My Creative Space

It seeems that my knitting, which is going quite nicely by the way, is pretty conservative compared to some of the underground knitting I have been discovering lately. A quick look in the library today and I found a few books which made me feel truly nanna-ish in my knitting experiences. Obviously, I need to get out more. Take the two ladies above, for example, from the book Naughty Needles by NiKol Lohr. These ones are Ice Vixen and Cave Girl. Very practical for winter! These cute little pillows are from the book below, Domiknitrix by Jennifer Stafford. It's actually pretty tame compared to Naughty Needles...no fur-trimmed knitted undies or anything.

This one is great if you have nothing to wear.....full of last minute things to whip up before you head out for a night of death metal or rockabilly. I have this problem quite a lot actually, so this book will be helpful.

And here's the boring old nanna knitting. Oh well, I am at my happiest sitting in front of the fire with a blanky over the knees. I know plently of you are the same..... I can't wait to have a look around and see what you have all been making this week, whether it is nanna or naughty!

Ace Places To Shop, Part 1

Now that I've got your attention, I'll get onto the real topic of today's post.

Is there anything more exciting in life than discovering a great shop that's cheap too? yeah, yeah...birth of children, wedding day etc. , but those thrills were a while ago now, so currently I have to get my thrills wherever I can find them. This week they were found at Rathdowne Remants in Victoria Street, Brunswick, Melbourne, the World, the Universe.

They used to be in Rathdowne Street, Carlton, as the name suggests, so I had not been there since my student days. Joyfully, I found that they are still great value. Look at all that stuff above in the photo (It's all wool fabric by the way). Guess how much it cost. Guess. OK, don't guess, but the whole lot was $10. What are you going to do with it all, I hear you ask. You'll just have to imagine me saying to myself very quietly 'no idea', but you can't argue with the cheapness factor. I also bought denim remnants, and they have a great selection of really beautiful fabrics of all kinds, as well as some interesting buttons, trims etc.

So if you find yourself in Brunswick, you know what to do. By the way, the cheesecake photo not only shows my untapped food stylist skills, but also the figs from our fig tree. We only planted it last year and now we have a harvest big enough to do fancy fruit things to the top of desserts! Hope I've made you hungry.......

My Creative Space

Welcome to the wonderful world of red....it's all about red this week! Red fabric, red wool, and pink cake, which has red food colouring in it. Firstly I have been working on a new top pattern with my red flowery fabric.

Then the cranberry red wool arrived in the mail, so that is being made into a ponchoy type thing. This is a Rowan pattern from one of their books of a few years ago. Apparenly I will look like this when I wear it. I can't wait to get that smug look on my face!

Here is some gorgeous Japanese fabric I was given a few years ago by some friends. I found it again in the crypt and it is one of those things that I love so much I am almost afraid to do anything with it in case I muck it up. This one is screen printed, but the traditional dyeing method was to use grains of rice and tie the fabric around each grain individually to create the dye resistance. Like mini tye-dyeing. They love coming up with mind bending techniques that require the patience of a monk.

Here is a goregous photo of an excellent kid, if I do say so myself. I was going to upload a photo of the pink cake I ate yesterday, but I am having technical issues, so I will leave you with my son George...contemplating the universe. Hope you are contemplating something creative this week!

Men of the Mill Special Edition!!!

Hi all....last post I mentioned how I have been re-introduced to the wonderful Bendigo Woollen Mills and it seems I have found something else in the website which is proving to be of interest....Yes, I have been browsing the slightly retro looking patterns but have mostly found myself wondering about The Men of the Mill. Everything just looks so chirpy in Mill-Land, especially for Chad (above) the most popular of all the men.

The Men of the Mill are also very caring towards their women folk, respecting their need to be intimate and cuddle up to the woollen wonderfulness.

This is Miles...he's a little young for my taste but then he does pull off that snappy pose just like the Opal Menswear men of the 1980's. Better even.

This is Rafael, and while I'm not sure about the colour of his sweater, he couldn't look more relaxed or sensible, and his hair is ruffled quite nicely indeed.

This is the ever popular Chad again. This pose is not only comfortable, but confident and masculine as well. Chad could achieve anything he puts his pretty mind to with his semi-casual attire and his left arm held casually in front of his torso....he's ready for anything, from a quick game of table tennis to a spot of grocery shopping.
But don't just take my word for it...check out all the guys at www.bendigowoollenmills.com.au

My Creative Space

It's knitting time!! Now that the weather has turned, it is definitely time to get out the knitting needles and get creating. Recently, Kate, reminded me of the wonderful Bendigo Woollen Mills and their range of goodies available online. I used to buy wool from them quite a few years ago, when you used to have to actually fill in a form and send it away. I had forgotten what great value they are and how it is all Australian made and fabulous. Also, the added bonus is the sensational patterns you can purchase and how extremely attractive the male models are. Mmmm.I used to be mostly into knitting patterns with different colours (instarsia?)

But I'm into cables a lot more lately

I must tell you about my knitting tragedy of a few years ago, which even now I can work myself up about if I think about it too hard. A few years ago we moved back to Australia from overseas and only one of our boxes went missing.....but in that box was all my knitting wool (about 30-40 balls), all my knitting needles (about 20 different sizes), and some lovingly half finished (typical) jumpers, cushion covers and other bits. Some of the wool was beautiful quality Rowan yarn, which is like the Rolls Royce of wool. Can you feel my pain? Anyway, I spent about a year hoping the box would find its' way back to me before finally accepting my loss ...there are 5 stages to grief I think....and now I have moved on .Or have I?

Anyway, happy knitting or whatever else you are working on, and also hi to my gorgeous sister Weens. Are you still reading my blog, Ween???

Field of Women..and some blokes too

Hi ladies...just wanted to report about my great experience last night at the Field of Women event at the MCG. I went along with my stepmother and her friends, who had lost their lovely friend Kaye 6 weeks ago because of breast cancer, and also I know of two women who have had breast cancer over the last couple of years in their late 30's.
I hadn't thought much about the event before hand as I was expecting to be cold, wet, and in need of a hot pie, but it was truly wonderful. Not only was it great to experience the solidarity and positiveness of 14,000 women, but also to know that the mood was so hopeful when many of the women there either have, or have had breast cancer was amazing. When Kate Cebrano belted out You'll Never Walk Alone there was not a dry eye in the place.
Also we got to hold these little pink flashing lights while all the giant lights were put out at the MCG, so the overhead picture was the image of a huge flickering pink woman...like a giant Christmas tree in the shape of a big pink woman. My description doesn't do it justice of course.
Also it was great to see many blokes there, 100 of whom were in blue to represent the men who are affected by breast cancer every year, but most of them were proudly wearing hot pink. They even kept their pink ponchos on when all the other blokes turned up for the footy. It's a very practical and fetching garment, I'm telling you!
Anyway, I recommend it to everyone as a great fundraising event, but also a really moving experience. Go next time people (www.bcna.org.au) ! Or at least buy a pink bun from Baker's Delight........tasty!

My Creative Space

Hi happy campers. How are you all? The creative space this week has been filled with cushions, new patterns for new tops, items for mending (not underpants this week), and bits of nearly finished pieces of clothing to stare at me. If you are like me, and I feel that you are, then you are easily distracted by pretty, shiny things and also fabric.

How much time do you reckon you spend rifling through your fabric collection, smiling as you recall the day you bought it or someone gave it to you? Lots? My fabric and I often take a trip down memory lane and re-live the good old days when I thought I would actually make it into something. "Remember when I was going to make you into a skirt?" I'll say. "Yes" says the fabric. Here is one of my favourite unfinished friends....

Lovely Amy Butler fabric, my own pattern, and it nearly made it out of the sewing room this summer but stumbled at the last moment. The darts were not in the right place, and not being in the mood to move them, I chucked this one on the infamous pile of doom.

Another perfectly great fabric, another story of an unfulfilled dream.

Mmmm. Another one. I don't want you to think I'm a choker. I often finish things, it's just that I start them more frequently. How exciting is the starting part? And yet how boring is the bit in the middle when something stuffs up and you have to unpick and do it again?

Anyway, I rarely give up totally, and when I finally get my act together, my fabric and I can get on with our lives....hope you are finishing lots of projects this week and maybe starting one or two as well.