Girl's Day Out

Starting with a trip to the kids hairdressers. The kids sit in either a pedal car, airplane (Bella's seat of choice) or a fire truck for their hair cut while watching DVDs.

They always come home with a super cute hair do after and the girls have butterflies or flowers in their hair. Today since it was a bit quieter the manager was even doing paintings on their arms.

Next stop The Remnant Warehouse hoping for some fabric for their jackets... score!

100% Caramel Wool, $22 for 2 meters for Bella, 100% Japanese Wool, $24 for 2 meters for Liam and I couldn't help grab the purple fabric for a top for me and the 2.5m remnant of tracksuit jersey for only $15 with a piece of matching ribbing.

Back in the car to the Kino Craft Fair in the city.

20% off craft books so I finally bit the bullet and bought some Japanese Sewing Books. The two Japanese books ended up being just over $20 each which is pretty good for here in Aus. I'm hoping there as easy as I've read on a few blogs!

I also grabbed I Love Patchwork... I think the pictures sucked me in. The writer loves using linen, as do I, so everything appealed.

And I grabbed this Kokka panel from Amy. I'm tempted to slice it up into the different blocks and piece it together for a baby quilt. Hopefully Amy's shop opens up again soon and I can grab another one for another baby boy coming this year.

Then finally lunch at Ichiban Boshi. Bella loves any Japanese food. Ok she loves ANY food, but noodles and soup in one bowl is her kind of meal.

Playing while we wait...

Hmmm Miso soup to start...

Followed by Tokyo Ramen and Deep Fried Chicken with rice to share. I ordered 2 dishes (adult sized) thinking we'd have something left to take home for the boys. Nope.

And whats a special girls day out without ice cream? "White" for her and Green Tea for me.

Then she found the hidden backup vegemite sandwich I had in my bag and ate it on the way back to the car. BOTTOMLESS-PITT.

Washcloth/Dishcloth Create-a-Long

The Washcloth/Dishcloth Create-a-Long is finished, and it was great! Nothing like being crafty while creating a stash of presents to hold onto.

My grand total was 8. Not huge, but a good amount for me especially while I knitted this guy too in the same week.

JustRight in Jo Sharp Desert Aran Cotton using a 4.5mm hook. The only paid for pattern I used, but definitely one of my favourites. I'm going to experiment adding a border to it which I think would look great. Oh and the Jo Sharp yarn works BEAUTIFULLY on these cloths. Shame it's on the tad expensive side (only 1 cloth out of an AUD$8 ball). Pattern via Ravelry

Another JustRight in some leftover Bendigo Luxury 10ply

And one more JustRight in Patons Smoothie DK

Scrubby Dot on 4mm hook with Patons UK Diploma Gold DK blue and white. This guy is small, much smaller than I thought, but a great size for kids. (Pattern via Ravelry)

Tulip Stitch in more Patons Smoothie DK (yes I did just use stash yarn hence the same colours!). I think I prefer the look of the more squared cloths, but then if I had used 10ply yarn instead it would probably be more of a square.

Snapdragon in more Patons Smoothie DK. Lovely pattern, love the shells and the border.. sooo pretty.

Apple Tawashi from Salihan Crafts. Yes there is two sides to this, one is supposed to be white, my lesson learnt = use the exact same yarn for both sides.

Simple Scrubby. Made on 4mm hook with a strand of 8ply black no-frills Spotlight yarn and a strand of Patons Smoothie DK to make it a dense cloth. I also added row 3 a second time to make it bigger. Great pattern.

Lots of lovely lovely patterns and yarn. My fave patterns? The JustRight, for something special the Snapdragon and for a nice real thick cloth the Simple Scrubby. Jo Sharp Desert Aran Cotton was definitely a fave, but for the value the Patons Smoothie DK worked really well. It was still smooth to work with and I got 3 cloths out of a $4 ball with still more to spare. All the yarn I used was stash, nothing bought new so a great little stash busting project. I've completely cleared out all my old yarn that isn't halfway through becoming a cardigan/jacket etc.

Thank you to Mel for organising and getting me interested in washcloths. I think I'll be keeping a stash of yarn just for making some of these little guys while I wait for swimming lessons and dancing lessons etc.

I've also been slowly working on this guy, but I'm out of yarn and need to grab a ball of each before I can go any further.

Now back to some sewing (Bella's dress is half done and oo so cute)! and washing and sanding more walls for painting.

Progress

A Baby Sophisticate in Jo Sharp Classic DK finished as part of the 2010 Knitter Olympics. Just the ends to weave in, block and some buttons, should be able to do that in the week remaining. I may just have enough yarn for a matching beanie too.

My Ariosa cardigan, in Cleckheaton Country 12ply with pieces finished a while ago but finally blocked and one sleeve and side sewed up. One more sleeve and side to go then the collar and I'm done.

My washcloths for the Washcloth create-a-long have made a nice little pile. Just the ends to sew in for them too tomorrow.

Shocking photos but it's night, there's no kids around to try and to stand on things I am photographing and the iphone was in my hand. Once they're finished, better photos.

Good Mail Day

Friday's are kid-free and normally packed with work + getting things done around home that are just near-impossible with little people who pull things out of cupboards quicker than I can get them in.

Today I attacked their wardrobes and took out all the clothes that don't fit. Pants that have become knickerbockers, t-shirts that show midrifts, and short-shorts. Now that's done it's time to build up a wardrobe for the coming colder days which I plan on mainly sewing instead of buying and just in time some new patterns arrived from the US...

Oliver & S School Days Jacket pattern for Liam, which I'm planning on getting my hands on some luxurious wool-cashmere fabric to make a super-sweet jacket

And a version for Bella in wool-cashmere. Probably the only pattern I have that I can use for both kids! I want to make them the raincoat version too if I can get some laminated cotton, but I'll attempt the proper jacket before I do that!

Oliver & S Jump Rope Dress which I plan on making with either the red voile or Amy Butler Love fabric I got last week

And a pattern to make some winter PJs for Bella using the Sandi Henderson flannel

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day

We made cupcakes and delivered them to the neighbours

Visited the Maritime Museum & lunched with good friends

No presents or over priced cards around here, just time with those I love

and got some new fabric hand delivered from quilthome via Sarah .

From top:

Anna Marie Horner Voile Solids - River Rock

Anna Marie Horner Little Folks Voile - Little Honey - Berry

Anna Marie Horner Little Folks Voile - Colouring Garden - Sea

Tanya Whelan Darla - Rosie Dot - Pink

Sandi Henderson Ginger Blossom Flannel

Amy Butler Love - Momento - Midnight

plus a Crochet book which I borrowed, and re-borrowed, and re-borrowed from the library so thought I better buy a copy.

I also started my 2010 Knitters Olympics project for a little baby coming this year that will well and truly be loved. After knitting last night and to and from the city today I'm actually finished the body on a little Baby Sophisticate jacket! Lucky it's a baby sized otherwise it would take me more than 17days to make.

A New Project

My helper. The people who run Bunnings are genius', check out the toddler sized trolley!

Feature wall in the lounge all sugar soaped and ready to paint

My helpers work. He's at daycare tomorrow, it might be more productive since I won't have to help him paint airplanes.

Purple wall GONE. Another coat to go and the skirting boards have only been undercoated, but it's good motivation to get the biggest job done first. Only three more walls in this room (then bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, hallway... arghhh)

We did love the purple wall, but painted pre-kids, every time it got scratched you could see the old white paint underneath as well as every single fingerprint. There's enough cleaning around here without having to constantly wipe walls.

So bring on the giant tin of Limed White Half by Dulux to paint all the walls and the previously natural stained skirting boards will be going White to match the windows and doors. I'm contemplating one of those chalkboard painted walls in the kitchen next to the pantry or maybe the closet door next to the kitchen, but still debating. Anyone have one?

Washcloth/Dishcloth Create-a-Long Day 2

Starting a Snapdragon cloth by the pool during swimming lessons

Day 2's stash

Three JustRight dishcloths (Thanks Craftapalooza for linking to this pattern, it's probably my fave!) in (starting at the bottom of the pile)

- Jo Sharp Desert Garden Aran Cotton in Dew

- Patons Smoothie DK in 1093

- Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 10 ply in Lake

The top pink cloth is using a free pattern, Tulip Stitch Cloth by Foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains blog using the leftover Smoothie DK yarn from a JustRight cloth and the one on the hook is the Snapdragon in more Smoothie DK.

Don't worry I wont be posting EVERY day during the Washcloth/Dishcloth Create-a-Long but I'm so happy with my slowly building stash. I've been using leftover balls of yarn, so it's a great way to transform useless stash balls into gifts. Next up, I think I might make one of these gorgeous apple tawashi cloths.

Washcloth/Dishcloth Create-a-Long

Tulip Stitch cloth in Patons Smoothie DK

Crocheting as part of Melissa's Washcloth/Dishcloth create-a-long.

Want to hear a confession? Even though the create-a-long started today, I actually started on the weekend since Dean was away and the kids and I went to Mum & Dad's. They are the only people left on the planet without broadband connection. I had to do something.

So this cloth is actually number four, a nice start to building up a little stash for gift giving through the year.

Sewing Clothes (That fit)

My sew-jo has returned, hurray!. So this week I grabbed out a couple of patterns bought a couple of months ago before the madness of Christmas and sewed some clothes, some for me and Bella.

I've made a few dresses in the past, but for chasing kids all day I need comfy clothes.

Simplicty 3835 made in a black homespun.

I've also made three tops already from this pattern (no I haven't posted them because I'm slack and haven't finished putting elastic in them). I thought the neckline looked blurgh the night I made it, but when I tried it on the next day, I liked it! I even got a couple of compliments from the lady at my local craft shop when I was stocking up on some more fabric for dresses.

Sew What Skirts A-Line skirt in Anna Marie Horner Chocolate Lollipop

While I was at the shop I grabbed a copy of Sew What Skirts. What a fantastic book! In a couple of hours I drafted a perfect sized skirt.

Length is normally an issue for me, when I buy skirts and pants. By the time I get the right size for my long legs, everything is swimming around the waist, or if it fits the waist my "pants" are now an odd just above the ankle length. Don't even get me started about trying to get things to fit my thighs properly on fitted styles. Gah.

Anyway, back to my skirt. So I used the book and my measurements and voila, a perfect around the waist, perfect length A-Line skirt. There's another 15 skirts in the book to make and I like almost every one.. hurray!

The photos really don't do them justice but it's just too hard to get a 4 year old to take a photo during the day which doesn't involve shots of JUST my feet or up my nose. Neither I wish published on my blog thank you. But both have passed the all day comfy test.

Simplicity 3511.

Of course Bella wanted a new dress when she saw Mummy had one. Her choice of fabric and colour. As always she did want me to make the EXACT dress on the pattern as in the same fabric and the same lace. Everytime I show her patterns I have to explain now I can't make it EXACTLY the same fabric, but she still asks.

Yesterday I did a BIG fabric order from the US, so expect lots more dresses and skirts soon.