I’m still here…promise!

The last little while at work was exhausting and now that I have been on leave for a few weeks I finally feel like getting back into the blog…at least until I have 2 small babies to take care of anyway! I’m doing quite well still, but am starting to slow down, hence sitting in front of the computer and writing a blog post! I only have a few things to show you all at the moment and all of them are old…the reason for all that I will show you being old? Well I’m not showing you anything gender specific, thats our little secret, besides this way you get to see these items on babies as they grow into them, much cuter that way!

I made myself another Calorimetry a few months back and have worn it loads! I have enough yarn to make another as a gift, but I don’t know who to give it too! I can think of two people who might like one and wear one, but I just can’t choose between them. Can I blame pregnant brain? Probably not. Anyway the yarn is Freedom Spirit By Twilleys of Stafford (Ravelry link). I love this yarn, the colours are great and work with most of my clothes and it has a lovely fuzz without being furry! Please excuse the photo, I tend not to be the most alert and smiling camper by the end of the day!

I’ve also done some baby knitting that I can show you. I made a baby surprise jacket out of some yarn I dyed and spun a while back, I’m really happy with this yarn and even after knitting two baby jackets with it I still have some left over for something else! The other one was a february baby sweater for a friend many months ago now. I did an applied i-cord edge which I had only done once before a long time ago. It really is a lovely way to finish some garments, especially garter stitch as I am not always happy with the edge that I get just by leaving garter stitch…probably why when I knit scarves they are ribbed. I should really do the same to the sleeves, but I figure knowing bubba’s they are only going to get sucked at anyway!

Still sticking to the baby thing…leggings! These were knitted from an old paton’s book and should fit next winter. I used Baby Zarina Print (Ravelry link) that was given to me as a Birthday gift. It’s such a soft yarn, I do love Zara and Zarina…oneday when money is no object I would love a plain basic black cardigan for myself knitted out of Zara, but for now I will settle for other slightly less pricey yarn options.

After many, many months I finally finished my Aunties Hi-visibility jumper. It was wonderful to get this one out of the WIP stage and even more wonderful how well it fitted my Auntie! But yes, you wouldn’t miss her in a crowd in this one, except maybe when she’s at the mines with everyone else in Hi-vis gear of course!

Thats about it for me at the moment photo wise. I need to get an up-to-date belly shot on here, I’m 32 weeks, at my last scan (on Monday) the babies were both around 4 pounds each so I am officially carrying more baby than my Mum did when she had me. Other than that I am knitting some gorgeous little jacket, hat and mitt sets for the babies to come home in, I just don’t want to show a half finished, un-blocked photo of them, they are too special to me to been seen half made.

Hope your all keeping well, I’ll endeavour to come back again soon!….promise.

The one good thing about being stuck at home sick is…

All the knitting I can get done! I can only share one thing at the moment…the other two things are either not quite finished or will give away too much about what might be growing in my belly, a much guarded secret for the time being! So I’ll share the little jitterbug cardigan I made. I’m really happy with this one and am planning on knitting some little navy blue pants to match, I should even have enough jitterbug left to make the hems out of jitterbug. The colour I used was Tapis (the colour at the store that was the most unisex). Doesn’t it go well with the bodysuit? It was given to me by a lady from work in a bag of extremely good condition secondhand clothing from her little boy. People are so generous! I love the buttons as well, I bought them several years ago to put on a shirt but it never happened and now I am glad, they really bring out the lighter colours in this one.

Well thats it for me, back to sitting on the lounge knitting and trying not to feel too miserable…I’m almost better so thats gotta help!

Some little finished knits….

I’ve really hit my stride with knitting again after several months of basically living in a knitting desert. It helps to have two little people on the way into our lives. Over the weekend I finished the set I showed you last time and I love it. It took me about a week and a half to make the set from start to finish which I was pretty happy with.

That was until I made baby pants in just in 3 days. I am loving these too, I made them in the newborn size and they took under 50g, with some plain aqua blue for the reverse side of the hems and the drawstring. They have elastic at the waist as well but I figured if the twins are tiny then I can tie the drawstring to hold them on. While I was making them the girls at work fell in love too and told me that when I bring the babies in for a visit one of them has to wear the rainbow pants. Oh and I still have a ball left which might become a little jumper (sweater) or maybe even a second pair of pants.

The other reason for not blogging…

Over the last several months I have been sewing on and off for my sister in laws wedding, in the last month or so it’s been non-stop getting the dress ready as well as my mother in laws dress and of course a dress for me! Which has left me with very little knitting time and no blogging time at all, it was worth it in the end though, I hope you all agree, the bride looked stunning even if I am a little biased. Here are some photo’s, my sister in law, my mother in law and myself all wearing my sewing. Then a few pics of various views of the bride.

