I Love You This Much

The Italian Boyfriend has a jumper.  It is knitted in a merino/cashmere yarn and is a nice squishy, cuddly jumper.  It is difficult to see, but his hair is hopefully getting a bit curly overnight  I sprayed starch in his har and made little rollers out of pipe cleaner.  Hit it with the hair dryer and let them stay there.  We shall see today if it worked.  His head is also now attached to his body.

Archibald & Koolaid

  

Yesterday we went for a drive to Geelong to see the Archibald Art Prize. Some of the paintings are fabulous.  When I got home I did some dyeing with Koolaid, American cordial powder.  Lots of images have been popping up on Pinterest using Koolaid.  i went to the American Supermarket in Moorabbin on Thursday after Can Do Books to get some.  I had a play using four colours.  It was all cooked in the microwave to set the dye.  The colours are extremely bright.

School Quilt

  

Yesterday at Can Do Books Stephanie and I were talking about a quilt I helped make in 2010.  I thought I had blogged about it before, but couldn't find it, so here it is.  We were talking about getting someone to do the quilting and whether it was computerised or hand done.  I didn't know so I was trying to find the photo to see, not sure they are close enough to really see the quilting.  I can see a wave pattern at the edge, and I think it is swirls in the middle.
The quilt was made for the Spotswood Primary School's 100th anniversary.  It was raffled off at the reunion and later in the year at the fete.  I went to each class and asked the students to draw two pictures, one of themselves and one of a child 100 years ago.  There are 72 drawings on the quilt that I embroidered in red.

Sleeve Knitting

It is Sit & Stitch at Can Do Books today.  I'm taking along the Italian Boyfriend's jumper I am knitting.  Up to the sleeves.

And Some More Yarn

A delivery the other day from the Noble Fox Yarn Company.  Abbe, the owner was having an Instagram sale and I couldn't help myself, it's such lovely yarn and beautiful colours.

New Cast On Edge

  

  

I am knitting a small jumper for the Italian Boyfriend.  I thought it was a good time to try one of the cast ons from the book I bought the other week.  I worked the Tubular Cast On.  The grey yarn in provisional and is pulled out once a few rows have been worked.  I quite like how it peaks out the bottom of the edge, something to remember for a different project.  This technique gives a nice rolled over look to the bottom of the jumper.

Ooma Doll

Getting packed into a box ready for her trip to Sydney.

And Some More Yarn

  

A delivery arrived this week from Ecoyarns.  Something to dye, something to spin and something to knit, all organic, all lovely and squishy.    And yesterday we dropped into the Fibre & Yarn Market in Preston and bought a couple more skeins, one from Heathermaid and one from Queensland Collection, both lovely colours.

Trying to Get Curl

  

The Italian Boyfriend has a bit of a curl to his hair, not full on curly, just a kick up curl.  How to make yarn have a curl?  I could do it with glue, but that would make the hair crunchy and the boyfriend looks like he has lovely soft hair.  I bought a cheap curling wand and using some scrap of the same yarn, gave that a go.  It curls the wool, but dropped out pretty quickly.  I sprayed the yarn with hairspray and that seemed to work, but this morning it too has dropped.  More playing required.

The Italian Boyfriend

He now has a beard, eyebrows and hair.  Although he is in need of a haircut.

Dessert

Made Jamie Oliver's Quick Portuguese Tarts last night.  The caramel on top was quite sticky and chewy and difficult to eat, but yummy.

The Second Commission

Is a figure.  He is called the Italian Boyfriend.  He will have hair and a beard, but at the moment he has a very impressive handlebar moustache.  I'm glad I took this photo, because now I can see he needs bigger ears and a smaller nose.

Lichen Dyeing

Wasn't as successful as it was promising to be.  The lichen was in a jar of ammonia for three months, it turned a very rich dark brown colour.  I mordanted the linen, ric rac and yarn in alum.  The dye pot was a very nice brown, not as dark as the jar, but nice.  I didn't like the idea of boiling ammonia in the house, so I chose to do a cold dye bath.  Once washing everything, there was very little colour uptake.    The linen, ric rac and the yarn on the left are a very nice pink/grey colour, the yarn on the right coloured a little but it is patchy and not pretty, it will go in another dye pot.

Antique Finds

Went for a wander around the Waverley Antique Centre yesterday.  Came home with a cut glass vase with a frog in it, and a little silver-plate bird.

Christmas Gnome Process

  







I made Christmas Gnomes for the Can Do Books window in 2016.  This was one of my favourites.  The photo was taken in Scotland, taken while we were driving along, somewhere between Dunfermline and St Andrews.  Fort he gnome I first did a sketch from the photo, scaled and printed out the scene, there are two repeats of the scene on the gnome.  I used freezer paper, so I highly ironed it to the gnome body.  Then stitched through the paper, ripped the paper off, then worked all the french knots along the fence line.

Cardigan Knitting

I took this to work on at Can Do Books on Thursday.  Since then I have finished the front and started a sleeve.

Casting On and a New Book

  

When I was making the gnome the instructions said to use Cable Cast On for all parts.  I have always cast on the same way my Mum taught me, so I had to look up cable cast on.  Turns out I already could do this type of cast on, just didn't know the name.  I use is when filling the space of a buttonhole or such when the last row had some stitches cast off.  I was at Can Do Books yesterday for the Sit & Stitch and while rummaging in the books found this one.  Love it when I find a book relevant to something I had been working on earlier.  Time to learn some new knitting skills.

Put Your Hands Up.......

I know I've done it before, but I can't help it.  The song always pops into my head when I make hands.  And it never gets old.

House Doorstop

  

I made this doorstop two years ago.  The second photo is the doorstop just before making it into the 3D shape to cover the brick.  Funny how all the windows look slightly wonky on the flat fabric, but fine on the house.

Counting Sheep

  

  

  

Well, one anyway.  I have been having trouble sleeping lately and this little sheep popped into my head while I was laying there with my thoughts.  Based on the lovely sheep we met at the Bendigo Sheep & Wool Show earlier this year,  all the elements were designed before getting up.  So I made one yesterday.  Last night I slept very well, she needed to come out.

Body and Legs

The commission is coming along.  It looks a little weird at this stage with wires coming out the neck.

How to Make a Knitted Rose

  

  

  

The roses I made for the gnome to carry are quite easy.  Cast on 50 stitches, knit 6 rows (garter stitch).  Cut yarn from ball, leaving a long tail.  Sew in the beginning tail down the short side of the knitting.  Thread a needle onto the long tail and remove the stitches from the needle onto the thread.  Gather the stitches up, not too tightly, then starting at the beginning, the edge where you sewed the beginning tail, wrap the knitting around itself, not tightly.  Then sew through to secure the rose.  Make sure you catch all the edges underneath, make several stitches.  And its done.  I put mine on yarn wrapped wire and made some crocheted bits of greenery.  This rose used 8ply yarn and 4mm needles.  You could make them larger or smaller by changing the yarn and needle size.  You will probably need to work more stitches or more rows to get a long rectangle.

Boots

Started work on the next commission.  Working from the boots up.

In The Garden

  

Thee are a couple of white irises and a sweet little hyacinth flowering at the moment.