surprise!

Remember this Lisa Gentry Yarn Bag? I made it for a contest on Ravelry a few weeks back.

Well - it won!

I thought we were just competing for 'the glory'... so I was pleasantly surprised to discover there was a prize pack on offer... and delighted when this arrived in the mail.



Twelve balls of yarn, a bunch of crochet patterns, a gauge thingy and some large circular knitting needles. Thanks Lisa!

a new toy...

It's not that long ago that I was singing the praises of the humble cardboard tube, and declaring that I would absolutely not be investing money in a ball winder. But look what we have here...



In my defence... I didn't actually buy this little gem. It was given to me by a very generous fellow crocheter Dawniedear. At first I was a little reluctant to use it - after all, I had a perfectly good winding system in place already. But once I started, I couldn't stop. I love it!

So my verdict is this... If I only had one or two balls to wind, then I would probably just use my cardboard tube. But if I was winding a whole garment worth of yarn, I would certainly employ the winder.

Or I could just leave the winder attached to the end of my buffet as it is in the photo... and use it ANY TIME I FANCY... if only I could get the children to leave it alone! I don't like my chances!

Thank you so much Dawn. I will cherish my 'new' toy.

I love you Mr Goldfish!

Several times a week the postman delivers a parcel addressed to Mr Goldfish... always some 'bargain' he has picked up on ebay!

Today was no exception. We arrived home to discover yet another parcel on the doorstep...

But this time, when he opened it... he handed the contents over to me. What a fabulous surprise! The most wonderful array of crochet hooks was inside.



some bamboo ones...



aluminium ones...



and these teensy weensy ones...

THIRTY-SIX HOOKS

Until today I only owned a grand total of about ten crochet hooks, so this has been a major boost to my supplies! What an absolute treasure my husband is.

two long months

How long would you expect a parcel to take to arrive... traveling from Canada to Australia???

Well... I can tell you that this particular package took two long months to arrive. It was mailed from Canada on June 2nd and only arrived here yesterday.



Inside was a doll made specially for me. She is part of the Zettified Art Swap we had in the Silly String Group at Ravelry.



The doll encaptures my love of family, my love of nature, and my fascination with eyelashes! There is a quote by George Cooper around the neck which says...

Hundreds of dew drops to greet the dawn.
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover.
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
but only one mother the wide world over.

The doll is magnificent... and I can see why her designer was so upset when we thought the parcel might have been lost in the post. I love her. Check out the hair and the beading. The flowers are magical... and look at that bee.



A great big thankyou to ABitNuts. She did an amazing job.

someone 'gets' me

I received the most wonderful parcel in the mail the other day. Completely unexpected... the best kind of surprise. I was very curious! Before tearing into it, I checked out the details of the sender. The parcel had traveled all the way from the USA. It was from Messy, whom you might remember I made this doll for recently as part of a swap.

Now I was even more curious. I wasn't expecting anything from Messy...

The parcel was filled with all sorts of goodies sent to challenge and inspire me. A fabulous array of items for me to recycle in my craft. Lots of bits and pieces... fabric samples, threads, trimmings, and so much more. Also a gorgeous journal for me to keep track of my crafting adventures and plans, and some treats for the kids.

Thank you Messy. You absolutely 'get me'.... and enable me. And I noticed that you yourself recycled the mailing box which I had first sent you. Precious!