Just some finished things

Here are the finished articles referred to in previous posts. Just so you know I do finish things!

Firstly, the mystery socks. I slowed down once the last page was sent out, and then they sat waiting for the toes to be grafted. Finally, they're finished, I've worn them and I like them. Just perfect for jeans. Now, I need some new shoes.....

Oh, and, yes, I do have different sized feet and therefore different sized socks!

Then there's the fingerless mittens using the Earth Pallette experiment. I found just the right buttons and I like them, they'll be at Rose St. on Sunday.

And, finally the scarf. I am so happy with it. It has rolls, holes, bits sticking out and, I think, reflects my trip to the Botanical Gardens. The picture doesn't quite show everything, but, I hope you get the idea.

A glorious day in the Botanical Gardens

Yep, wonderful sunny Melbourne Sunday afternoon in the Botanical gardens. We're such a lucky city to have such a large open space fall of plants, buildings, lakes and more plants.

A meeting of Experimental Spinning and 3D5S was to start at the Plant Craft cottage in the gardens. These ladies are wonderful with all sorts of different crafts related to plants: dyeing, pot pourri (I can still smell on my hand the damp pot pourri, a pot of which you are invited to stir with your hand!), basketmaking, fibre group, counterpart and I think some more. So after a lovely cup of tea talking all things crafty I sat outside 'being inspired' by their lovely gardens and trying to come up with a pattern for my new balls of wool.

At a busy market at Ivanhoe Makers Market, one of my lovely customers had returned with a jacket that had been knit with some yarn I had dyed for her and presented me with a leftover hank. This had been dyed a lovely 'Flax' colour (from Landscape dyes) and seemed right to start in the gardens.

I had, also, just picked up another stitch dictionary from the little knick knack shop in Heidelberg in Hawdon st. (sorry, I don't remember the name) that has a really wonderful collection of vintage patterns, among other things!

Not being particularly successful, but feeling relaxed, I headed off for a stroll in the gardens, taking photos, enjoying the new wildlife, including signets and an egg laying turtle. Finally, finishing up at the Observatory cafe, where the SnB group were meeting.

The afternoon was spent chatting, laughing, eating and, of course, knitting where I finally, and with much unpulling arrived at what I thought would work.

A mixture of knitting and folding, short row knitting, adding eyelets all seem to combine to create something interesting.

It still needs tweeking. It will be knit lengthwise and various directional changes seem to be called for, but also a little look at the reversability issue!

Drawing in the Botanical Gardens

As part of orientation week for the DVA (Diploma of Visual Arts) is a day drawing in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens. Last year was rather daunting, as while I had done drawing classes, I was (and to a certain extent still am) extremely reluctant to draw in public. However, if you're going to sign up for something you might as well do it right!

Drawing is extremely important, the basis for everything that follows, an artform of itself, and it forces you to LOOK. During the process of a drawing it's fascinating to suddenly realise how closely you are looking and what you can see that you certainly didn't notice when you started.

There was significant improvement. For a start I did TWO drawings, though not completed, were taken as far as I was going to on the day. I felt far more confident. And I tried a different approach, 'encouraged' by the drawing teacher I had last year, to start working tonely with graphite, rather than with lines. I quite liked this and look forward to trying this out in the Life Drawing classes I'll be doing this year.

PS They do look better photographed rather than in the flesh!