In The Garden

  

There are several bonsai in our garden.  They are in need of a bit of TLC at the moment, but are looking lovely and gnarly.

Reindeer and Penguins

  

I have been working on a reindeer while waiting for the next instructions of Bearded Man.  Last year a little penguin snuck in and was part of the Christmas window with the Gnomes, so I thought some little penguins should be part of this year's window.

Next Stage of Bearded Man

He is sewn and turned.

On The Desk

  

The reindeer have been put aside for the moment, I am working on an online class making a bearded doll.  The lovely teacher Christina of Rock and Roll Doll, from Russia, is showing us how to make the doll via Instagram.

A Pair of Reindeer

I finished the two reindeer from yesterday's post.  I was going to do something else with them, but when they got to this point in making, they looked so sweet so I stopped.

On The Desk

Currently working on two knitted reindeer.  One has a head, the other is waiting.

Japanese Knitting Reindeer

  

Yay, I finished the panel of knitting form the Japanese Knitting book.  There were several starts and in the end I wrote out each row as the symbols got too confusing.  Not sure it looks exactly like the one in the book, but there is a nice pattern.  I manipulated an A3 sized felt reindeer, the body is a bit taller and a bit narrower to comfortably fit the knitting.

Grandpa's Painting

My husband's Grandfather was John Santry, an artist.  We bought a watercolour by him and picked it up yesterday.  The ship is the John Oxley and my husband's guess of date for the painting is the late 1970's, based on the landscape and where the ship was docked at various times.  The frame is about 1 metre wide to give an idea of size.  Now, where to hang it.

Japanese Knitting Book

  

I bought a new book at Can Do Books on Tuesday.  It is one of those books that I knew I wanted as soon as I picked it up.  I am having a bit of trouble knitting a pattern.  They are all in chart form, which isn't a problem, but the symbols are a bit confusing and will take a bit to remember which is which.  I have restarted the piece I am trying to knit quite a few times, the photo is the latest to be pulled out.  I am determined to get it because the patterns are so beautiful.

In The Garden

  



The white irises are flowering, and they are lovely.

Another Crocheted Snowflake Reindeer

  

  

This little one has crocheted snowflakes sewn down with some beads, stars and french knots.  The beads are clear and shiny, quite difficult to photograph.  I remembered to take a photo of the body before putting it together.

Snowflake Reindeer

   

Used two of the crocheted snowflakes as decoration on a reindeer.

To Block or Not to Block

  

Blocking is washing or just dampening a knitted or crochet item then pinning out to its correct shape, then letting it dry before moving.  Large or small items can be blocked.  These little snowflakes definitely needed blocking.  In the second photo the snowflake on the left is before blocking, the one on the right after blocking.

On The Desk

I currently have three projects on the go:  I want to make more snowflakes, a crocheted reindeer has been started, and a jumper for me with wool that has been here for years.  I think I am struggling to focus.

Crocheted Snowflake

    

I bought this snowflake book quite a while ago and tried making them but failed   My crochet skills are coming along, I was able to easily follow the instructions and I made a snowflake, yay.

Another Sheepish Reindeer

  

I made another reindeer with sheep, this time with green grass.  The sheep stand out a little more.

Cake for Morning Tea

My husband is starting a new job on Monday.  His last day at his current job is Friday, his going away morning tea and lunch were yesterday.  I made my Mum's Boiled Fruit Cake for morning tea.  Good Luck at Navantia Piers.

Reindeer with Snowmen

  

I finished these two last night, well I thought I did, realised when I started this post that I haven't made scarves for the reindeer.  I wasn't going to put noses on the snowmen, but they look like they need something.

Off the Perch

  

Something has been going on in the craft room while I am not here.  I keep finding Jimmy the Budgie like this, lying on the table below the computer where all the birds are perched.  I'm thinking the red bird is looking a little guilty.

In The Craft Room

I have a bit of a collection going of wooden reels or bobbins.  Some have yarn and thread wound on.

Little Snowy House Reindeer

  

  

Finished the two little reindeer.  They are the same but different to the first larger one, colours are different.  And here they are with their big friend.

In The Craft Room

I have a series of cups to keep my pens, scissors, pliers, markers, crochet hooks, spinning tool, and other bits and bobs.  They are at arm's reach and I know what is there, pretty much, sometimes I have to search a bit.  Looks like I am in need of another jar, these look very full.

Another Snowy House Scene

Working on two smaller snowy house reindeer at the same time.  Now to just add snow, decoration to the house and presents, and leaves.

Empty Nest

We noticed our resident blackbird Dotty building a nest in our stag horn fern, a better place than others that she has picked.  We left some materials for her to use on the table.  She does build a lovely nest.  Unfortunately there are no eggs, either a false alarm or they were stolen very early on.  Dotty is still around so maybe another nest will turn up somewhere else soon.

Hello, My Name is Aran

  

There was talk of cable knitting at Can Do Books on Saturday at the Christmas Window Workshop.  So I thought I should do a reindeer with cables.  The pattern comes from the book Knitted Cable Sourcebook by Norah Gaughan.  I had everything done and just needed to knit his head and put him together, which I did at yesterday's Meetup at Can Do Books.

A New Friend

I bought a dressmaker's mannequin on Ebay and picked it up yesterday.  I had one of these years ago and didn't use it so sold it.  My understanding of how to use it now is better than before.  Now to push and poke and pad her to be just the same as me.

A Studious Little Reindeer

  

Knitted in one of the yarns from Fibresmith, he has a very large pair of glasses and a satchel big enough to carry anything a reindeer wants to take with him.

Happy Fathers Day

Have a wonderful Fathers Day with family and friends.  Here's cheers from a couple of great Dads that are no longer with us, Bill Corrigan and my Dad.