Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Anniversary Dinner

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Home from a successful dinner out for our anniversary. we have something a little more special booked for next Friday when the kids are at daycare and Dean has the day off, but it was nice to celebrate as a family. Especially when it involves their favourite food pizza!

Happy Anniversary

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8 years ago today.

I joke that I could of been in and out for his manslaughter by now, and we laugh that our wedding reception place burnt down a year after our wedding but he's a keeper. If it wasn't for the two little ones who claim we are their parents it sure wouldn't feel like 8 years ago.

Sheesh if I didn't already feel old looking at us young'ens in these photos sure would!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Andalucia Spring Ruffle Top

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I was intending to make myself one of these tops after I saw it on Sew Mama Sew. So instead, I had a brief moment of insanity and while Liam was napping this afternoon asked Bella if she would like to help me make her a top. Big mistake. Like sewing doesn't take long enough as it is. But it was nice, she helped me draw lines, cut the fabric, and even sew it up. Of course I was constantly asked if it's finished yet and wanting to keep it on while I was pinning it for length etc.

The good thing is, it's been on since the last stitch was finished and she is in love with it. Apparently she is wearing it tomorrow, but only after we compromised with not wearing tonight to bed.

The pattern is for adults, but I just used the calculations and a bit of adjusting to make it the right size. The fabric is from Patty Young's Andalucia line and I love it just as much as the pictures I've seen of it. Girly but not all candy pink, and I love the co-ordinating red and green.

Monday, April 27, 2009

PJ Pants

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New PJ pants for Isabella in Sandi Henderson's Dahlia Flannel. I used the instructions and pattern from Aunty Cookie's Yoga Pants for Happy Babies in the Meet me at Mikes Book.

No Isabella isn't 9-12 months like the pattern is for, but her waist is and I just adjusted the length to suit. Oh and I added the cuff, done in my own dodgy quick way. Now to find a long sleeve top and an applique on the front.

Next up a pair for Liam, but his aren't in flowers because then I'd be in trouble from Daddy. Liam probably wouldn't care though, secretly while Daddy is at work he's more than happy to don a tutu and crown and do a bit of dancing.

Off to make this Roast Chicken for dinner. Feeling a bit Martha-ry today, so far I have made a loaf of bread, a batch of lemonade scones, sewed and now cooking a roast for dinner.

PS. I got the flannel from Quilthome.com. One of my fave places to order from.

More Scarves

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The last of the fabric left from Baby T's Quilt made into two more scarves. These ones are backed with an oatmeal coloured corduroy with two small strips of the patchworked fabric.

They were going to be Mother's Day presents but I'm not sure they are really either my Mum or Dean's Mum's colours. Contemplating listing them on Madeit or etsy since I have nothing in either shop. Or maybe I should run a giveaway. I don't know.

Helping Mummy take the photos.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

An Afternoon at the Park

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Knitting in a Bag

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With all this knitting and crocheting little granny squares I've been doing lately, the car is becoming over-run in balls of yarn rolling around the floor and knitting needles poking out of everywhere. 

With a leftover strip of patchwork from Baby T's quilt I sewed up the sides, hemmed the top and made a casing for the drawstring a-la-Curlypops.

Big enough to fit 1 or 2 skeins, knitting on the go and some needles.

Crochet Capelet

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My first crocheted garment, a capelet for Isabella using Leila & Ben's pattern that I bought from their etsy shop so long ago it's embarrasing. After a couple of false starts when I first bought it I gave up, not knowing how to even "Cast on" probably wasn't helping me, until I got my crochet-groove doing my recent squares. So I thought I'd attempt it again and voila, it worked. I love it, but Isabella doesn't seem so impressed, but she'll be wearing it damn it. The yarn is Heirlooms' Easy Care 8ply in colourway #705 and it used exactly 2 skeins, no more no less.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Happy Birthday Patchwork Scarf

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Our good friend and Isabella & Liam's Godmother, Sarah, turned 30 on Monday so tonight, us people taller than 4ft are heading out for a rare dinner together to celebrate while the Nanny & Poppy's take care of the youngens'.

Sarah has had a very hard time since Christmas, her mother received unexpected and devestating health news in January and her time left with us is very limited. Sarah has stopped working to spend all her time with her and the constant bad news and the rapid decline in her Mum is so sad to see. We hope tonight will be a nice break for Sarah and time out to have fun. Mind you we are such party animals we'll probably all be ready for bed by 9pm.

We normally don't do presents between us adults but I thought since it's the big 3-0 and after her year so far that I would make her something. I didn't buy any fabric, it's all stash so technically I STILL didn't buy anything :-)

A patchwork scarf, backed with warm white flannel. Being the special person it is for, I decided to use some of my favourite fabrics I could find. No pattern, just random rectangles sewen together.

