Autumn

I'm not going to talk about the fact I have neglected my blog. I'll just break the drought.
here...

knitting has been slow for a while, but a fox is in the making: pattern is Sophisticated Mr Fox

The cooler weather is on it's way and I turn my mind to woolly things, knitting, spinning, cosy nights creating. I even read a book which whet my appetite for the cool inner creative evening: Burial Rites by Australian writer Hannah Kent. set in Iceland in 1829. Wonderful read, and the best part was being immersed in the domestic world of this time and place. scenes of knitting, mending, even gutting animals was so goooood!

 I loved it so much I was grieved to finish, so I used a gift voucher which had been sitting around since last year (from my choir of seven years I finished up with) to purchase some fluffy clogs, so I could feel I was still in Iceland (there was no mention of clogs in the book I might mention, but even wearing Swedish shoes was close enough).

my girls have been keeping me very busy as their "mum-ager" of Charm of Finches since mid last year. There were videos, paper mache boats, shows upon shows and vintage dresses. We spent a lot of the summer going to Folk Festivals so they could perform. It meant seeing and meeting many wonderful musicians and having adventures. And it continues. as does school, driving kids around town, juggling my work....

I took over directing a community choir last year, and I love them so much. they are there for the joy of each other and singing together. We have a ball! half of them showed up for a community event to perform some songs, and they fearlessly and joyfully sang their hearts ourt and filled the room with the most heavenly atmosphere. that's me at the front introducing a song.

time to knit mr fox!!

joining the yarn along with Ginny here.

birthday post

::today is my birthday.
I really wanted to cast off the jumper/sweater I have been knitting for my big girl before my birthday arrived.  I cast on in February!  It's finally off the needles and she wore it to school this morning happily! The "misti alpaca" is divine and squishy and warm and an amazing rich toasty brown.  I added length by picking up stitches with a pale grey silk/merino/angora for a rib, though it's very hard to see in the photo.
Annabel Sweater by Carrie Bostick Hoge
Ravelry notes here.

::the reason I was so keen to cast off the jumper was that I really wanted to cast on a new project with my new wool, some divine Shibui Cima in the fjord colour which I bought from our local; yarn store (LYS) just for the colour!!! yep. I am planning a Woodland Shawl after a glorious coffee date with my dear friend oggling together over my knitting patterns, which hilariously someone mistook for my PhD!! I have more patterns from Ravery than I could possibly complete in three lifetimes! I quite like the sound of Doctor of Knitting, don't you?

:: my birthday table which greeted me this morning with my present: a Tibetan singing bowl! It's divine, literally, and sings most mysteriously and enlivingly a perfect mellow C sharp!

::of course I treated myself: to a membership to the Australian greens, because they speak for me and are incredible and I want my children to have a real woodland to walk through with their children; and, a subscription to pom pom quarterly...what a great mag! not just eye candy, oh what eye candy! great interesting inspiring articles! what's not to love!

::my life has been rather dominated by my role as unofficial band manager for my dear talented singing birds. It's all been happening, with their crowdfunding campaign being a stunning success, their recording done and dusted, and the artwork for their EP being created by a beautiful and generous local artist this week! It's all very exciting and inspiring, and sometimes time consuming. So my knitting has been on the back burner.
Here are my pics of the cold wintry photo shoot on the beach last Sunday morning with Mara Ripani, our dear friend and photographer of young girls extraordinaire!

 bbrrrrrrrrr...the things you do in the name of ART!
connecting with Ginny for her Yarn Along

shoulder thingy

fresh off the needles: a shoulder cosy for my dear friend who loves sea glass green. I am so so please I chose this project for my first handspun, and so thrilled and enchanted by the greens resulting from the Landscape Dyes chamomile and fern (the second photo is more true to the colour).
it's a very easy knit (took 2 days of occasional knitting): Shoulder Cozy by Churchmouse Yarns
ravelled here

yarning along with ginny

and keep calm craft on with nicole

ferny

ta-da!
my first, freshly dyed-up hand spun skeins! gloriously nubbly and unintentionally thick and thin, which I'm told is quite the fashion. I used some landscape dye shades fern and chamomile. First time dyeing wool too, and oh sooo much fun!

my knitting::the annabel pullover in misti alpaca tonos worsted (leatherly), almost done.
I'm modifiying it, because the length in the pattern was too short for my kidney-conscious girl ("I want it to cover my kidneys...wow),  and she wants length.
my idea is to add a rib in another colour, either grey or bird egg blue...I'm knitting the sleeves in the round using two circular needles.

I found this book at an op shop. Pearl S Buck's The Big Wave. As soon as I saw it, I was struck by what I can only call a memory-feeling or feeling-memory. I can't remember what age I was, but I remember reading this book and it fascinating, or maybe, haunting me. That's all I remember, nothing about the story itself, but when I saw it I had a faint rush of awe mixed with fear, and fascination.
It now waits for me...it's kinda spooky.

also, yarning along with Ginny

Spring, Bikes and, yes, knitting!

It's Spring, and Mr P and I are on our way to becoming serious bike commuters, as the family car is being used for other purposes by the mister.
Here is the new bike, a Dutch cargo bike, called a Yuba Boda Boda, modelled on the African workshorse bikes which are a staple mode of transport for Africans I am told.  Rather an elegant lady bike, don't you think.

