what are you making for the baby???

"What are you making for the baby???"

It would have to be one of the most frequently asked questions of me at the moment... it's right up there with "When are you due?" and "How far along are you?" and "Is it a boy or a girl?"

So to answer a few of those others... I am due June 19th... which happens to also be my 12th Wedding Anniversary (and three days before I turn 40)

Which makes me 26 weeks along at the moment, and those weeks really are starting to fly by.

No idea what the gender is. I like surprises, so I'll just be patient and wait until it POPS OUT and then find out! Not sure what it's like in your part of the world, but I almost feel like a bit of a freak here for not yet knowing the gender. So many expectant mothers do choose to know, and it feels quite odd to NOT know.

As for my own maternal instinct... who knows? Most days I'm certain that I'm carrying a girl... but then there's the odd day when I'm just as certain that it is a boy!!!

SO...

What am I making for the baby???

Well... remember all those mini skeins?

I started making them into small knitted squares...

And then joined them together in a basketweave type layout...

But I didn't like how they sat so unevenly... it kind of gave a wavy appearance, rather than clean straight lines...

So I started over again, this time working in lengths like so...

And when I find the battery charger for my camera, I'll be able to take a progress photo to show you where I'm up to now!

I'm loving the way it looks, and I think you will too...

Now..

Does anyone know where my charger is???

I haven't used it since before I fell pregnant... and it isn't where I expected it to be!

Aaarghhhh!!!

craft market at Hanging Rock...

Helloooooo....

Is anyone out there???

I've been absent from Blogland for such along time now... I'm wondering if there are any readers left out there!

Please stop and leave a comment... that way I know you are still there...



I feel like my craft mojo has been missing for a long time now, so when I had the opportunity to visit a Craft Market at the weekend... I simply had to say YES!

It's always inspiring for me to see what fellow crafters are up to... to see, feel and touch their work... and 'ooh' and 'ahh' over the techniques and materials used.

Inevitably, I find myself wanting to learn new skills to add to my repertoire... this time I feel the need to learn welding, so that I can create sculptures from scrap metal!!! But maybe I should work my way through my huge fabric/yarn stash before I start collecting scrap metal too... And I would certainly need some extra storage space...

Meanwhile, what I actually bought was this adorable dress, made from vintage fabric, for Little Miss Six.



It came from the wonderfully talented girls at Fine Little Finches - Kim and Anna. Aren't they clever?

I'll admit to being a little biased - as Kim is friend of mine... but I love their work! Check out the precious shoes they have started making...

I fell in love with this vintage fabric immediately. I'm thinking perhaps it reminds me of a pillow case I had as a child, but there is something really familiar and reassuring about it.

But more importantly, since I've had the dress at home, I keep looking at it... thinking it needs SOMETHING MORE... thinking, thinking, thinking... thinking it needs some kind of EMBELLISHMENT... thinking, thinking, thinking... not quite sure what I'd add to it... perhaps a trim around the sleeves and the hem, or an applique of some kind... maybe just a set of matching hairclips or a headband...

Doesn't really matter which way I go with it... the REALLY EXCITING part was that I was CREATIVELY INSPIRED, and that's been a long time coming!!!

a surprise delivery

During the week, I had an unexpected package arrive in the mail...



There were no identifying marks on the package, so I didn't have a clue who it came from.

All I could figure was that it was someone who knows my real name and address... and who lives in Australia.

Which lead me to Crochet Lovers Victoria...

But when I went to post in the forums there, I discovered that I was not the only one who received a secret package this week!

So many other members were posting about their surprises too... and NONE of us know where they came from.

So I need to say a very BIG THANK YOU to my secret santa (whoever you might be)

I love the washer and the sparkly thread, and those stitch markers are going to come in very handy. Your stitch work is exquisitely tidy!

But most of all, I love the thought you have given... investing time and effort making these surprises and sharing them with us...

It's also been fabulous fun to watch everyone play detective, and try to discover your identity

Thanks again for the wonderful Christmas surprise!!

my latest project

I've been in hibernation for a long, long time now... haven't I???

Truth is, I've hardly felt HUMAN over the last few months.

I've been so utterly exhausted, that there's been NO TIME or INTEREST for craft of any kind, let alone blogging about it.

As you can guess from the photo, I've been busy working on my latest project...

growing another BABY GOLDFISH!!!


It's been a lot of years since I last did this... and I don't remember it being quite this much of a challenge last time! Then again, maybe we're programmed to forget about the nightmare parts of pregnancy and childbirth... otherwise no one would ever do it more than once!!!

So, here I am...

At the end of the first trimester...

Finally experiencing little bursts of energy...

And becoming inspired to get back into my craft!

free crochet pattern - the little green frog

weeds???

what weeds???

all I see is pretty yellow flowers in my garden!



this pattern is availabe as a free download for the month of OCTOBER 2010 only...

what are you waiting for???

follow the link here for the pattern! download now

testing.

Been having a play around with those mini skeins... just to see how far each will stretch, if making single colour motifs

These simple squares are approximately 6cm x 6cm, and I get 1 square per skein. Not that fussed about the small grannies, or the leaf. But I quite like the simple garter square.



Fun to play around with, but I can't see myself making an entire afghan this way.

Maybe another cushion cover? I still need to make more

Although I should finish that granny one first...

if one is good, then two must be better

So I suddenly realised that I didn't have a plan for the back of the granny cushion...

Option 1: I could leave it plain... but then I know it would drive me insane everytime it flipped over on the couch (and believe me - there is a whole lotta cushion flipping that goes on at our place!)

Option 2: I could work a different square for the back, and then I have the option of intentionally flipping for a different look... but then I know that I will end up favouring one side more than the other... and my least favourite side will be the one it always ends up on.

Option 3: Is the winner. The back will be EXACTLY the same as the front, so that it doesn't matter which way the cushion sits!

Now, I'll be the first to admit... it's not too often that I make two pieces which are an exact replica of one another... remember those socks I made? Even they didn't match!