The sunhat gets wet

We just got back from a lovely holiday on the Gold Coast, we're exhausted but it was worth it! While travelling I managed to knit bub a little sunhat to go with her Tropical Lily.

This is a gorgeous little pattern from Stitchymama - the pattern comes with babies to adults sizing in 8 and 10ply, plus a pinwheel beanie option for winter. I love knitting with cotton in summer, this again is in Anchor Magicline cotton picked up at a bargain price from Spotlight.



Tried it on earlier and as soon as I turned around to get another angle it went for a swim in the pool LOL. All good, now its "wet blocking" lol

Now doesn't the rascal look pretty pleased with herself :P Look mumma it floats...

Happy New Knitting Year

And the new year brings a new FO! I finished this last night just as the fireworks began at midnight, so just scraped it into 2009!

A Tropical Lily from the talented Georgie Hallam- free pattern available here. Knitted in Anchor Magicline Blue (1425) part of my stash haul from Spotlight a few months back! The bag of 10 cost me $10 and this took 3 balls, so it only cost $3 to make. Love it, and I have lots more cotton so will make more soon.

I'm a wee bit behind lol

Curly Purly Soaker on 12ply Spacefrog unknown colourway, my favourite soaker!


Ladybug Loops Shorties in Wooltopia 12ply BFL "Girls just wanna have fun"


Ladybug Loops Busybee soaker in LL Sage Grapes colourway. Double knitted in 8ply- very fast knit!

I've been so busy I haven't actually had time to blog... so here are a few finished objects from recent months lol.

we had an urgent need for soakers and shorties for her night nappies for summer so they came first, now I get to knit some less useful pretty things again. On the needles at the moment is a Tropical Lily in Anchor Magicline cotton which I hope to finish this year- ie in the next 5.5hrs. So perhaps I'll blog again tomorrow :P

I have also been sewing a lot of things and even made some beaded bookmarks so thought I might start another blog for crafty stuff and leave this one for knits and dyeing. I have a lot of dyes now, just need the time. Hoping to do some tie dye tshirts and singlets with the kids as well over the holidays.

Well better get the dinner on so I can get knitting :) Happy New Year!!!

Still here still knitting!

Wow what a busy month, I've started a new post a few times and even saved one somewhere but just didn't get time to edit and post it properly!

I have just finished my first shawl, wow what fun they are to knit, I had no idea they were so easy really :) a bit tricky to start off, but once you get an idea of what you are doing, it all flows really smoothly. I had to frog a LOT at the start though before I "got" the idea :P Next shawl should be easier! I am tempted to make one for my best friend for christmas :) I just wish I could knit quicker!

This is my Shetland Triangle shawl, knitted in BWM Luxury 8ply, Ruby- definitely one of my fav yarns! I really should take an action pic!

I've also just completed a Swap- all items apart from BWM wool had to be sourced from an opshop. I found such goodies and the possibilities were endless but in the end I settled on a gorgeous cabled jumper, dismantled and frogged the cuffs on the sleeves, sewed them together and lined it with some fabric I found at the op shop too! Added a lovely button I also found and made a strap. It was a bit of a stretch for my sewing abilities making something from scratch without a pattern and working it out as I went but I was quite pleased with the result! I also found some cool vintage patterns, and some beaded necklaces became stitchmarkers!




I received my swap parcel on the same day and was thrilled to receive a gorgeous shawl! And a lovely felted needle roll with vintage needles, what a blessing! I wish the weather was cooler at the moment as my shawls won't get as much use as I'd like. I'll just wear them at home anyway lol
well thats all for now, I'm about to start some new projects and have just bought some BWM cotton, some Harmony (cotton and wool blend) and some procion dyes to try! If I can get some soda ash today I might try dyeing it tonight :)

Landscape adventures and dogs..

Dogs and yarn don't mix- I've discovered this first hand! I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner but then I don't usually lay it out at nose level. I guess I can be grateful we don't have a cat LOL.

I recently bought some gorgeous Landscape Dyes samples from Jolly Jumbuck, great way to try them out. In fact after trying out the first two dyeups I went the whole hog and mixed up all 12 apart from Wallaby- it just wasn't a brown day hehe. All laid out in styrofoam cups, originally I was going to dye a small sample of each, but decided I loved all the colours, and had to have them all! So Rainbow Splash was born...


After admiring my efforts I decided to take some pics outside on the table where the light was better. Took some nice piccies then opened up the skein to finish drying. Silly me leaving it on the table to dry. Of course it smells like a wet sheep doesn't it... very intriguing to our family pet Sam LOL.

Well I did manage to ball it up today and only a small part of the yarn was broken, and only in two places. Amazing really as it looked like a puppets woolly mop head laying on the ground, I never thought I'd untangle it.


Lesson learned here... hehe No more drying yarn in reach of DOGS!

I'm enjoying playing with the landscape acid dyes. Will definitely skein some more soon and do some more dyeing.

At the moment I'm working on my first shawl! A Shetland Triangle, which I may give to Mum for her 60th birthday if the effort is successful and looks ok! So back to my knitting now or i'll never finish ;)

Time for another project

Have been rather busy this week and not able to get online as much. Lots of knitting which is great.

I just finished this one and am very happy with it. I've finally conquered i-cord and duplicate stitch! Plus I adapted the lace pattern and managed to get it all to work. So all good.

The bodice, i-cord and the hearts on the skirt are from the small skeins I dyed with food colour and koolaid in the last post, the rest of the skirt is in pink BWM luxury 8ply.

So now what do I knit next? Its definitely time to dye with landscape dyes I got last week, but I've been trying to find some old pots at the opshops and none anywhere. Apparently they are in big demand! A lot to be said for dyeing with safe food colours lol

I may do a KAL with a twirly skirt for bub next, that sounds like fun :)

Dyeing with Kool-Aid!

Strange stuff this Kool Aid- you drink it apparently, I'd hate to see the colour of your insides afterwards though.

Lots of fun to dye with though, and it smells really good too, my microwave still smells like berries

Very simple to use, basically as per the normal food colouring dyeups, not much vinegar required (or any really) as there is enough citric acid in the fruit drink mixes already. I mixed up the sachets in a few tablespoons of water and applied as previous, then microwaved to set.

this is my first effort with Kool-aid, grape, berry blue, lemonade, strawberry and orange flavours

the next two skeins I just had fun playing with the leftover Koolaid and some new food colours from the bakery. I will actually use the last as a contrast for another Kaia Babydoll for my niece's 1st birthday. Pic of all 3 here, and balled below.