I took your kind advice today, found a warm place in the sun, snuggled up under the dandelion stole, and let the day potter by quietly and peacefully whilst I worked at finishing my replacement shawl (the first one ended up around Nanny’s shoulders).

It’s a combination of Laura Chau’s Simple yet Effective Shawl - I really enjoyed knitting this shawl so followed her instructions for the increasing - and Orlane’s Recipe for a Textured Shawl.  I just love the stitch she uses in this shawl - and then added some more texture on top.

Some textured stocking stitch, and two bands of a very wide basket weave which I then popped buttons on.  The button idea was inspired by the cape in here (check out the back cover!).  And then I added a Cinnarbar edge to the Malabrigo kettle dyed worsted … oh dear!  I don’t know what shade of pink it is!  I threw away all the tags!  Is it Pagoda, Damask or Dusty?  Hmph.

This is glorious wool - it has an almost felted quality and a lovely subtle variegation to the the colour and texture.  Oh and the pink in the fringe is a Debbie Bliss Tweed.  So pretty. So delicate.

And the Mrs. Weasley bit  - w-e-e-e-e-ll - I have to confess, I secretly love Mrs. Weasley’s sense of style and home decorating.  I adore layers of colour and pattern and clutter and prettiness and eccentricity.  I would love to live in the Burrow and have my needles knitting away in the corner.  :-)

And if I cannot be Mrs. Weasley, I would be happy to take up Professor Sybil Trelawney’s position!  I even went dressed as her to the last Harry Potter Book Launch - teacup and all - and even got to read our esteemed Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd’s, tea leaves.  All very funny!  Of course, the funniest bit is, I didn’t have to buy anything new or visit the thrift store for my costume - much to my mother’s dismay, my own everyday clothes were just perfect! :-)

So now I have a bona-fide Mrs. Weasley shawl.  Only someone else is wearing it.

She says she will return it when her poncho is done.  Huh!  I’ll just wait till she goes to bed.

I bought a dear little 30cm of fabric from Amite when they visited Brisbane a few months ago for the Quilters’ Show.  As with other story telling pieces of fabric, I have spent many weeks looking at it, pulling it out from the stash, wondering what to do with it, and then putting it away again because I don’t want to chop it up and lose its sweetness.

Today, I finally jumped in.  Adding the rich, bright fabrics that are still on the table following Sunday’s garden quilt, I cut the lion fabric into 3 1/2 inch squares so as not to waste a millimitre and stitched them into very simple little blocks.

There were not enough sweet lions to “fill” the 7 x 7 square, but that’s okay.  I just added some lovely French blue and Momo’s Wonderland for the corners.

I’m almost out of the orange Wee Play.  I did have over 3 metres to start with - there’s now only 40cm left!  I’m always a bit wistful when I use up all of a fabric I love, but fortunately, there’s always a new fabric to take its place.  And it’s not usually a “new” fabric, but one that has sat quietly on the shelf, smiling shyly each time I pass it, until one day I realise how wonderful it is - and then it comes home to take its place as the “must-use-in-every-quilt-I-stitch” fabric!  Obsessive or loyal?  :-)

I just love how the colourful borders form little paths and corners and appreciate the clean lift the white floral West Hill provides.  Very crisp and what a hand to that fabric - so beautiful to touch.

I think I shall machine quilt it - haven’t yet decided between stippling, of which I’ve done none for ages so it would be a good opportunity to practice, or a concentric square.  Hmmmm … I think the concentric square could be too much - it would probably be so strident that the gentleness of the paths and corners would be swallowed up.  Stippling it is.

I have 30cm of pirate fabric - not the Johnny Depp look alike stuff - but a really quaint Japanese one - very sweet - it may look good in a similar layout.  Now I’ll just have to get to the store to buy some backing and batting - one day, when I have a sewing room, I shall keep a whole ROLL of each!  Won’t that be indulgent.

But first, I have to lose the chest infection, sinus infection and bout of asthma that have been plaguing me for over a week now - excuse me whilst I go stick my head over yet another steaming bowl of menthol!

There’s a new quilt here.

The brown fabric has been beckoning for some time and I wanted to create something that was resolutely cheerful and vibrant, full of energy and sparkle.

Actually, I was greatly inspired by some antique Amish quilts - hence the design - which obviously are never to be found in fabrics of such patterns, but they are often in amazingly rich colour combinations that just take your breath away.

I was thinking this quilt would be for the spare ‘oom, when we get one.  But once I laid it on the grass to show Abby and Mum, it sang out to me that its true calling is as a lovely quilt to cart into the back garden with some pillows, a novel or some stitching, some cookies or fruit, and soak away the afternoon in the wonderful winter sun.

