I'm a little teapot!

After my month of crocheting pot holders last October, the natural progression was to have a go at hooking a tea cozy. The result was the Rosy Cozy Tea cozy. Although I found the pattern a bit tricky, I loved it and thought I had many, many crocheted tea cozies ahead of me.

So I started to collect tea cozy patterns in my bookmarks, and I started to collect plain tea pots in op shops and garage sales.

When I got to five though I stopped, because the truth is I don't drink tea from a tea pot I just collected them so I could play dress ups with them.

But since then my crochet projects have taken a different direction and four of the tea pots have stayed nude on the side board staring at me waiting to be dressed.

So the other day when I was at the garage sale of the woman who had crocheted these herself, I knew they had to come home with me, and not a moment to soon, as the nights are starting to get a bit chilly in these parts and those tea pots did not look happy.

But look how good they look now, all dressed up and ready for winter.

And one day, if the urge comes upon me to crochet another tea cozy, I'll just have to look around for another.

I hope you are having a great weekend.

To check out some other Flea Market Finds, head on over to Sophie's.

I heart crochet!

There is so much I love about crochet!

I love how portable it is. I love how I never feel like I am wasting time at school assembly, in the doctor's waiting room or on long car journeys. I love how my hands are always busy. I love how sometimes it challenges me. I love how mostly it relaxes me. I love how you can make some really ace stuff. I love how there are a gazillion free patterns on the Internet some really old and traditional and some really new and trendy.

I love the wools, the colours, the cottons and the hooks.

I love that there is only ever one loop to find if your project unravels. I love how it is a conversation starter. I love that it is as addictive as samurai sudoku and online scrabble, but at the end you have something to show for your efforts. I love how it can transform a simple item of clothing into a piece.

I could go on and on...

But I think my favourite thing about this crochet this morning, is sitting with the little ball of wool on my lap and watching Pepper giggle as it bounced and danced as it unwound with each of my stitches. LOVE!!

Crochet & me.

There was a while back there where I was unable to crochet. My hands were so full of blackberry thorn scratches and splinters that holding the hook hurt. But I'm pleased to tell you that time has past and I am back hooking away.

The other night I made this jug cover. Gosh I love sorting through all my buttons to find just the right colour and shape combinations.

As a side project when crocheting that bunny got a bit complicated, I made the top pink and white pot holder from this pattern.

I recently saw somewhere on the internet that someone had made the same one swapping colours every two rows instead of every row, and I am dying to get a chance to make another one like that.

This is such a fun pot holder to crochet because it doesn't look like it is going to work until the final row when it all clicks in together.

To make crochet matters even more enjoyable than I thought possible, look what arrived in the mail from the wonderful Leonie at Raglan Guld.

Thank you soooooooooo much Leonie I love it so ridiculously much!!

My end of the swap is being contemplated and will hopefully be in the mail by the end of the week.

And lastly, I am crocheting a doily!

Ha ha, I know you are all laughing, calling me a Nana and making toilet roll cover jokes, but after making this dress the other day with a doily that someone else crocheted, I have been dying to make one of my own to sew into a dress.

I hope you are having a lovely, creative Wednesday.

I heart bloggers!

In the eight months I have been blogging I have come across such kindness and generosity. I have had one negative experience but for the rest of the time it really has been my happy place.

As well as the kind and encouraging comments, the new friendships and the inspiration another perk has definitely been the fun mail.

This week I got the most gorgeous mushroom pot holder from the lovely Laurel at Miss Muggins. I made her daughter a seal t'shirt and she made me a pot holder, what fun! Thanks so much Laurel!

Today I got this gorgeous skirt, some cute apple fabric, mushroom stickers and a bumblebee peg that I won in a giveaway at Claire at Little Tweetheart's blog. Thanks so much Claire, Miss Pepper has claimed it all and loves it.

For some reason she wanted to have a nap with it all.

And this wonderful book came from Peta Jane at Sewing the Seeds of Love when I commented on her post about it.

We are looking forward to potato harvesting time when we can make our own potato family. Thanks Peta Jane!

I hope you find some fun mail in your letter boxes this week.

Our new baby!

When I first met Bren, one of the things that attracted me to him straight away was that he could quote extensively from the 80's movie The Sure Thing, which was a favourite in my house too.

There is one scene where the two main characters are discussing the name of their fictitious baby. She wants to call him Elliot, 'but Elliot is a fat kid who eats paste', he wants to call him Nick. 'Nick's your buddy. Nick's your mate!'

I guess we always had understanding that if Bren and I ever had a boy, we would call him Nick.

A boy baby was never to be, but we have named the newest member of the family (see above), Nick.

Funny how Nick is making me look at the world in a new way. Freshly picked rocket delivered in the only container Bren had in his car.

A new pot holder.

A pot holder that isn't turning out quite right and is about to be pulled apart.

Some just washed paint brushes.

And piles of treasures like rubber collections, tooth fairy poems, teddies and diaries to be put near the front door in a box in case of fire.

I've taken hundreds of photos already in about two days, thanks goodness for digital. There are more over here.

I hope your Monday is a funday.

Pot holders, tractors and tulle.

So here is a picture of the pot holder wall as it is today. I am having all sorts of trouble getting a good, shadow free photo and am waiting very patiently for one of my photographer type friends to pop in.

I've been printing tractors today. I've done five without one perfect print.

