Christmas Madness...

Normally this time of year we are celebrating the end of another year and exchanging and receiving gifts as we celebrate the holiday season. The other thing I have noticed is the time seem to start speeding up in the month before December and once we are in December it is starting to slip between our fingers as we join in the madness that generally surrounds Christmas. This next week will even more chaos as everyone, or at least those who have just realised Christmas is just over a week away, start to panic at the realisation that there are still presents to be made, baked or purchased.

I have unfortunately been joining in on some of the chaos these last two weeks, and I have a feeling that I may still join in the chaos that increases the week before Christmas. But despite this, I have been busy doing a few crafty things on the side. Here is a snap shot...

 Learning a new knitting stitch, Herring Bone stitch, and starting a shawl...

 Spinning up a storm on my new spindles using one of my new Batts...

Adding another round of squares to one of my nephews blankets...

 

And finishing my second sample of Bobbin lace, which I loved and will no doubt do again   :)

So all in all a busy couple of weeks. There were a few other projects that I have been working on, but I didn't want to include too many photo's Lol! And I'm sure there will be many more to come, as I just received some more spindles in a swap package :) And on that note I'm going to go and do some spinning :)

Happy Crafting everyone!
Hugs,
Liz :)

Handmade Christmas...

Well what can I say, other than it's getting closer to that time of the year yet again when Christmas presents need to be organised. I have been trying for the last few year to make many gifts, but often I have realise too late the Christmas is already here, and have run out of time to make them.

So, this year I have been thinking about it for the last few months or so and I have already started to make things nearly a whole two months before Christmas! That surely must be some kind of record! But then time starts to play little tricks on you ;) Where on earth did November go! Suddenly the extra month I had up my sleeve has totally DISAPPEARED! And the next Birthday madness is about to start too! Sigh... no matter, I am still going to have a go at this :)

So I have my list (and I've checked it more than twice!!) and I have somewhere around 30-40 gifts to make up and only about 25 days (give or take) till Christmas... hmmm... Well, in real honesty, there really is no option but to more forward at a fast pace to try and catch some of my time back.

First on my list of things to do is to finish sewing up the reusable gift bags I'm going to start using instead of wrapping everything up in wrapping paper. Each year we spend a ridiculous amount of money, not to mention resources, on sheets of pretty paper that normally get ripped up  in all the excitement and then fill the once empty recycling bin. So, to do my part, and to save some money and the environment at the same time, I'm going to make and decorate a reusable gift bag for everyone I'm making presents for. These bags will also double as Birthday bags, so more money and trees saved :) I know it's not the same as unwrapping a present covered in pretty paper, But each time I use the bags I'm hoping to add another embellishment to it, to make it fun like the wrapping paper in it's own way, and have people guessing what I'm going to put on them next.

So what are you making for Christmas that is crafty? Tree decorations? Table centers? I'd love to know! So please feel free to share or email me links to your favourite handmade Christmas items :)

Happy Crafting!
Liz :)

P.S. I almost forgot! I finished my first lace sample piece! So here is the photo as promised.

A Random Act of Kindness...

Have you ever wondered when you want to learn a new craft, and you really want to learn it, that things seem to happen so you can? Well this little story is about Bobbin lace, a very old handmade lace craft that I tried once when I was a little girl at a craft weekend and have wanted to learn it ever since.

Many years later, my desire to learn this intricate lacework hadn't lessened, so about two years ago I started to hunt around for some bobbins and a pillow so I could finally have a go at making lace. Well I soon discovered that both the bobbins and pillows could be expensive, and at the time I couldn't find anyone who did bobbin lace to ask where I would get these supplies, other than over seas. So I keep looking, hoping I might one day find something that would lead me in the right direction.

Earlier this year, we went away for a couple of weeks around New Year, and we visited a very old heritage town in Northern Victoria which had a fair few antique shops. It was in one of these shops that I found my first pair of bobbins.

So I felt like I might have finally found a bread crumb that would lead me to my next pair. I did some research into home made bobbins and managed to get part way through making some before I had to set them aside. I mentioned that I wanted to learn bobbin lace to one of the ladies at a local craft group, and she said she had some odd bobbins that she had been looking to find a home for. So then I had a few more bobbins to my first pair.

