiful.
The designs came from Crafts Through the Year, a great little seasonal craft book. Easy instructions and heaps of designs to choose from. We used waxed kite paper which you can buy from craft stores (I think we bought ours here ). Seeing as its Autumn we chose earthy colours and then stuck them on our front window. I've posted a Make tutorial in the sidebar of 'one I prepared earlier' if you'd like to give it a go.
~Cxo~
P.S. Found this link at Dreamy Whites for natural egg dyes that I thought you might like. Those soft colours are something aren't they? Don't know if I'm doing it right but my cheeks are getting sore from egg blowing....pacing myself with two eggs each morning.
In amongst the gardening, knitting (or undoing of), tidying, cups of tea, storybook reading and general weekending business, I finished off a little embroidery and sewing project for a friend.
Charlottle Lyons' beautiful bib design was my initial inspiration when I started making these little bibs for gifts. And beautiful as they are I found the bib a little small and finicky when turning outside in after sewing. I was excited when I happened upon Oliver and S Little Things to Sew in our local library (which has been on my rather embarrassingly, thirty two page long wishlist for quite some time) and even more excited that there was a bib pattern inside. The Messy Kid Bib is nothing like what I ended up with here but I used its more generous sizing as a guide when making up a new pattern for these bibs.
I've been watching fern fronds unfurl and mushrooms pop up in our garden over the past few weeks. The fairy wrens have also started visiting us which is exciting, we haven't seen them in our garden before. A tiny bit of Autumn for three new little people.
All wrapped up and ready to go. A good start to the week
And a happy new week to all of you
~ Cxo~