I've decided to quit while I am ahead and wash up. I'm having one of those days. The incessant question asking and chattering and talking in my ear is making it hard to concentrate on anything at all.

While we are on the subject of t'shirts, I'm wanting to get a few silk screens made with our farm logo on them. Does anybody know where I can get screens professionally and permanently made with emulsion and exposure and all that stuff? Somewhere in Australia definitely and somewhere in Ballarat or Melbourne preferably.

Thankyou sooooooooo much Sue for the wonderful package that arrived in the post yesterday. Can you imagine the squealing that went on when my three girls saw all the pink and colourful tulle coming out of the bag? Please tell Isabelle that her old fairy costumes will be well loved, played in, slept in and even cause a tantrum or two when they were forcibly removed at bath time.

And lastly but firstly; A hunormous (Indi's new word) HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful Mum!! I hope that you have had the best day and we'll celebrate with cakes and prezzies when you come back to the mainland in a few weeks. XX

I hope you are having a fabulous day on my Mum's birthday. XX

Pot holders, trim and a top.

I'm sure you're not at all surprised to see a couple more pot holders for the collection.

The yellow Rose petal Pot Holder.

And this pink and white one that I can't think of a clever name for (suggestions welcome). It turned out a bit flimsy, so I crocheted a thicker back for it too.

I'm not thrilled with how it turned out, but I think it'll fit right in on the ever growing pot holder wall collection. I just have to decide which side to hang it.

I started to think about my New Year's resolutions yesterday. Every year I write some down and then put them away. A year later I dig them out, only to discover that I haven't really made an effort to resolve any of them.

So yesterday I decided to tackle number one for the past two years; Make myself a piece of clothing.

I grabbed a sheet from the stash and drew a front and a back of a top that vaguely resembled the one I was wearing, and then cut it out.

I stitched it together and then tried it on, cut some off, stitched it back together and then tried it on again.

Then I stitched another bit on to make it longer.

I fiddled around with the elastic and made several more modifications and then wear tested it for the afternoon to make sure it was comfortable and covered my bra and didn't itch or creep.

Today whilst sitting in the car while Bren did a million jobs in Ballarat I crocheted this trim.

I plan to make another of these tops tomorrow or the next day, then sew the trim to the neckline and then I'll cross number one off my list.

Hows great would that be, a resolution in the first week of the new year?

I hope you are still feeling the new year optimism.

Functional or decorative?

There's a new pot holder in town!

I had thought to make 2010 the year of functional crochet. With all the time I spend crocheting, I could clothe our family. And then I could still make some pot holders, but actually usable ones rather than the t-towels I currently use.

But then when we hung them on the wall the other day I fell in love with them all over again, and its such a big space that could fit so many more, and I have a few patterns I'd still like to try out...

I decided to ask Bren how many little nails he had in the house and limit myself to that many pot holders, but when he showed me the nails I changed my mind.

I've also been hooking along on the bunting for the stall.

Bren's preferred fabric bunting can hang out the front but there's still three more sides to decorate I think.

I hope day four of the 2010 is a happy and sunny one for you.

On the first day.

On the first day of the new year my pot holders finally went up on the kitchen wall. Sorry about the shadowy photo, I'll take another one when the sun comes out.

I started a hat for Pepper that for some unknown reason is minute and will end up being a newborn gift. To this day I have yet to make a hat that fits the intended recipient.

I crocheted the base of a pot holder and then undid it as it was ridiculously enormous.

And I started it again in finer cotton and the size is looking much better so far.

I also spent the day in my jammies with my family and Steph, processed a gazillion eggs, watched a few episodes of Entourage and read and rewrote my new years' resolutions.

Here are last year's;

1. Make myself a piece of clothing. (nope!)
2. Make a quilt. (nope!)
3. Keep a visual diary. (Does this blog count?)
4. Drink more water. (Does the water in coffee count?)
5. Dance more. (Fame, Justine Clarke, Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, High School Musical...hmmm)
6. Read more books. (I've read a some but mainly craft books.)
7. Make and bake lots. (YES!)

And here are this year's;

1. Make myself and wear a piece of clothing.
2. Drink more water.
3. Crochet and knit some clothing.
4. Declutter this house.
5. Read more books.
6. Spend time individually with each member of my family, mostly Bren.

Do you write resolutions?

Do you keep them?

I hope your new year is kicking off to a great start.

Love Kate

XX

Kitchen table creations.

Its all happening at the kitchen table this morning.

I know I said I would sew fabric bunting to decorate the farm shed shop, but I really wanted to see what crocheted flags would look like.

I know, I know, I have a crochet addiction and will make up any excuse to get hooking. But seriously, with three kidlets desperate for my attention, having my back to the world on the sewing machine is out of the question at the moment. So I figure I'll make up a set of these and when the girls go back to school and I have more time, I'll sew up some fabric ones.

Bren just came in and said he's not mad on these ones anyway.

I also crocheted the last buttons on and sewed in the ends of this jug cover this morning.

Indi is weaving a pot holder.

She told me that one day soon when all mine go up on the wall, hers will too.

Indi is interspersing her weaving effort with a bit of coiling.

Jazzy is cutting hearts.

And Pepper is cutting shapes out of play dough.

She's also wearing undies for the first time this morning which has been the cause for much celebration.

I hope your Monday is a funday!