More Knitting, While Not Much Blogging...

Sadly, there is never time for everything. No matter how hard we try something always has to slip.
For me, the return to my study has meant that I haven't had the time to ponder over ideas for blog posts. And then, most importantly, write them.
It's not all bad though... I've still been managing to knit. Here is the finished Emerald Green Cowl that I made for a 30th birthday present.

It's made from 100% Merino wool and feels chunky and warm. The stitch I found in my stitch bible, the name: purse stitch. 'Tis excellent for cowls and such things as it looks the same on both right and wrong sides. It's a simple pattern - multiple of 2. All rows: *M1 (wrn), p 2 tog*

Patchwork Bag...

I've been interested in making bags for quite a while now. And it has been that interest and desire that has led me back into the wonderful world of sewing. Sparking new comprehension in things like warp and weft - concepts that I couldn't be bothered to try and understand as a youngster!
A couple of years ago I came across one of the best bloggers around (I think so anyway!) during a search for a bag pattern. Sooz has some fantastic information and ideas in her blog about all sorts of things. And BAGS are one of those things.Unfortunately the tutorial I once followed is no longer there, but the bag I have recently completed is a derivative of her original pattern for a reversible beach bag.
I decided to make it 'patchwork style' so I could up-cycle garments of clothing and use up scrapes of interesting fabric...

For this bag I've used an old skirt (red & brown flowers), some curtain off-cuts (cream fabric) and some red satin. I then used a creamy-fawn coloured satin for the bag lining...

I've made a few different bags since my bag mission began including a nappy bag which I use everyday without fail. My only real obstacles so far have been the lack of a) an industrial sewing machine to sew handles on and b) a walker foot - in some situations with certain fabrics).
I've found bags relatively easy to make while also being very rewarding and useful...

Honeycomb Stitch Baby Vest

I've been knitting in the round again... Still finishing off all those loose-ends I told you about. And I think it's safe to say that everything is finally finished.

This is the second baby's vest I've designed and made in this style. (And baby loves them...)

The lower stitching is 'Honeycomb' which is as follows:

Round 1: knit
Round 2: purl 1, slip 1
Round 3: knit
Round 4: slip 1, purl 1
Repeat

The top is simply knitted in Stockinette Stitch with a little eyelet hole for a button on one side.
The wool is Morris Empire 8ply in 'Candy Twist'

Everything is now completed, which means I'm all ready for the newest moon of this new year! Time to sow the seeds of intention and set some goals. A great website that I love to visit, http://mooncircles.com/  reminds me that there is magic to be found in everyday - sometimes I forget. There is some very interesting infomation there on using moon phases to enhance our projects and everyday life in general. The following extract is about the time during a new moon and is from the website. (Thank you Dana!)

'The moon travels with the sun, rising and setting as one. At first she’s lost in the bright solar light… bathing there perhaps. It’s how the moon makes herself new. And you? It’s your chance to become new now too. Lose yourself in possibilities. Forget your history: your likes and dislikes… even those goals you say you want but never seem to achieve. Refresh instead your animal nature, senses awake, happily, simply aware of being alive.When the moon starts to gently lag behind the sun, pulling away from her bath; you’ll see a thin crescent in the west, just after sunset. Make a wish. In the days ahead, realize there are invitations all around you, arriving in ways you might mistake if you’re not open. Your task is to say yes to an invitation you’ve never said yes to before. Embark on a big or little adventure. Start something new.'

My Blog Turns... 1 Today!!

A year ago I decided, as part of my new year's resolution, to start this blog... I'd been thinking of starting a blog for so long but couldn't decide what my theme would be.
In the end, or the beginning, I decided to just sit down at the computer and start writing.
So I did.
And I was surprised about how quickly my blog evolved into a 'crafty' blog documenting mainly, what I have been making over the year. And about the wealth of ideas and information on others' blogs available at the tip of the finger.
There are just so many things to make and do!
Here's a round up of what I've been making during 2012 - my first year of blogging.

I'm excited to see what 2013 will bring...

Choc-a-licious Truffles...

It's Christmas time again and as usual I have had the food processor out, busily whizzing up Chocolate Truffles on the kitchen bench. Batches and batches of them. It was the summer of 1994 when I first came across this recipe in a New Zealand Food Plus magazine... You know, one of those free ones which accompany the weekend newspaper.

 Although the magazine looks very dated now, the Truffles taste so good that I've kept referring back to it at Christmas for close to 20 years. This recipe calls for Brandy and walnut, however I often omit the walnuts altogether; or add apricots soaked in Brandy or raisins soaked in honey rum.

They are the perfect Christmas gift, either wrapped in cellophane with ribbon or in boxed in muffin cases... They are also the perfect thing just to have in the fridge for when you're passing by searching for a late night snack!

Merry Christmas!!

The Wondrous Effects of Vinegar...

When I was in my 20s feeling young and free my motto was: life's too short for cleaning. Employ a cleaner, I would say, for who really has the time?! So if you'd have told me then, that in ten years' time I'd be excited about the wondrous effects of white vinegar, I'd never have believed a word...

But fast forward a decade. Add two beautiful children to the mix of life and low and behold I spend more than just a few hours a week cleaning! And I'm surprised to find that it occasionally induces a meditative state. That it feels so good when everything, or most things... O.K more than half  - are in their places; dust and debris vacuumed away; surfaces wiped and sparkling. But the high is fleeting. Someone, ALWAYS! Undoubtedly! Walks in with muddy boots on and wreaks everything...

My brother demonstrated for me a few years ago (when I was still in the transition stage - with young child but still loathed cleaning) just how well you could remove limescale from a glass shower door using vinegar. I was never really moved much by this, my heart was never in it in the first place, however I did file it in the depths of my brain for later use.

I came across vinegar in the non-edible sense again recently when reading about cloth nappies. The thing with cloth nappies is that although it's important to sanitise them properly you can't start using lots of bleaches and softeners as it stops them absorbing properly and it's no good either, for a soft tender bottom! I was directed to vinegartips.com and was pleasantly elated to find out that vinegar is not only a fabric softener but it also helps remove soap residue while removing stains and odours. It really works brilliantly, it's cheap and is good for our planet. What more could one want?

With the weather getting warmer it's been time for a dot of spring cleaning. I needed to clean some wooden window sills. A mix of warm water, olive oil and vinegar (yes it sounds like a salad dressing) did wonders and that was really what prompted me into writing this. The sills actually looked like they had been re-varnished. The next one on my list to try will be the oven door.

There are many uses for vinegar, 1001 of them apparently. So please get going and try them. You won't be disappointed - I'm sure of it!

Pretty Knitted Things....

Recently I have been making a conscious effort to tidy up loose ends - in the literal sense! The many unfinished projects that I have had on the go have been making me feel a bit jumbled up. So to begin clearing some space, both mental and physical, I finally finished knitting the i-cord for a Hearts Garland...

This has been a very long time in the making, but I am so pleased with the outcome...
You can find the pattern for this here.

It's very simple to make and great for using up small amounts of yarn.