Happy Birthday Sarah.
PS. It's slightly crushed, little Miss decided she wouldn't take it off. Took some coaxing and a trip to the park with Daddy while I photographed it.

Friday, April 24, 2009

BloesemKids

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Are you a reader of BloesemKids like me? Imagine my childlike-giddiness when the lovely Irene from BloesemKids (and Bloesem) asked me to help give the BKids site a face lift! 

Yep if you head over here you will see it in all it's new fanciness. I can't take credit for the design/look, that's all Irene's talent, I just did the background stuff like CSS and coding and templates and modules... but I'm still really happy with the result and she seems like another happy customer.

Make sure if you head over you have plenty of time because Irene posts things from all around the world that are devine and make my credit card whine.

Another Clutch

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Another clutch from Kara Smith's pattern from the Meet at Mike's book just for me for a wedding we went to last Saturday. I added the button, ribbon tie and embroidery to play around with the pattern and I'm pretty happy how it came out. It went perfect with my deep purple dress.

The Case of the Breeding Granny Squares

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Granny Sqaures are popping up all over the place, I even found a couple that I forgot I had made. Not quite a Granny a Day but not bad. I picked up two more colours today, Burnt Orange and Smudge Brown and have been eyeing off a teal colour called Cadent Blue but I'd better crochet up what I have first!.

Granny Grand Total = 6 + 2 waiting for an Oatmeal border

I'm not sure how big the blanket will end up being since I'm not using a pattern. I found a couple of patterns that are 52" square size which look good but sheesh that means I need 100 squares. Maybe my grandkids will end up with this???

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Proud Mummy Alert

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I don't know what happened in the last month or so. Isabella's drawings have gone from many times wondering "what in the world is that supposed to be" to looking... well what they are supposed to look like.

A drawing from yesterday. Can you tell what it is? I was impressed, especially since she has never drawn one and I gave no help or instructions.

Today she drew an airplane for Nanna and it looks like.. well an airplane. Wings and people's faces in the windows and all. I love that the kids love drawing, Liam bolts straight to the table if I ask if he wants to draw and is apparently the first at the arts table at Daycare.

Royal Easter Show 2009

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Our annual pilgram to the Sydney Royal Easter Show was on Sunday. This was Dean & my 5th year at the show, Isabella's 3rd and Liam's 1st. The last 3 years we have gone with our good friends and their son, our Godson Sam, but this year we also took along Nanny & Poppy and Sam's Nanny so we had a pretty decent entourage to keep track of!

Meeting a calf. See Mummy Cow checking out what was going on? Just after this they moved the calf over to Mummy and they were having a good snuzzle, very cute.

Milking a cow.

Feeding & meeting the baby sheep & goats.

This guy was pretty friendly while I was feeding him!

Rides

The Pram brigade.

Face painting.

The last ride with Nanny as the sun disappeared. We were all asleep very very early Sunday night!

Friday, April 17, 2009

A Granny a Day

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Pip over at Meet me at Mikes is running A Granny A Day 'Til The End O May, just the thing I need to keep me on my Granny Square path. 

After making my initial 3 squares last week, no more have appeared so I'm hoping by dobbing/joining myself in that I'll get a move on with my intended blanket. Realistically 1 every day probably won't happen, but at least I'll be better off than 3 squares cause those really aren't keeping me warm.

Travelling Fern Lace Scarf

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I promised myself I wouldn't start another knitting project until an already cast on project was finished. Technically I didn't lie, because I started a shawl, lost count of where I was and really couldn't be bothered starting again because I know in a week I'd be in the same predicament. So I frogged it (love that term... ribbit-ripit) and started on this Travelling Fern Lace Scarf from Ravelry using Cleckheaton Bamboo yarn. Much easier, the same pattern repeates every 16 rows and theres no increasing so worrying I'm at the wrong row etc. So far so good. It doesn't look like much in the picture but once it's finished in about 2020 and blocked it should look something like this...

Sublime Little Flirt Cardigan

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Other than scarfs, beanies and one coffee cup cozy, this is my first knitted garment, and I was very excited.

The pattern book is gorgeous and is called Sublime #607, The Sublime Double Knitting Book and this little cardigan for Bella is called Little Flirt. I used Sublime's Extra Fine Merino Wool DK in Biscuit and it was the first "special" yarn I have used and it was so soft and gorgeous.

I made the size 4 and the back fits perfectly but I would have liked the front a little bit bigger. Maybe I'll just have to *force* myself to buy more of the wool and make the next size up. I fell in love with the moss stitch border and picked another cardigan pattern I am working on that is entirely moss stitch. Now I don't love it so much, it's SOO slow to knit a whole cardigan in it!