Shortie Shorts are FINISHED!

Wow.

These shorts took me so much longer than I anticipated they would...

Mostly because I had to drop down from a 3 mm hook to a 1.9 mm hook in order to get gauge.



I'm happy with the way they came together though.

A little tricky to photograph them, because with the shaping worked into them, they don't really sit flat.

But you get the idea...

Free Pattern available online from DROPS Design... Click here for details

A Baptism Gift...

Had a Family Baptism to attend over the weekend, so I worked up a Baby Girl version of Callipo the Very Naughty Monkey...

(pattern available here)



This time I used cotton from Bendigo Woolen Mills - love the softness of the pinks - but the original is still my favourite, with his black and white stripes...

And another Oops!

So last week I was busy unraveling this jumper...

It came apart beautifully, and I was loving the variation in the colour.

Then I washed it.

I was feeling lazy, so I popped it into the washing machine.

I made sure that the skeins were tied in plenty of places, so there would be NO tangling...

But then I must have had a vague moment - and I put it through the wash on a regular cycle.




Not GENTLE.

Not DELICATES.

Not the WOOL cycle.

Just regular.



And you know what happened, don't you?

It felted. Oh YES. It felted.

BIG TIME!

(and I might have said a rude word when I opened the washing machine)

Oops!

I thought I was being so clever the other day...

Charlotte had this little purple top.

And on the front of this little purple top was a bow.

(as you can tell from the photo above - we're a bit too curious about the camera... so instead of sitting still for a photo, we just come closer and closer to the lens!)

It looked gorgeous when it was new... but with every wash, the bow just bunched up more and more... until it reached the point that it was just a weird blob on the front of her top.

So I took it off.

 I'd been meaning to do it for ages, but somehow the simple task kept evading me...

Anyway.

I did the right thing - and used a seam ripper, instead of just gouging at it with a pair of scissors... or using my teeth!

Yet somehow I still ended up with a hole - Aaarghhhhhhh.

(I like to believe that the hole was there under the bow anyway - maybe from all the pulling? Hey! I tell myself what I need to hear)

So here's the top (minus the bow).



And here's that pesky little hole... on the yoke, just above the seam...



Add some buttons:



And here's THE FIX!



Don't tell anyone, but I was actually going to stitch buttons all the way along the seam - but I was bored after the first three...

Spoiled again!

Remember my Little Birdie from a couple of months back?




I made him for the Designers Challenge Group over on Ravelry... and he won SECOND PRIZE!

There were lots of adorable entries in the competition - you can see all the others here - although you might have to be a Rav member to view them.

And my prize yarn arrived in the mail the other day.

Two scrummy skeins of Cascade Alpaca Lana D'Oro...

Preparing for November...

As you know, in my group over on Ravelry, we have a new challenge each month...

(Anyone is welcome to join in the fun - just pop on over.)

At the beginning of the month I offer a pattern for a particular project. Everyone makes their items, then posts photos when they are done. I choose my favourite - and the winner tells me what to design for the following month...

I've had so much fun working on these designs... and I'm really EXCITED about the upcoming November Challenge...

In the top photo you can see my swatching...

And in the photos below I have started on the piece... trying to avoid tangles!





So, I want to know what you think it is...

Because I think NO ONE will be able to guess correctly...

Go on and prove me wrong! I'd love you to!

And as a clue: here's a sneak peek of the sketch.

Fancy the Frilled Neck Lizard

Have you been patiently waiting for the release of my Frilled Neck Lizard pattern???

Well - Here he is!

The pattern has now been thoroughly tested and is available for sale through Ravelry...

Since I am selling the PDF version of the pattern - it means that you will have access to the pattern immediately... NO WAITING... it's yours straight away - how awesome is that???

And it's only AU $4.50.

You could knit him up for one of the little people in your life for Christmas - what a wonderfully UNIQUE gift that would be!

One to Unravel...

Now that the fine weather is here - it's time to get back to reclaiming some yarn.

Not that you can't do it in the winter months... it's just that I much prefer to do it when the nicer weather is here...



Why?

Two reasons really.

Number One is that I can work outside. In fact it's the perfect job to take to the park. I can fiddle about with my unraveling while the kids play. The beauty of doing it outdoors is that you don't end up with all the mess in your home. Because it IS messy work. Not just all the little bits of yarn from unseaming... the main problem is all the fibres which fly around the room. Some jumpers are better behaved than others - but some shed like crazy - and it's much nicer to keep that kind of mess outdoors!

The other reason involves the drying time for skeins. Once the yarn is unraveled, I skein it and wash it thoroughly. Then of course it needs to DRY... And it's much nicer to hang it outside on the line in the sunshine, than to have it lingering around indoors for a week or so. Because we all know how bad wet wool smells, don't we?

Anyway.

I have a Craft Group meeting at my place today... and I'm hoping to get most of this jumper frogged. Will share some more photos when I'm done.

Meet Captain Fizzlepop!

He's finished... My Little Clown Friend...

I'm calling him Captain Fizzlepop!

He's my own design - and I'm currently writing the pattern for him.

In Progress...

Campaign Completion continued over the weekend, and I spent most of my crafting time working on this Toy Clown...



Not too far from finished now...

The limbs need stuffed and attached... and the collar needs sewn in place... and some embellishing for the tummy...

Still a little undecided about the collar, but we'll see how we go.

Here's the sketch I'm working from:

Rag Basket.

So.

Way back in July, I blogged about how I was FINALLY going to line a Rag Basket which I had made way back in 2010.

Well - I had good intentions - but it didn't get done then!

And by the time I finally got around to lining it, I decided that I no longer liked the lining fabric I had chosen...

I AM SO FICKLE!

Anyway. I chose something much more simple. It was a bit fiddly to line, because I wanted the handles to be lined too - but I love the way it has come together.

I wasn't going to add an embellishment... but it looked too LONELY without one.

So I've compromised, and made a removable embellishment. I've made use of a brooch pin on the back of the flower, so that it can be taken away on a whim...

So that's another UFO out of the way!

(and now available for sale HERE)

Now what else can I find lurking around here?

All the Colours of the Rainbow

Do you ever enjoy making a project so much - that you're kind of sad when it's finished?



Sounds silly, I know - but I get like that sometimes...



Like with this hat. It was so much fun working through the spectrum of rainbow colours...



And kind of disappointing when I reached the end!






This wonderfully BOLD and VIBRANT hat is available for sale HERE.

A Sneak Peek...

I've been having so much fun designing the project for our November Knitting Challenge...

Of course - it's a SURPRISE for now... but a little peek couldn't hurt - could it?

How about I sneak you a little bit of the sketch...

But that's all for now!

Yes. I am STILL collecting Tea Bag Strings!

Okay. So this is REALLY slow work!

It's been three months now, since I first posted  about my insane plans to collect tea bag strings. I'm not much of a tea drinker - but I have MANY wonderful friends who are - and they have been indulging me by saving their strings (despite the strange looks from their loved ones and co workers).

Even Mr Goldfish has the staff at his workplace saving strings!

Here's my collection to date...



 I feel like I have knotted together THOUSANDS of these tea bag strings... and yet the ball never seems to grow any larger - how is that possible?

New Items In Store...

Just wanted to share some new items I have added to my store...

There's a few of pairs of earrings... 

The beads are recycled from old jewellery, but the wire and  hooks are new materials:

And a couple of crochet flannel bath mats, made from cot sheets and pajamas:

 

Come and take a peek inside: