The Simple Life Part 2

So.....I've thought; and I think the place to start is my wardrobe! I shall review my clothes and anything that hasn't been worn in ages shall be either: re-purposed; remade; mended; donated; or, chopped up for quilts etc.

All hand knitted jumpers that have been lying around idly shall be: unravelled and re-knitted into new garments; unravelled and woven into something else; or, donated.

Well it's a start I suppose and I have to start somewhere....Oh....WIP finishing is in progress....now I just need some more hours in every day.

ETA: I just noticed it's Friday the 13th.....Yay.....a LUCKY DAY!!!!!

The Simple Life

Spindle is determined to simplify her life. Starting with.....I have no idea. But the ideas will come to me; eventually.....I hope!

In the meantime I'm determined to finish some wips (works in progress); the first of which is a white cotton crocheted bedspread.

I am soooo close to finishing and it has cost me a small fortune in materials, it's time it was finished and on the bed.

Alpaca Cardigan

Alpaca cardi is finished.....now to finish the Woodland Shawl.

So you want to see The Grimstones???

Well here's a sneak peak!

Grimstones Hatched

Heading to the theatre for a Sunday Matinee; a puppet show called:

In tradition of Harry Potter comes The Grimstones – Hatched, a gothic fairytale told with giant books, exquisite old-world marionettes and sign language.
There’s a girl who reads dreams, a mother who sews garments lined with love and warmth, a grandfather who heals people with his magical concoctions and a baby boy with three legs…
This is a magical and inspiring tale with a sprinkle of comedy. Not just for children, The Grimstones appeals to the whole family.

I'm so looking forward to this.....I love puppet shows....it reminds me of my childhood; puppet shows and pantomimes during the school holidays.

What FUN!

Spring has Sprung on Phillip Island

And so have the Gales!

Luscious Things!

Oh Yum!

I'm in receipt of a couple of parcels of lovely goodies. The first is a luscious gift of handspun yarn and a gorgeous little handmade notebook, a pay-it-forward gift, courtesy of Spinning a Yarn. Thank you Jess.....its all so lovely. YUM!

Now I get to pay it forward. giggle
This how it works: I send a handmade gift to 3 people, each of whom will send a gift to 3 people etc.…etc…. if you would like it to be you send me an email! My email link is on my profile page.

And then there were these:
Six sets of little Brittany Birch DPNs (only 3 sets shown), all wrapped up in some lovely wool for spinning.....they needed cushioning you see..... giggle
The delicate little darlings!
Thank you soooo much kniterarygirl! The puss cat approves too.

Oh....and its official!
A cat scan of my head has revealed that I dooo actually have a brain. .....giggle
I must say, I did have my doubts; this comes as something of a relief. .....Phew!

Steel Magnolias

I went to the theatre Friday night; didn't feel much like going (because going out for me is just plain hard work) but I had a lovely evening. And I knitted through the interval.....perhaps I'll start a "knit-at-the-theatre" trend. ...giggle

This is what I saw...

Starring Jacki Weaver, Jennifer Hagan,
Ana Maria Belo, Marian Frizelle, Debra Lawrance
and Geraldine Turner.

The quintessential story of friendship, Steel Magnolias serves up a slice of life in Louisiana that’s as warm and comforting as sweet potato pie.

In the haven of Truvy’s beauty salon, six very different women come together to share their secrets and bare their souls, throwing in a little neighbourly gossip for good measure. From weddings to divorces, babies to funerals, new beginnings to happy endings, they weather every event in their lives with grace, determination, and perfectly coiffed hair.

When tragedy strikes, it is in the familiar comfort of Truvy’s salon where they seek the solace and support that carries them through. Fans of Robert Harling’s smash hit film can enjoy this enduring comedy and heart-felt celebration of love, loyalty, and the bonds of sisterhood live on stage with some of Australia's best loved actresses of stage and screen.

Apricots and Raspberries

A weekend away at Phillip Island; was gorgeous; and gave me an opportunity to get started on some knitware designing.

Palest fawn Cria Alpaca hand spun to sport weight. Isn't it gorgeous....don't you just want to dive into it? It was so delicious to spin.


And dyed in shades of Raspberry, Pink and Coral:

Then knitted.....a fine wool, long line, classic cardigan with a fitted waistline; classic set-in sleeves; a round neck line; and, buttoned through with delicate, iridescent, shell buttons.

Amazingly soft.....I plan to wear this with a black crushed velvet tank, black skirt or trousers and I think I may have to create a jewelled choker in raspberry, pink and coral. More pics when its finished.

Woodlands and Dragonflies

Once upon a time I had two BEEEEEAUTIFUL crystal, enamel and brass bookmarks. About 18 months ago I lost them. I have been so sad everytime I've done any reading....I accidentally threw my beautiful bookmarks out with the rubbish....don't ask me how.

