autumn creations

I have spun and dyed this yarn, especially suitable for socks for my autumn swap parcel. I love the colour, it is exactly the colour of all the beautiful autumn leaves on the trees. Beechworth is looking spectacular with autumn colour this year, so I've called it 'Autumn in Beechworth". I was very hesitant about dyeing and getting it right. It's quite a while since I've done this type of dyeing, but I was really pleased with it.

And I've been sewing. I made a large project bag (lined with red)

and a very small project bag, also lined with red. I love this fabric, it's a naive style like the Villeroy and Boch plates I love so much. And apples and pears signifying Beechworth's harvest, and Chinese coin buttons on the drawstring as I live at the once-named Old Chinaman's Flat Goldfield.

My sewing machine (the super dooper new computerised Husqvarna that I haven't had any lessons on yet even though I've had it for a couple of years) didn't want to play ball with the buttonholes and it wasn't until I seriously threatened to get out my old machine (darn, that would be an effort) and do the buttonholes that it blinked it's light and behaved properly.

Crochet by any name

This is Chris' specialty and she showed us the secrets one Monday.

Spectacular done in all colours.

And now that Fran has mastered lace, she's making lovely lacy socks.

Wombat Jacket KAL

Hard at work making samples are Daphne, all the way from Melbourne, Annie from Benalla, Joy, Natalie and Pam wearing her old faithful nearly worn out red wombat jacket.

Maree and Elke started on their full size jackets.

Using circular needles you start by knitting a triangle

which looks like this on a straight needle.

The famous Wombat Jacket KAL begins

We have been wanting to do another wombat jacket. Pam's done at least 5 so she did the lesson.

The wombat jacket is an Aussie version of Meg Swanson's badger jacket. This is how it starts.

Lace and Dora's Day Out

Fran can knit lace!

This is her beautiful sampler to prove it.

Our spinning group was invited to Dora's Day Out at Seymour. This is an invite only day, and is now hosted by the Seymour group as Dora has got older. It was a wonderful day, lots of friends and some of the most beautiful craft. Maree, Pam and I went along.

and this came home with us from the op shop next door. We took it out at Pam's while John wasn't looking.

Try Dyeing Stall at Canberra

Penny had a stall at the Woolly Day at the Old Bus Depot Markets in Canberra in the middle of May. I went to help. This is the Try Dyeing kit section.

And this is the niddy noddy and handspun section, with Nana's owl teacosies being picked up by everyone who came by, they were a big attraction, and we also sold some.

The stall was successful and there should be a lot of new dyers out there.

Birthday Goodies 2010

Here's a shockingly bad closeup of the lovely wristlets. The pattern matches the socks! I smell collusion!

And my third swap parcel with a cute cat, some alpaca fibre to spin and a soft, handspun, handknitted beanie.

And then my fourth parcel with lots of goodies, including a hook, some smooshy angora and a beautifully knitted scarf.

Birthday Goodies 2010

While I was in Sydney minding Georgie and James, my lovely Ravelry friend Wynn came to visit on my birthday with this beautiful gift. She is very encouraging about me knitting socks. Not a favourite of mine as I've always had hot feet, I've really only knitted one (ok so I use it for Santa). But this is such lovely yarn I'll have to try. And just my colour fibre to spin, I wonder how she knew???
We had a lovely afternoon chatting while the kids played.

Then the ladies in my birthday swap group sent parcels. More lovely fibre to spin, and squeeeee lovely lacy wristlets.

And squeeeeee again, my very first pair of handknitted socks and some yummies including not 1 but 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces yarn.

The socks fit perfectly. It's very hard to take a flattering photo of your foot. I have since met the lovely lady who made my first pair of handknitted socks.

Weekend baby jacket

Making this jacket (supposed to be possible in 5 hours!) was a project for one of our Mondays.

Square squared

I'm doing some Crochet-a-longs this year, making squares. This one was done for charity.

And these 2 are the April squares received from a 'square dance', along with the most gorgeous and beautifully made little project bag from Lynne in Tassie. I feel very spoilt.

Georgia is 6

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you....
Daddy and Aunty Megan light the candles

There are the 6 fingers

and the giggle

and the blow and wish

Happy birthday dear Georgie, happy birthday to you.

This was the 'family' birthday party with grandparents and great grandparents, aunty and uncle.

Ravelry Pink Swap

I was very pleased with this pink yarn that I spun for the pink swap.

And here was my swap before it was wrapped up, with the most gorgeous owl fabric that I found and made into a needle wrap and crochet hook wrap.

Melva made this owl teacosy for me to include. Owl teacosies have been her specialty
since the 70s and I think my swap partner loved it. I have had lots of comments about how much people love it.

This was the lovely swap parcel I received with a beautiful knitted scarf.