What a difference a day makes!

Yes, what a difference a day makes. I had the best day since I've been there....that's right, the best. What was really good was that a bit of everything sold. Except hats! They're supposed to be what is selling, oh well. I did sell some wall hangings, scarves, a little yarn and my fingerless mittens, again. It was fairly quiet, having fallen on the Queen's birthday weekend, so even better. I do hope this continues.

As a result of the boost in confidence and thanks to the long weekend, I had a flurry of activity. I've two 'commissions', one from the weekend, a pair of wrist warmers, and one that I've had for awhile that I've been putting off.

The wrist warmers are knit in some handspun that was slightly felted. I'm not sure how it is working out, but they've given me some more ideas for wrist warmers that are a smaller version of the fingerless mittens. Need to find more buttons! (Apologies, problem with the pictures)

The scarf is machine knit with ping-pong balls tied in. I'm trying to felt it, yes it will felt! but had to abandon the dyeing in favour of feeding my family. I'll boil it to death, take out the ping-pong balls and add buttons to make the resulting ball shape more of a floral shape.

I've then made my first totem. I like it, however, I don't think I'll use toilet rolls as a basis. They just don't have the right look of authority.

Finally, I've started knitting a tri-scarf (must think of a better name) with wool that I spun for the workshop in Bendigo. I wanted to finish this so they could see how the yarns they're going to create look when they are knit up.

It's amazing what a boost of confidence can do!

Some of my favourites

I don't seem to have very much to report, which is always a worry a few days out of a market.....I should be frantically busy! Anyway, I thought I'd tell you about a couple of blogs I really like, so at least you have something to read.

www.craftcitymelbourne.blogspot.com
www.madeitblog.blogspot.com

These are both Australian and have all sorts of wonderful information about artists, places to go, and all sorts of interesting things.

Hope you enjoy them.

Fingerless mittens galore

Off to Incube8tr with some more buttoned fingerless mittens. I am very keen to make as many as I can before Sunday as well. I haven't seen anything like this anywhere, and I have this interesting feeling that I might have hit on something.

Looking over what I have sold, there are probably three products that have sold well(ish!) and that are also unique designs: these Fingerless mittens, the silk scarves and the tri-scarf. I think I might concentrate on these for the rest of the winter and see what happens.

Spinning for a friend

I've finished the yarn I was spinning for a friend. Unfortunately, the colour in the photo is not good. It's the First Editions top "Rosella" which is more a crimson. Anyway, I added the little bit of mohair and I'm quite happy with the resulting yarn.

I'm not sure it's what she wanted, though she did pick the colour. If I can find her address, it's somewhere in the house, I'll send it off. I've got another 100gms, so I'll do something else when I hear from her about this.

On a more interesting note: isn't mother nature and her creatures wonderful. A frosty morning reveals all sorts of beautiful things. I'm hoping the hole is the result of a successful catch.

Magazines Galore!

I'm currently in seventh heaven, surrounded by the latest editions of some of my favourite magazines.



Vogue Knitting and Knit.1, being U.S. magazines are parading the delights of Summer knitting. They're actually quite a good collection and make me want to create some lovely handknit tops for the Summer months......a long time away for those of us in the Southern hemisphere....I'm thinking, of some lovely slubby fine cotton in my stash. I can't remember where I acquired it, but it's lovely and soft, perhap a bit too fine, but I could ply it together to create some a bit more manageable for handknitting.



I'm not sure which Vogue Knitting is my favourite, but it's interesting to see this idea, again, of knitting two strips, twisting them, then sewing them on. My (get incompleted) jumper, also from Vogue Knitting uses this to good advantage.





I'm still digesting Knit.1, but, how about this Nicky Epsten creation....LOOK at the BUTTONS...




Selvedge arrived in the mail....aaaaaagh.....I just flick through it looking at the pictures. This study in wire intrigues me. A revelation ia also Henry Moore textiles, yes... the sculptor did textiles...fabulous prints.



Now, to our local magazines. Textile Fibre Forum...how could I go past these knitted forms by Alana Clifton-Cunningham.Theres always weaving in this magazine which does seem to be getting scarce. There are people learning and pursuing weaving, which I love, but it doesn't have the popularity of knitting and crochet.

Finally, I've literally just picked up Yarn. Lots of information on dyeing, but what caught my eye were these wonderful hats on the very first page, spruiking the amazing Alice Springs beanie festival.

What a long blog....Happy reading!

Comfort spinning

I've been pondering the nature of comfort. 'Food Safari' on SBS (a wonderful food program about real food and real people) were looking at Spanish food and lo and behold there's a Spanish equivalent of rice pudding. My Mum used to make rice pudding (very English) and I loved it. Never made it myself.....now I need to find a recipe...Mum....

Anyway, we find comfort in alot of things. I was given a pair of handknitted socks by a friend (thanks Tammie, they fit), while that was lovely, even better was actually putting them on. There is something very comforting about the feel of socks, even ones I've knitted for myself.

When I don't want to choose what to wear, I put these earings on, put soft black pants and skivvy and my big jumper. It's easy to think of and looks acceptable and very comfortable.

Thinking about this jumper. It's one where I didn't change the pattern, but I did change the yarn. In the original, it was a pretty pink, slightly fluffy.....I did go looking for the pattern, can't find it right now, think it's in a Knitters magazine....I, of course, decided on a much heavier yarn, it does tend to drag, but I like the finished jumper and it is much commented on. It's surprising how much you can change a look by just changing the yarn.

Speaking of yarn, I've just spun some yarn for a group project and started on some yarn that a friend wanted me to spin (She's creating a project where she's buying fibre for friends and asking them to spin it up any way they like. Great idea, happy to be part of it!) Both yarns are wrapped tops around a cotton core. The first is plied with a fine boucle yarn. The second will be plied with another single created in the same way, hopefully finer.

Aaaah, back to spinning, how comforting!

Buttons galore

It's a cold wintry day and I've been out with my umbrella and scarf to my local wool shop to buy more buttons for the fingerless mittens I've been knitting. It puts me in a reflective mood about buttons, and how many of us love to collect buttons.

We almost always have permission to collect buttons..."they'll always come in handy", and, they do. My collection resides in a tin box and there is something very satisfying about poking about through the button box, jar, or, even better, someone elses.

Op shops have wonderful collections, saying as much about the source - the dressmaker, the former shop owner - as well as the people who come to find their own treasures. Some colours can be strangely scarce and finding really large buttons a challenge.

There is also the current trend of lots of young designers using buttons, I'm thinking particularly of the jewellery that is appearing at markets and places like In.cube8tr. I love their creative use of such a simple thing.

I've just remembered this article in an old copy of the magazine 'Piecework', (Nov/Dec 2006). Wouldn't you like these, there is a pattern to make one.

And that reminds me of one of my favourite shops: Buttonmania in the Nicholas Building in the city.

The only drawback with my buttons, is now I have to sew some on!