I finally finished the brides beaded purse late on the evening before the wedding, it turned out really well and matched the dress perfectly.

It was a beautiful day, cold and grey but everything was so clean from the rain Melbourne had been experiencing on and off for several days. It was wonderful to watch Leah and Brendan get married having known Leah for over 10 years and Brendan nearly as long. You could see how much they love and adore each other. I watched Brendan as Leah walked down the aisle and I am so glad I did, the look on his face and eyes said it all.
Can’t wait to see the new house guys!

After the wedding Dan and I took a weeks road trip, well and truely taking the long way home from Melbourne to Adelaide with many littles and big towns along the way. First we stayed at the Holgate Brewhouse, gotta keep the brewer in the family happy. Then we drove through to Daylesford where I went to Purls Palace and brought a hank of Colinette Jitterbug in the colourway tapis which I will use to knit a baby cardigan (I’m not really into baby-ish pastels). I love Daylesford and having been visiting since I was a child, it’s changed a lot over the years but never loses it’s charm for me.

Then we drove onto Bendigo and of course went to the Woollen Mills and the famous bargain room, I was fairly restrained as we had a very tightly packed car thanks to having to take lots of sewing stuff along with us including my very large machine and overlocker everywhere we went. I did get 5 balls of Bendigo Cameo for $10 a ball to knit the Central Park Hoodie (Ravelry link) and 3 balls of 8ply cotton to knit some face washers for the babies, at $2 a 50g ball it was too good to leave!

From their we headed to Echuca for the night, then onto Swan Hill, Mildura (staying in Wentworth just over the NSW border), finally a small town a little way out of Berri in South Australia, we stopped at some many towns, lookouts etc along the road that I cannot even begin to list them! What I can do though is show off my country op-shop bargains!
A Vintage glove book for…5c!!! What can you get for 5c these days?

Then some vintage baby and toddler sewing patterns and a brand new baby hat (not pictured) for $1…and no I am don’t know what I am having, don’t ghet excited about the girls dress pattern, the round yoke was just too good not to buy, I love round yoke dresses on little girls.

Oh and along the way, both while away and a little before we left I have started to knit a little for the twins, booties from sock yarn scraps and a cardigan from some yarn given to me by Knitter Bunny way back when we did the tea swap. The contrast edges are some very old patonyle my Grandma gave me a while ago. I’m now working on a matching hat for the cardigan and hopefully some booties as well, this yarn just seems to go on forever, which is great cause I love it!

I’ll leave you with some pics of my ever growing belly, somedays I am amazed to think that compared to where I will be in a few months I am still small. I’m 18 weeks today and planning on leaving work in about 10 weeks, the start of June, I just don’t need to keep working full-time much longer, we won’t die without my wage and I think that by then I will be fairly uncomfortable and ready for a rest (and some knitting).
The first two I was 16 weeks and 6 days, the third photo was just yesterday at 17 weeks and 6 days…

I’m waking up finally…

After a couple months of being exhausted and barely touching my knitting I am finally starting to hit the second trimester energy boost. Now all I need to do is take some photo’s of the small amount of knitting I have been doing in the last week or so after totally ignoring all knitting for months.

I’m 13 weeks today and we had our 12 week scan on Friday. The twins are growing well and as far as can be told at a 12 week scan all the organs etc are in the right place. It was incredible to see our little babies looking so much more baby-like than the last time we saw them. The photo’s below are the ultrasound shots and the other is my belly about a week ago, not bad for 11weeks and 6 days!

Next post I promise some knitting…

Just a little update…

Ok maybe not that little.

We had our first scan yesterday, 8 weeks 3 days…

These (our embryo’s)

became this

Which became these…..

So as you can see our life is going to be hectic!

Why I haven’t been blogging….

Their are two reasons for this….

Number 1)
All my knitting was for Christmas gifts for people who read the blog now and then….

A scarf and mitts set for one of my sister in law, Sarah, that I am VERY proud of, yet more proof that I can finally knit lace.

Two pairs of mitts for my other sister in law, Leah, with a third pair half finished but put aside to knit a baby gift.
I’ve also finally finished two baby jackets started many months ago that need homes, which I am sure I will find soon, the pink one is handspun by me and I love it…even if I did put the button holes on the boy side…oops.

The other is an adaptation of a basic matinee jacket, made far more modern with the use of chevron and bright yarn…the jury is still a little out on this one.