We are just getting to know the bike and Mr P is yet to get his cushion, which I will promptly yarn bomb, inspired by this photo here.
I love bikes! I used to ride everyday when I was a kid, and then moved from Sydney to Melbourne (1200kms) by bicycle. I then took my bike to India with the intention of riding around the south tip, only to find it was a very dangerous plan (crazy scary road behaviour and being run into deep ditches because apparently I was invisible).  I abandoned my bike in a sleep village to continue on bus and trains!

I am embarrassed to say I am still knitting my Hitch, though almost there!

Yarning along with Ginny who is knitting with one of my favourite yarns, Osprey by Quince and Co.  I am itching to knit with that yarn again soon! Can't you tell I just want this jumper/sweater off the needles, though it is sure to be gorgeous to wear once done!!

And the book is from the library, a crochet book to help me devise my yarn bomb for the bike!

It occurs to me we need to name the bike! I like "Nelly" but I guess Mr. P will have other suggestions...

yarning in the wind

It's. Really. Windy. Outside.

Joining in with Ginny for her Yarn Along: reading Bob Graham picture books, they have so, sooo much heart! and great urban characters and dogs! In his bio, Bob says he likes the sound of dog's ears flapping. When I read his stories to my youngins, I always get the feeling I would like to be this author's friend! I also feel the stories are set in my neighbourhood.
On the yarn side of life, plodding away at Hitch!! Still!
And also crocheting some samples for a session with the Class 5 children, who are just learning how to crochet. Big thick 16ply wool with 6mm crochet hooks.

See a Sami face peeking out next to a lovely card from Lori (snail mail! yay!)

 I also had an inspiration to alter a cardigan I never wore simply because it was a bit gapey with the snap closures and also a bit short, and my kidneys just have to be warm! So! I sewed up the front to make it a pullover and picked up stitches along the rib bottom to add a garter stitch bottom! It's a bit of an experiment, and I'm also going to throw in some short rows at the back so as to get it longer at the back. The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mill Rustic 8ply in charcoal.

And we are madly all listening to The Mae Trio's new CD! Gorgeous young women from Castlemaine. Delicious harmonies, songs so fresh and full of heart and gentle humour.

woolly times

Last weekend my dear knitting buddy and i took a trip to the Bendigo Wool and Sheep Show...all up a very absorbing and woolly affair! We raced around, meeting folk who knit, spin, whittle, peddle luxurious yarns, design knitting patterns, enter knitting competitions, dye wool and  breed woolly beasts! Pure indulgence for a wool obsessed gal like moi...
I was quite restrained in the wool procurement department, very largely due to a few boxes of the stuff sitting at home awaiting transformation!
Here's a few pics!

This gentleman was a real charmer, wearing the viking mail and helmet (complete with beard) made from his own spun yarn! Marvellous!

 The beasts!!

 Weaving by Heather Dunn, preparing for her exhibition in Bathurst. Below is her "leaf litter" dyeing.

 This gorgeous dress was showing at Viewpoint Handmade Gallery in Bendigo. I failed to note the maker of this divine felt and leaf dyed garment (if anyone know be sure to enlighten me!)

And the very modest booty, but very exciting!

 The Fibre Company Meadow: a 2-ply lace weight blend of merino, baby llama, silk + linen purchased from the lovely Alex of ZigoZago. It was so great to meet her and rant and rave wool!!
The colour is Pennyroyal, and oh my goodness....
I am toying with the idea of creating a Seashore Cowl  like the lovely Lori made, combining with the Suri Silk/Alpaca (above) purchased by the most amazing salt of the earth woman, Robyn Betts, gets this soft heavenly stuff spun from her own animals!!
Below is a skein of her MeriSuri, where she has teamed with a friend to make a truly incredible merino and suri alpaca mix. The colour is also enchanting!

And something else a'brewin'.
Knittin' and sangin'. Just heaven. We got a name'n'all.
 Dear Cedar.

Joining Ginny and her Yarn Along: still going with Hitch (very slowly!) and reading a wonderful book written by an incredible creative couple, Australian actor William McInnes and his wife, filmmaker and animator Sarah Watts (who since writing the book has passed away), Worse Things Happen at Sea. Amazingly intelligent, inspiring read!

the heart of winter

The sun has been shining and we've been having wintry beach adventures on the Bass Strait!
LOVE!

The parade of knitwear...someone's mother is a wee bit obsessed....

yep, that's her...

  and a hearty craft project!

We are making a family of Sami people, nomadic reindeer herders from the Arctic! and Inspired by a most divine book: Children of the Northlights by the incredible artist couple Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire. Such incredibly beautiful illustrations!
It seems very fitting we are making these warmly clad folk in the heart of winter, and having just oh so myuch fun with the details! The hats! The embroidery and little shawls. The shoes with the curled up toes for holding on skis, and darned if I'm not going to whip up some little skis any minute!

not finished yet! The reindeer needs antlers, and where's the teepee!!

And!  What's on the needles??

Here is Hitch, a design by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark, and appearing in Brooklyn Tweed's Wool People 5: a jumper (sweater/pullover) for moi! It's a very fun pattern, knit in pieces (my lord, seaming!), and a bit of cable and simple lace pattern at the front.
I'm using Rowan Felted Tweed DK in Clay.
Yarning Along with Ginny!
And reading this magnificent children's book by one of my all time favourite illustrators: Mitsumasa Anno. ANNO'S FLEA MARKET. No text just pages and pages of fascinating market stalls in a medieval town square. Love it!

ravelled here

AND Frontier Dreams'  Keep Calm Craft On (very wise advice!)