The nose job

Uncle Tim and James enjoyed reading some books, even uni students got some holiday time over Easter.

Then, after a saga in the city where Tim tried to be the 'hero' and stop someone stealing from his friend, he arrived home with a broken nose.

Here he is 9 days later after having surgery in Canberra to put it back in place,

and looking much more like his old self!

I've always loved going to the Royal Easter Show

It was Easter and that just happens to be Royal Easter Show time in Sydney. My friend Wynn came with myself, Tim and the Kids. While Wynn and I were checking out the craft displays, Uncle Tim kindly took the kids to the farm area.

They coloured cows

with all the other hundreds of kids,

looked at the animals

and had a chat with some of the interesting residents.

Thanks Uncle Tim, Granma and Wynn had a lovely time looking at all the knit and crochet.

Thomas love

I found a bag with Thomas the Tank Engine picture. I knew a little boy who loves Thomas the Tank Engine and all his friends.

Isn't he cute? He was happy to carry the bag around like this for a while (and you can't help but smile). Makes you wish you were a kid again!

Turning 5 means you're really a big kid now...

While Penny and Dan were in the US and I was on Granma Duty, Georgie had her 5th birthday. She had received a present from Mum and Dad before they left, and they phoned and wished her happy birthday. And she happily went off to school with a container full of cup cakes that I made for her class to join in to celebrate her birthday. After school on her birthday, Nana and Pop came with a birthday cake and presents.

She felt special wearing the 'Birthday Girl' badge that I had found, and she had the candles blown out to a round of cheers from everyone

especially her biggest fan!

It sure took concentration to get that wish right!

Our little girl is growing up fast.

Swap Fever

I'm a little slow in writing more about the new Fever that has overtaken everything else. Swap Fever. The DIY gene is to blame. If others are doing it, SO CAN I! Easy peasy, just add it to the list of over-commitment. Then comes the stress. Have to get it done, can't let myself down let alone my swap partner, but will she like it? Have I chosen the right colours and style? Too late, just do it.
Project Bag. My partner would like a tote with a very long handle; her colours grey, green, blue. So I finally found some fabric I loved and a pattern from Nicole Mailelieu, designer. I'm not confident sewing bags so I went step-by-step all the way to avoid a disaster.

The bag had to be finished to go with me to Sydney for mailing out at the correct time.

A few goodies were included, a shiroshimi bag to keep a knitting project tidy, and a mug with it's own little carry bag. I was happy with the finished product, it looked stylish. I'm still not sure bags are one of my favourite sewing projects, I'll have to try a few more. Maybe for myself so they're stress free.

And here is the exciting parcel I received from 'MissFee' with a trio of bags.

A wonderful large stand-up by itself project bag, with needle gauge attached (cause I can never find mine!), the most handy-size sunnyboy project bag, and a mini bag as well.

And in the bag was a beaded row counter (I'm so looking forward to mastering this and not having to recount all the time) and a trendy tape measure as well as some very special Playschool stickers for Georgie and James, choccie and some alpaca fibre to spin.

Parcel out, parcel in

Swap fever and over-commitment continues at a hectic pace. While I was doing the magic yarn ball swap and the project bag swap and a birthday swap, I was also doing a Rainbow Swap in Yellow. My partner was the lovely 'Sandalwood' from Qld, in need of a spoil, so I crocheted a cotton scarf, spun some soft yellow tops for knitting and some English Leicester from SA for knitting and felting, added some bits and pieces I had collected, a hat and peg doll for her daughter, a shiroshimi bag to keep the knitting project in, some lovely stitchmarkers made by a friend Dawn, some wool from the Mill, local lemon myrtle butter, a towel crocheted by my dear MIL, a scented drawer sachet, a tape measure in a tin, and some lovely Wally Grub Sandalwood soap. This parcel also had to be ready to go with me to be posted from Sydney.

My parcel from 'Cazknit' came beautifully wrapped in cute dog paper, sent to me in Sydney. I had nobody to show until my daughter got back from her trip to the US!

And inside was not only some beautiful merino roving dyed by Cazknit but also some lovely merino and silk yarn dyed as well. Also a cute little tin with see-through lid and a handy notebook.

Along with the cute stichmarkers Cazknit made, she also made me an orifice hook for the spinning wheel. This created great interest amongst the Beechworth Handspinners!

So you see, Swap Fever really gets a hold on you.

My Magic Yarn Ball

This is the magic yarn ball I received from my secret partner.

She sent me a crochet cowl pattern and as I had been wanting to try a cowl I have used her pattern. The Aracaunia wool was lovely to use and quite soft. I have just started here.

And the finished cowl with the goodies from the ball. The piece of fabric is a piece of antique handpainted kimono fabric, I am still to decide what to do with it.

And here is the finished cowl in quite a pretty crochet pattern.

Magic Yarn Ball Swap for a Blue Butterfly continued

When I had finished making my yarn I collected up the goodies (some other yarn donated by Maree as well) and wound up the ball.

Here I am half way through winding

And here is the finished and very clumsy ball, almost the size of a soccer ball.

What is so wonderful about this is that I met my partner at the Stitches and Craft Show in Melbourne when I went with Maree. We spent quite a bit of the day with her and talked about the swap, and I was able to keep my secret! She later said she didn't have any idea I was her partner, although she had wished for the yarn when I showed photos of it.

Kelebek loved her yarn so much she found a gorgeous lace shawl pattern which she is knitting so beautifully. I have promised to spin the fibre I have left so she can make the shawl big enough, and when it is finished I hope she will send me a photo.

Magic Yarn Ball Swap for a Blue Butterfly

I've been very over-committed doing Ravelry swaps!

One that I desperately wanted to do was a Magic Yarn Ball swap.

You sign up and are given a partner in secret to send to. You check out your partner's likes and dislikes and get a ball of yarn they will like and an appropriate pattern they (hopefully) will also like. Then you collect together some goodies to put in the ball (not too large as you will see) and you wind the ball inserting surprises along the way.

My partner was Kelebek, who absolutely loves blue and especially blue butterflies. So I set to with some of the most divine fibre from First Edition at Euroa, merino alpaca and silk, and spun an approximate 4ply for my partner Kelebek who loves knitting socks. I was very pleased with the result. The colours are gorgeous, very peacocky (which is appropriate coming from the home of the Silver Creek peacocks) and so beautifully soft, and I was happy it was nice and even and there shouldn't be any niggling lumps in her shoes.

The new kid on the wheel

While she was visiting from Sydney, our friend Wynn had spinning lessons with Maree, here she is practising treadling.

And here is her first ball of yarn, woohoo!

Busy wheels during March

Our wheels were busy during March, and Kathy finished some lovely alpaca.