Recently, I was rifling through my craft stash looking for a bag of felt to make a "baby mobile" for a girlfriend's new, first "almost grandchild". Lo and behold at the very bottom of my stash, in a plastic bag with some forgotten books, were these!

I can't tell you how pleased I am. They shall never again leave my bedside table, unless they are in a book of course. I'm still looking for the second bag of felt...perhaps its time to do a bit of stash organising!

On another note...the knitting of my Woodland Shawl, except I'm making it a scarf, for a KAL is going quite well. I had a bit of a false start when I realised the hand dyed wool I was using didn't really do the lacy pattern justice. So I unravelled it and started again with another yarn. I was a little sceptical about how soft this Bendigo Woollen Mills 2ply classic would be when knitted but I have been very pleasantly surprised. I think it'll be very pleasing after finishing and blocking. The colour is called soft plum.

Couldn't Pass This Up!

Persephone Pink Pooter

Meet Persephone...

Um...yep.....the box passes inspection...

Hmmmm.......PINK!

...okay...so where's the manual?

An Island in Winter

On an island in a bay we have a house. Not a fancy house. Nothing grand, modern or showy; just a comfy, modest, built-on-a-shoestring beach house.

At the end of the road where our beach house stands, only a few hundred feet from our front door, is bushland...

And through this bushland lies a path...
And if you follow the path ...shhh....you must not wake the sleeping bunyip...
You will find a beach; a stormy beach...

I have loved this place for as long as I can remember. For me its a small piece of paradise in an otherwise very difficult world. It's best in winter. In winter it's peaceful, quiet; no summer holiday makers or bathers. The only companions are the wild animals and birds.

From the lounge room window we see the the clouds as they drift in from the ocean... and hear the winds, often icy, blowing straight from the antarctic.

The sunsets in the evening, even during winter, are magical...

There is nothing better, on a cold winters day, than to sit by the heater with a hot cup of freshly made coffee, a spinning wheel or some knitting, and a lap full of cat.

So what now?

A hat of course.....a Cabled Rangoli hat knitted from some of the lovely swap yarn that Amandack sent me!

And the Posty delivered these to me a day or so ago......a new book full of lovely knitting techniques and a set of Fine Inwood Smith Cotton Hand Carders (170ppsi). Yum......inspiration for more yarny, fibrey goodness.

I have a number of goodies on order so am expecting lots more lovely things delivered by the Posty......LONG LIVE THE POSTY! Yay! giggle

Seriously Socks!

So my fibrey goodness; my yarny yumminess, over Easter, consisted of knitting socks! Just a basic sock pattern. Warm and soft for cold wintery days.

And then there were these. Knitted from the hand dyed leftover yarn from an earlier hand woven scarf project. I liked the scarf so much I thought it'd be fun to knit some matching socks...well sort of matching socks!

To wear with my Witchy boots! giggle

Marvellous Things!

And when I got home from the beach house I found this waiting for me. My One-Stitch-at-a-Time swap package from the wonderful Amandack in South Dakota had arrived.

Thank you Amanda! huge grin

It is full of Marvellous Things!
These are just some of the lovely things she sent me.

This was Easter

Have tried several times to get this post up but it seems I always choose a time when the blogger people are doing maintenance and I have problems with getting the pictures to display and things to "save".....so.......174th time lucky!

Okay.....so this was Easter!

Chocolaty Yumminess! Um.....yes that is a Christmas tree, what can I say, so I wasn't well over Christmas. All Christmas decorations have now been packed up and put away!

Um....I also blew up the stove over Christmas.....so we had to get a new one. It worked out really well though, this little beauty was on special in Cowes....hehehe.......cheap delivery. Got to be better than buying it from the closest, larger, regional township which was nearly an hour's drive away. I have banned my father from using the stove, .....hmmmmm.........he's really good at burning the living daylights out of food and leaving everything greasy. He's happy to have delish meals provided for him! giggle Spoilt father!

We built the house in the early 1970s and its still decorated in its original 70s style so I felt it was important to get a replacement cooker that fitted in with the style of the home......RETRO! Wooo Hooooo, get an eyeful of that orange floral wallpaper in the kitchen...and my goodness you should see the weird plastic light fittings! All we need are a couple of Lava lamps!

The stove cooks wonderfully; does much better biccies than the 35 year old disaster that I blew up! Maybe blowing up the old one was a blessing.

Phillip Island trips are the only time my Emma Jennyanydots gets to sit in the sun......she's an indoor only cat and at home we have very limited sun sitting spots in the house. At Phillip Island she pretty much sets herself up permanently in the window.

She really does like her holidays at the beach!