Abby suggested she try it out and look at that.!  Perfect!

Until the living, breathing critters arrived … :-)

in the early cool of morning
the soft white light pours down upon me.

smooth my cheeks with your rosiness

add your sparkle to my eyes

let your warmth permeate my voice

and fill me with your strength

so that I may fully live this day.

… knitted in this, that is.  It’s my first play with kettle dyed Malabrigo merino and it’s so very beautiful and soft.  It’s very hard to photograph my quickly-knitting-up-shawl ’cause it’s on a circular needle and just looks - well, lumpy.  So it will be a few more days.

But I have buttons for it.

See?  The sales assistant was a BIT dismissive about buttons for my shawl.  In fact, she was a tad incredulous and then a tad patronising.  Hmph!  She’s just lacking in imagination.

Or maybe we had ticked her off because Abby had bought just 20cm of a gorgeous Australian mohair.  And I was going to buy some glorious brown wool for a skirt - and then put it back.  I did, however, buy $36 worth of buttons.  I don’t really know how - sounds ridiculous, but I did.

Abby has already put her mohair to good use - some for the ghostly girl …

… and some for her.

And I bought patterns - Vogue patterns on sale for $12 each!  Goodness!  I haven’t bought a Vogue pattern in YEARS ’cause they are so expensive.  I have hopes that there will be some dressmaking on the weekend.  Hopefully.

I also bought this …

… so’s I could adapt this …

… into a sleeping bag.  I have searched and searched and searched - I wanted a sleeping bag that had a lovely simple bag bottom with a plain yoke for buttoning.  Perfect … now I have to head back to the wool store to buy more wool. :-)  And I bought it from Harry - who was singing James Blunt in the back of the store whilst reshelving children’s books and then had a fascinating conversation with me at the counter about babies’ skeletons - do you know, they don’t grow knee caps until they are between 2 and 5 years old.  Harry is studying radiology and he loves babies.  I pointed him out to Abby - discretely of course - I said, “Abby when you are older and searching for a nice fellow to bring home - bring a Harry.  He sings, likes babies, knows about knitting, can recommend a good novel and is studying radiology.”  Honestly, what more could you want :-0

:: hunting earthworms ::

:: tinkering ::

:: trying out fabric and thread ::

:: enjoying our river ::

:: lunching with friends ::

:: gathering the bounty of mum’s pruning ::

:: heading off on adventure ::

Hmmmmm … a new way of thinking is blooming here in the Boot house.  The daughter has discovered the pleasures of bartering.  It goes like this.

“If you wash up the lunch dishes sweet one, I can cast on your hand warmers.”  She ran in, filled the sink and was at it in seconds.

“If I cook breakfast, will that give you time to finish the second hand warmer?”  I think so!

“Why don’t I clean the guinea pigs’ cage whilst you go buy the wool for my poncho?”  Y-e-s!  (How I have loathed cleaning that guinea pig cage - even with her help!)

I think this new way of thinking is going to work very nicely.

p.s. these hand warmers - which came from here - introduced me to knitting with four little pointy needles, cabling, picot bind off, and making a THUMB HOLE!  (this last one was the most thrilling moment - I couldn’t believe for a second it was going to work - and then it DID!)  They were super fun and super quick to make.  Give them a go!

A mushroom take-along, lined in orange, trimmed with pink.  A pair of mushroom earrings.  A wee ladybug card .  Happy Birthday Caroline!

And we didn’t have to go birthday present shopping - everything was found in the stash - put together with fun and care - just how we like it.

This really strikes a chord with me.  As I look about my family and my home, I see more and more signs that we are kind of opting out of the constant consuming that pervades our society.  That’s not to say we don’t go shopping - all those craft supplies have to come from somewhere, and we enjoy a silly afternoon at the mall every now and then - but I’m just over the whole blindly following what I’m told I need and must have this season. Ick!  I want my family to behave like, look like, sound like US.  Not an ensemble that could be plucked out of a catalogue and held up as “Yes, this collection represents the average family in 2009″.

Just this evening I was reading Faythe Levine’s (Handmade Nation) thoughts on craft being political …

” My personal belief is that if you are making something by hand than that act itself is a political act.  We are living in a disposable society and we have so much being thrown at us of how we’re supposed to live, and how our house is supposed to look and what we’re supposed to wear, and so when you are stepping away from that, and taking control over your life to make something yourself, I believe that it’s a very quiet political act.”

Yes! Yes! Yes!