As for the baby jacket I am making for a friend who is due soon, homespun of course, dyed by me and using the February sweater by EZ, same as the pink one. It’s for a baby boy, I think the lace is still ok, hopefully the Mum does too. Here’s the yarn mid-spin

Number two)

We did another round of IVF a little over a month ago and well as you can see it worked!!!
I was going to wait to say anything on here so if you happen to know me in real life and I have not told you yet please keep it to yourself. I’m only just over 6 weeks so it’s VERY early days. We have a scan on the 15th and I’ll fill you in after. So fingers crossed.

Craft shows, FO’s and graffiti?

I’ll start at the end…graffiti…the very immature ‘tag’ people’s property type, not the ‘wow how amazing is that piece of art’ type. A couple weeks ago Dan and I headed back to Melbourne for a weekend to go to Dan’s 10 year High School reunion. We were away for three days, had a ball, spent a bit of money, drank a bit of beer and chilled out. When we got home at about 7:30pm on the Monday everything was as we had left it. The next morning I dragged myself out of bed and was leaving home at 6:30am (the joy of starting work at 7:30 in the morning sometimes), as the roller door on our carport shut behind me I was kind of…suprised…to see a big silver ‘tag’ on the roller door!!! When I got home that afternoon I went outside to take a photo of the paintjob just so I could prove it had happened. While I was outside I got talking to the neighbours, we worked out that the little bugger had done it in basically daylight!!! We had as I said got home about 7:30pm, no graffiti, our neighbour got home about 9:30pm, graffiti…it’s daylight savings so it’s light quite late now. Brazen. THEN the neighbour from the otherside came out, and told us her car had been sprayed as well, all over one side (inlcuding the windows) as well as the bonnet. Luckily she had taken it straight to a crash repairer who cleaned it off without any major trouble. Dan on the other hand contacted the local council who de-tagged us within the week…and cleaned the roller dooor in the process. Heres the before photo…excuse the dirt…there’s a drought you know.

I’m feeling a little inspired at the moment, I have finished two project in the last fortnight and have almost finished a third.
I finished my Aunties socks.

AND my friends shawl, see my last post… but I didn’t manage to get a finished photo as I literally unpinned it from being blocked as I raced out the door to work on the morning before the funeral. I’m really happy with how it turned out, it ended up quite big. About 180cm x 130cm x 130cm (6′ x 4′4″). From start to finish in a fortnight…not bad, not bad at all. She loved it BTW, well as much as you can love a gift made to remember the saddest moment of your life.

The almost finished is my February baby sweater, all that is left now is to weave in the ends and find buttons…oh and an owner.

This weekend just gone was the Stitches and Craft show, I hadn’t been for ages so volunteered to help out with the Knitters Guild, opting for the afternoon shift so I could spend the morning wondering and then help pack up (well that was the plan except that silly me wore sandals which are a big no-no when the forklifts start dismantling the event). Luckily I had won one of the Melbourne Cup sweeps at work so had some guilt free money to spend at the show. I got beads and purse frames…

Tencel yarn for a lace stole (this stuff is SOOO soft)…

A couple more purse frames, one to replace the one I originally got for my SIL wedding purse as I prefer the square shape. And a little one in the same colour just cause. Oh after dyeing crochet cotton grey in desperation…I found silver/grey #8 pearl cotton!!! I gave in and got it too…better colour and what I wanted to start with. Plus a new set of fine (1.25mm) needles for my bead knitting, Addi’s with much better points than my old cheap pair of fine needles.
Plus they have cute little read ends!

All in all I had a good time, got ahold of a few things I had not been able to find in my normal travels and enjoyed interacting with MOST members of the public that came to the Guild stand. Next year I promise I will wear closed shoes…even though my sandals are super comfy.

Oh and one last thing…Dad has just been to Sweden for the second (I think) time in 6 months for work…so I decided to be cheeky and asked him to visit a yarn shop for me. I asked for sock yarn and found some that is not available locally as far as I know. I figured sock yarn was good as it’s not a huge commitment like enough for a sweater and won’t kill your luggage allowance. Dad came home with enough for three pairs, the two pictured and a third one I forgot to take a picture of thats being knitted into socks as we speak. It’s colour 672 in Drops Fabel.


Gotta love a man who buys you yarn!!!

One more star in the night sky….

