January Projects

Yesterday was Australia Day here in the land of OZ, but I'm afraid we had a very quiet one around here - basically just enjoying having the day to sit and rest (for the most part, since I did do a bit of  cleanup and a bit of gardening).  Since the last post was all about my garden plans, I thought I'd use this post to share other projects .......  Those library bags I made for 2 of the grandies in Townsville were met with happy smiles .......    and thankfully the painting smock made for grandson fits ...... it will be his very first day at school today!

Somehow I've found myself with several WIP sitting on needles ...... as you can see ...... I admit to

having actually forgotten about a couple of these as they got put to the side (or under other things) when the cabin was cluttered up with everything from inside the spare bedroom that needed moving out temporarily a few months ago ..... cleaning up the cabin has revealed an awful lot of sewing WIP items as well!!  From this photo of knitted WIP  is a pair of fingerless gloves (Grey Islands , by Laura Aylor) ;  the lovely Qiviut Yarn that was won in a competition and will turn into "Tundra Fern Scarf"  ;   A shawl I started for Mum with some hand dyed 4ply Blue faced Leicester-Bunny Yarn; a Woolly Wormhead designed beanie (Staggered) which will be a birthday gift for eldest son; and of course one you are all familiar

with ..... Stonehaven (by Laura Aylor) which is the marathon sweater I'm knitting in navy blue yarn for hubbie!  At least I'm onto the first sleeve now and have begun the decreases on it as it needs to get finished for Autumn this year!

Its been so hot here the past week, but as I'm sitting here this morning writing this the rain has just begun ..... good steady rain - which is nice (although a tad inconvenient since, after 5 yrs putting it off, I have the pest man coming today to spray!  Kinda typical now isn't it lol)

I have managed to finish off another beanie.  Remember my first ever knitted beanie was the one made for DD's partner for Christmas? Well it was a Woolly Wormhead pattern and I ended up visiting her group on Ravelry ...... they were just getting started on a "wonderful idea" ....... 12 Woolly Wormhead hats in 12 months ......hmmmmm ......I did find her pattern quite good to follow and I was blown away by the variety of beanies and styles of caps she has ......yep, you guessed it, I'm taking part, especially since I could see that these make a great gift.  So one has been completed "Beamish" for eldest sons girlfriends youngest. 

And I have also managed to finish off the Mystery Knit Along from Laura Aylor that was a free pattern just prior to Christmas as a thankyou to all .... I'll have to wait till winter to see if I end up wearing this very much as I'm not usually a big fan of cowls - but this one is a little different, so we shall see - excuse the horrid selfie!  Well it took the whole day to get back to here, so I best get this posted!
 

Summertime Thoughts

Mary, with Joy and Jack the 2 chicks

Remember those 2 little chicks that were put under Mary ..... they have grown ..... here they are with Mary's head just poking out over the top of Jack's back (yes, the little stipey one turned into a rooster).  Mary still manages to call them into line ..... here they are helping clean out the chook shed ...... I usually rake it up and then leave it a couple of hours for the chooks to go get any bugs and check things out before I go back and rearrange nesting boxes etc.

My little  crafting cabin at the side of the house is what used to be the single carport when we first arrived here ..... actually, it was the only carport!  We used to use that area for splitting the wood and then piling it against the fence where we could walk from the kitchen doorway to get it during the winter months.  It's never had a shelter put over it, so was always open to the rain and frost.........  last winter, we stopped putting the wood there since with the cabin now sitting there, we bring the trailer in through the back gates and split the wood in the back yard, and after a few goes of wheelbarrowing it around to its former place, we decided that was no longer convenient!  I was actually doing the happy dance, since I'd much rather the wood be brought inside from the back door which is closer to the fire and prevent so much dirt and wood droppings being constantly dropped across all the floors!

This means also that this area of the yard, which also has the clothes line is not really used by much else.  It gets sun all day long, including the afternoon sun, and being behind my crafting cabin, near the kitchen door and laundry door, with a tap at that side of the house .......... yep ...... I think its the perfect spot for a kitchen garden!!!!   I began a little experiment a couple of months back by moving some of the wood and creating a space for a raised garden bed ..... just a small one ..... without making much fuss about it ........  