I then participated in a Ravelry swap and received a home made pillow, some pins and another 8 pairs of bobbins! I was almost ready to start :)

And then the lady from craft group gave me these bobbins the last time I went. She said she had mentioned to a friend of hers in Germany, that I was starting to learn bobbin lace and her friend sent all these bobbins over for me :) I nearly had tears in my eyes from the generosity of this completely unexpected gift, A Random Act of Kindness.

So with enough bobbins to have a serious go at starting to learn the basics, I did, I started!

And I have slowly been working through some basics and I now have a couple of inches of handmade lace! Until that moment when I received those last bobbins, I hadn't realised how much I had really wanted to learn to make lace.

I had been told by many that I must be nuts, how could I possibly make such a fine lace when I can't see the thread I'm using! But this only made me want to have a go at it even more. Just because I have limited sight, doesn't meant that I can have a go and enjoy the things I want to have a go at, and if anything, being told I can't do something for that reason, will make  want to do it so that I can show that I ACTUALLY CAN! :) So, Never let anything stop you from wanting and doing the things you love!

I will return with a photo of my finished sampler lace when it is done. Until then, Happy Crafting!

October half gone & Christmas around the corner...

So once again the time is flying and I haven't had the chance to take a min to update my blog before now. I have so many projects on the go at the moment, including my first two big projects, my first cardi...

... and my first pull over. I have also been very busy stocking up my Etsy shop with some new scissor/zip charms / phone straps and some new stitch markers :)

I've started to play with the drum carder again too and this came out...

So feel like spinning at the moment, but with all the knitting and trying to finish off some more WIP's, I think I might have to make do with the 5 min spins here and there when I can fit them in.

The studio is in total chaos again (to no ones surprise) so I'm thinking before I go too much further on anything I might have to do a bit of a "Spring Clean" and at least tidy it to get it back to some resemblance of order - yeah right! I did say try ;)

I have also been working on my first own designed knitting pattern! Well... truth be told, I'm working on about 3 different patterns at once (as I do), so hopefully I might have something to show soon :) So watch this space... Time is just starting to fly and before you know it Christmas will be here!

Well I better get back to the knitting, cleaning and I was just contemplating a new section of my book that I must go a nd write down before I forget :)

Happy Crafting!

A Busy Two Months...

It has been... well... crazy! July disappeared quickly with the return from our travels and then August vanished before I could blink! And now Spring is here and September is almost gone too and there is talk about Christmas already! But I have been busy :)

My recent Dyeing experiments...

My recent finished objects...

This one I'm not sure on as I may yet add some more squares...

I have also had a bout of finishing off a few UFO's that seem to have been in my wardrobe for a while...

So I think it is time to finish some more, but first, I'm going to go and do some more dyeing now that the sun has finally started to show it's face again after winter.

Happy crafting!

Anoth 2 weeks of crazy spinning and Traveling

And here are some photo's of the last two weeks of spinning.

  

I will have more spinning photo's to come as the end of the month draws near. So here are a couple of photo's from my travels over the last 2 weeks for you to look at in the mean time.

Until then, Happy Crafting!

A Crazy Week Of Spinning & More...

It has been a couple of crazy weeks with the end of the first round in the Nerd Wars T11, the beginning of the second round and the start of the Tour de Fleece. So here is a quick summery of my crafting for you.

Here are my three entries for the first round of the Nerd Wars Tournament 11...

This is my dissertation project for the duration of the T11...

Here is my tub of fibre for the Tour de Fleece (TdF)...

 ... and just in case I run out here is a back up one...

 ... and my progress of the first week of spinning and Day 1-3 of the TdF...

I have also been working on two shawls, the same pattern but in two different weights of yarn...

I'm not sure which one of these I like best, but I am a fan of purple and teal :)

And last but no least, I have been playing with the drum carder again and I have started to create some mini batts. One of these "Chocolate Caramel Cream" mini batts is a prize in the Yarn Therapy Zone for the TdF and the second is now available for sale in my shop :)

Phew! What a Crazy start to the first week of July! I will try to update this blog more often, but crafting tends to get in the way of life and vice versa.

Happy Crafting! Liz :)