September finishes

Sneaking in a finished WIP for September.  I have had a headcold and been a bit blah lately so this sort of free and easy sewing was just what I needed.  I think there is a lot to be said for this kind of "no quiilt police" sewing.  This cushion uses up the leftover fabric from Hannah's Robyn Pandolph "Flirt" bed quilt and you can tell from the photos how much she loves it! Part of my problem with WIPs is that I have 3 mammoth projects on the go - the horrible machine quilting on the quilt I have lost interest in, needleturn applique borders on a quilt that probably should be hand quilted, and my Patchwork Apple BOM that needs lots of applique and intricate piecing.  I feel like life is so busy at the moment that I need brain dead projects. I need things easy to complete so I have started Maddie's strippy which will hopefully be my October finish.  It DID feel good to be able to use the shoebox full of leftovers to make this (and then put a few smaller bits into my sorted scraps!)

This week..

This week there has been lots of hangin' with the cherubs.  There has been some knitting.  There has been some spinning.  There has been jelly, and pizza, and sand (lots of sand!) and rain, and pirates, and no power, and card games, and blocks and Little People.  There has been sleep ins, pancakes, scrapping, and a little bit of decluttering.  James picked up a new work ute.  Daniel discovered a wobbly tooth.  Maddie left her dummies behind at the beach house for the baby birds.  There is a feeling of change.
I am just savouring the simplicity, the peacefulness of the slower pace of the holidays, knowing that in just one more short week we will be back to being crazy busy.
Happy holidays.

Latest fibre yumminess

This is my latest spinning.  First Editions "Spring" merino/silk blend.  It spun up a bit finer than my default spin (probably more a 6 ply than an 8?)  No idea what I will do with it but love the subtle colour changes.  Luckily I have 100g of First Editions "Autumn" merino/silk in my stash so there will more of this lusciousness to follow!

The Show

I am not really into the Show.  I don't like crowds.  I don't like side-show alley.  I don't like the way everything is overpriced and ridiculously expensive.  I worry about food poisoning..
Thankfully, my husband is really just a big kid and he LOVES the Show.
I love to watch my kids loving the show.
I put my fears aside to eat dagwood dogs and reminisce about childhood show memories of fairy floss and fairy dolls on sticks.  I do enjoy the pavillions with cooking and crafts and animals.

How about you? Do you like the show?

Mental Health Weekend

Oh Spring Glorious Spring!!!  Today I spent the afternoon outside knitting on a blanket under the plum blossom while my kids enjoyed the sandpit and the garden.  I started knitting my "Light Speed" shawl (look on Ravelry - it is a really unusual knit!)  The smell of the blossom was divine.  I was frequently joined by the slobbery labrador, the free range chooks, and this sweet bunny (who loves to come up for a pat, an ear rub and a few sultanas!)

When it got too cold we came in and I cooked paprika baked chicken, and garlic roast potatoes and vege, and anzacs and chocolate slice.  It felt so good to be home and simple and slow.
And now my head seems so much clearer and my body feels ready to tackle the challenges of the week ahead.

Happy Spring!
Nell
xxx

Happy Faces

Is there any lovelier flower than pansies at this time of year?  I love their bright happy faces and the way they brave the coldest of Winters!  Pansies always remind me of my dear Melbourne buddies (especially Sharon Mc Callum and Jenni Grierson because they knew I loved pansies and frequently spoiled me with pansy-themed pretty things!)  I have a beautiful little pansy tea-set that Sharon sent as a wedding gift.  Anyway, these are my new little pot of happiness!

Today was a blissful day in the sense that I shrugged off all responsibility for doing kindy paperwork, and cm paperwork, and last year's taxes, and just played and dreamed and was generally quite slothful.
I finished two little hats.

Handspun "Strelizia" with some commercial green from the stash and cream baby wool overdyed in blues.  I really like how the dyeing turned out so I might have to drag the rest of the boring baby wool out of my stash and overdye it!

These two are destined for local newborns.  If people don't stop having babies I will have no hope of having a stall of crafty things at our school fete in October!

I have also located my missing sock (which was started with Lee-Anne and then went missing!  Now I just have to catch up so we can turn the heel together next time we meet.

Work is progressing ever so slowly on my friend's scotty dog beanie.  I hate having to write my own patterns.  I actually don't really enjoy knitting when I have to think.

I have been getting to know the new wheel (named Vera after her previous owner) and I have to say that we are getting along like peas and carrots.  I think I am going to LOVE this wheel once I can get her to stop being so noisy!

Hope you are having an awesome weekend.  My 3 Small Ones are all in bed so I am off to do some more crafty stuff - the dilemma is to spin? Knit? Sew? Scrap?

Happy weekend!
Nell
xxx

Life is good!

Loving -
Spending quality time with my sweet boy in the middle (and this silly selfie he took in front of the museum!)
Time spent with relatives
Spring blossoms, daffodils and sunshine
A small window of pleasurable sewing
The pleasure my children got from giving handmade father's day gifts
Maddie's current passion for photo bombing
The promise of days spent in a spring garden - although at the moment the roses need pruning and the vegie patch needs turning over in preparation for Spring vegies

Admiring -

my new spinning wheel; a Ron Doley purchase from ebay.  It is a bit noisy at the moment but I think after a service, and a few hours of getting to know each other we will get on fine!

Eating - lots and lots of rich celebratory food (including Auntie Rah's cherry cheesecake) and drinking champagne and red wine!

Celebrating - Fathers Day, Spring, Ruby my niece's birthday, 10 years as a Creative Memories consultant

Making - humbug bags for charity, hats for the multitude of new babies being born to school and kindy families, mittens for my tasmanian friend, a crazy scottie dog beanie for my Sydney friend.

Feeling grateful for our busy, crazy, blessed life.
Have a wonderful week!
Keep smiling,
Nell