Today I sat on the veranda on that side of the house with a cool drink and just looking and thinking about that space. ..........  Naturally, I've come up with some awesome ideas for what could possibly happen out there.   It's not going to happen overnight ....... after all, that wood won't be going anywhere until it gets used during winter!   And the ugly piece between the windows on the back of my cabin needs painting,  the mop and bucket need a new home, and the worm bin has definitely NOT worked where it is!  Unfortunately the afternoon hot western sun pours down on it from about 2.30pm and has pretty much cooked all the worms I had in there :(    I think I have a new spot for it ........ just need to get hubbie to move the hose holder to the other side of the tank stand .........    And I want a big piece of lattice work to sit in front of that big window where one of the bedrooms are, so I can grow peas and beans, which will act to shade that bedroom during summer and still let the sun in during winter when its cold.  It's a big pain to mow that area as well and its mostly weeds, not grass that is growing ........... I see old bricks or cheap pavers .......... just have to find some first lol

Starting the New Year

Happy New Year to you all!  I'm starting this year with a feeling of positivity that it will be a good year ....... and by that I mean to say that it needs to be an improvement on the past 2 years which have been quite dramatic and draining to our family in numerous ways!  So here is to the beginning of positivity for 2016!!  I have some hopes and goals of my own for this year, but I'll save those for a future post and fill you in on the past couple of weeks instead.........  I signed up and completed a test knit for a poncho "Wednesdays Child" by Laura Aylor. 
 It's made using 10ply / worsted yarn and I chose to use Luxury, a Bendigo Woollen Mills Yarn in the colour Denim.  It was a quick and easy knit and I can see this being perfect to throw over my head when going out to do chores during winter, or going walking and so forth.  The splits at the elbows certainly make it more user friendly than a lot of other ponchos I've tried!  I think I may make another of these!  I went down to my daughters place to spend a day and a night and got it finished while there, so I was able to get her to take me down to these cute little bathing boxes on Brighton Beach (just close to where she lives) and get some great photos!  This was my first time seeing these in real life ...... they are soo cute!!  They are all privately owned and kept locked up until the owners are down on the beach to use them.
I really enjoyed spending the day with Stace and having a sleep over at her and her partners unit ..... I managed to get some good shopping done at one of the large shopping centres (all the bits I haven't been able to buy up here!), and we also managed to get in a movie, go out for dinner and had breakfast at the pancake parlour before I had to hop on the train to head back home.

The train ride from Melbourne to Wangaratta in around 3 hrs so it was nice to sit back and do a bit of reading and also make a start on a beanie. 
Once back home again the sewing machine was kept busy while I made up a couple of library bags and a paint smock for 2 of the grandies up in Townsville, after I got a phone call from DIL asking if I could make them up (well, no guesses that was a big YES!!) ...... our youngest grandie starts school this year!  How time flies by.  I was able to pick out some materials from my stash,  then took a photo of them all, got on the phone to them and they got to choose 2 fabrics each (1 design for each side of the bag).   I have to say I was pretty happy that I had spent those couple of days over Christmas reclaiming my little cabin! 

....... and I do seem to have a number of sewing projects on the go ............ in various tins and tubs.....hmmmmm,  its a very busy little cabin!!   A big thankyou to Qin from France who sent me a signature hexie for my country scents table cloth that I'm making.  This is the first hexie that has arrived as yet. 

I do feel like I'm already running behind, given its now the 12th day of January and I'd hoped to get the first post of the New Year written within the first couple of days........ My calendar is already filling up, and as usual work just seems to take up that extra chunk of time I need here at home right now (currently I work 3 days one week and 4 the other, but with travel of 45km each way,  I'm gone from just after 7am and don't get back home till between 5 and 6pm - later if I have to stop at the shops for groceries).  Perhaps I just need to get myself a little more organised (like I always was until a couple of years ago - but then, I've not had such length of travel time to and from work before either ....... more food for thought for another time and post.