I spent yesterday in hospital with a close friend and her partner. a few weeks ago all their dreams had come true, engaged, happy together and a baby only a few short months away. It was the happiest I had seen her in a long time and I was just so glad things seemed to be working out for her after a rocky few years. All she has ever wanted (like me) is to be a Mum. We had a dinner party, them, us and another couple, we three girls had worked together several years back and become close. It was such a happy night with so much hope for the future. We were all rubbing her belly and talking to her baby.
Yesterday my friend left a message on my phone to call her in the evening, when I heard her voice I knew it couldn’t wait. I know when something is up no matter how she tries to hide it. Everything went through my head, except what had actually happened. Her little one, so wanted and so loved already had been born that morning. She was induced after a routine check-up turned into every Mothers nightmare. Her precious little babies heart had stopped, 23 weeks into pregnancy, when this is not meant to happen, when it’s all supposed to be ok.
Yesterday we sat, we talked, we laughed and we cried. I drank a lot of coffee and still felt like a fog had drifted in. I went back to work today and struggled through, thinking of all three of them all day.
Last night I cast on a shawl, a warm hug when I can’t give her one. Deep red homespun merino/alpaca/silk with lovehearts to remember her Valentines due date.
To a beautiful little girl who will never feel pain again.
We love you and we miss you.

When all else fails…shop…

To be honest nothing has ‘failed’ but I have shopped…most noteably a new spinning wheel, after wrestling with an old ashford traddie I went to ‘look’ at wheels a few weeks ago. I knew I wanted something portable and user friendly…and I wanted something that was new, I have a couple secondhand wheels and none of them are ever quite ‘right’ and I am sick of working at them to try and get them working well only to find new issues everytime I fix something. I just don’t have the time to stuff around with a wheel that needs lots TLC rather than just general ‘maintenance’ anymore. Between working full time and running a small dressmaking bussiness my spinning (and knitting) time has become very precious, which is obvious to me in the drop in my knitting work rate over the last few months. So anyway back to the new wheel.
I gave Bella at Walking Wheel Studio a call one Saturday, almost a month ago, and headed over to try her stock, she had just got in the new Majacraft Pioneer, I was not immediately sold as I had never used a double treadle before and had the Ashford Joy in mind. I was a little concerned about the orofice height of the Joy though, as it turned out Bella had sold the shop Joy a few days earlier so I did not get to even have a test spin, however having sat with the bag in front of me I could see that the orofice was going to be a problem. I tried an Ashford Traveller, but didn’t quote like the way it felt when I treddled, then I tried a Louet S10, but it didn’t like it because when I spun fine which I tend to do the flyer shook…not fun! Plus it was a lot bigger than what I had in mind. I had already sat at the Pioneer but went back and having tried the other two I started to see what made that baby good…I fiddled with the ratio’s, I changed my position and with every change I made I loved her a little more. My mind was still wondering about the joy…then Bella told me the price of the Pioneer, about $200 less than the Joy and with an orofice at a good working height. I was sold…so now I have the new Majacraft Pioneed, I got her 3 days after she had hit the shops and we are still in love, though I do have my eye on her big sister ‘Alpaca’…maybe in 5 years or so…
Anyway here she is in all her glory:

Fittingly my first project to show you all this time is the first garment I made from yarn spun on the new wheel. I knitted it for a friends neice who is just the most adorable little one. I even got sent a grainy mobile pic of her in the cardie…so cute! The flower at the neck was crocheted from a vague memory of how crochet flowers are made but I am pretty happy with it. Plus it covers up where I put the buttonhole on the wrong side when I was trying to be clever and knit the garment top down rather than bottom up as I was worried I wouldn’t have enough yarn (I have 43g left BTW)! I think it was a good save and actually looks nicer than just a button.

I’m working on knitting up some yarn I spun on the old wheel, but plied on the new wheel (Very badly plied I might add). It’s going to be EZ’s february baby sweater/baby sweater on two needles depending on who you talk to. I am really liking it so far, the subtle stripe is just lovely in my opinion. Now I just need someone who is having a girl AND will treat homespun as homespun should be treated to give this one too.

I have pretty much finished, except for weaving in the ends and choosing buttons the rainbow matinee jacket, just need to find the motivation to finish and knit some matching pants…oh and find a home for the finished product which I have been realiably informed is not suitable for a boy…

Just for fun I knitted a little beaded purse recently that will make a pretty good gift for someone come Christmas, who I am yet to decide…mayby my kris kringle at work if I get a girl.

I’ve also made a tentative start on my SIL wedding handbag after having to dye crochet cotton as I was unable to find anything even close to grey in either crochet cotton or perle cotton. I won’t be posting much about this one now until after the wedding as I want to keep the design at least a little bit of a secret and I know the bride reads this…Hi Leah!

My Auties socks and jumper are still going, I only knit the socks on the bus and the jumper at work so I have no progress shots of the jumper to show you as it lives on my desk. I will need to bring it home soon though as we are getting really busy at work so my knitting time is getting less and less.

Oh and I haven’t forgotten me in all this, I decided it was time I do myself some summer knitting. I am yet to cast on as I am making myself wait till I have finished at least one of my Aunties things!!! Gotta be tough on myself sometimes. Though I can still look at my new cardie…

I think thats it for now…see you all next time I get off my bottom and blog!