And it’s such a community spirited act too, isn’t it?  When I pick up a needle and thread, I make a quilter’s knot like Sue showed me.  When I pull out my fabrics, I’m inspired by the colourful energy and beauty of Amy and Nanette and Jessica and Kaffe and Jennifer and Heather and so many more wonderful quilters and artists who have become part of my life over the last 18 months.  When I cast on a new knitting project, I use the cable cast on that a dear old lady taught me at the knitting shop many years ago (I didn’t know I did this until last night, when I was reading a pattern for hand warmers and thought “Cable cast on?  What on earth is that?”).  When I think about what Abby and I will do after school, I am reminded of Amanda’s energy and commitment to her children.  When I choose to make more time for dinner and its preparations, I turn to the women and mothers on my shelves - Nigella, Jessica, Tamasin, Jane - and use their experience to give our meals - and my family - my best.

And then I find this (ooooh- aaaah, this animation is something else!) and this and this (perservere with this one - the dancing will fill you with smiles) - and they are so delightful and wonderful and add more sparkle to everything I touch and dream of.

Every day I dip into this community of artists and find that it lights my way with such energy and beauty.  Aren’t we so blessed to share this world with people of such great generosity and passion.  No wonder I’m oblivious to what the “must-haves” are this winter.

Me with my fabric and yarn, Julian with his old bicycles, Abby with her cheerful love of all that we make for her and give her.  We are busy making a handmade Boot family and sharing it with our family and friends.  That makes my heart sing.

I lost the folder and thus, I thought, the opportunity to knit a crown, such a shame - they were so very sweet - very Lion, Witch and Wardobish.  Then, when I snuggled into bed the other night with my new knitted trims book, I realised, I had all the information I needed to make up my own knitted crowns.  Take an insert, mix it in with a lace and voila!  A crown.

With some pretty reddy-pink Paton’s Inca lying around, I knitted it up.  And ripped it out three or four times.  The insert - which was labelled easy (as opposed to the lace which was labelled intermediate) was doggedly difficult to commit to memory and fingers - even with the instructions laid out before me.  And it involved so many tricksy steps that it was impossible to undo just one row - so rip - out it all had to come, over and over.  Finally, I found my groove - and the crown knitted up so very pleasurably.  I LOVE knitting lace.  Love it.  Perhaps I was one of those French nuns in a former life, who spent her days knitting cobwebby fine lace for the dowries of wealthy, noble daughters.

So after a few scant hours I had this - and didn’t the strippiness of the wool really lend itself to the curve of the cinquefoil lace (which, after a bit of very primitive research, I know to mean - has five holes - or something like that) and the traditional insert provides a lovely stable band.

Of course, a crown needs jewels - of the Lion, Witch and Wardrobish variety - so Abby and I paid a visit to an amazing local store - the Bead Trimming and Craft Co in Merivale Street, South Brisbane.  It was so packed to the rafters with thousands of beads, Abby suggested we go somewhere smaller so it wouldn’t be so difficult to find what we liked!  We mused and “tried out” for over an hour before settling on some freshwater pearls (I always think they look like baby’s teeth - yellow ones perhaps being the teeth of baby goblins), 4 rose quartz tear drops and a resin flower - Abby was adamant it had to have a centrepiece.

It was tricky finding “jewels” that stood against the rich red background.  I’ll keep that in mind next time - I’ll try something softer.

I added a fabric inner band and joined the two knitted ends with a small encased piece of elastic - the crown will fit princesses of 3 - 5 years.  I just need to find one that would like to try it on for me!  Abby refuses to wear it - she says red’s not her colour and besides, it’s a wee bit small.  She’s waiting for a soft blue crown and I bet she wears it!

I have a lovely soft purple tweed by Debbie Bliss sitting on the table - I think I may get out that book and make another - a sprite crown - with leaves.  Mmmmm …..

Wishing you moments of romantic magic in your day :-)

So we’ve had …

:: swathes of mess

:: a beautiful cylinder of pencils from Smiggle

(I have coveted these for months … I have a pre-teen daughter,
I’m allowed to go to Smiggle :-)

:: gorgeous braid from the bead shop - odd huh! - there was a small shelf in the corner laden with these braids that look so old and marvellous! I might have to go back and get more.

:: dear little toadstool beads - Abby and I are planning earrings - we’ve promised not to wear them on the same day.

:: and this knitting book from the bargain table at the local shopping mall for $5!  I love knitted lace and now I’ve been introduced to knitted bands, flounces, inserts and loops.  Huh!  The possiblities are endless.

So what do you do when you’ve struck a few earwax flavoured beans, it’s pouring rain, the house is full of unwashed laundry, and you can’t sew because the bobbin needs winding and the walking foot is on  … you take your treasures and curl up in the only tidy corner of the house, with your knitting and a cup of tea.

That’s where I’ve been.