Meditative.

Creative Space.

Creative?

I'm not so sure.

I don't know if following a pattern to the letter is creative. Knitting when it says to knit or purl, or yarn over, or knit two stitches together.
I have questioned the creativity in long rows of knit and purl before. This pattern is a bit different to that one though. This pattern never lets me relax for a minute. This pattern has a complicated sequence called deep waffle stitch at the start and end of each row. Just enough to keep me interested.

This pattern also has darts in the waist. A little bit more interest.

But creative?? I'm not sure.

I guess I did choose the three grey speckled skeins of yarn I am creating a garment from.

At the end of the day, this knitting project has been the perfect buddy for these anxious days and nights waiting and watching and stressing as Mother Nature wreaks havoc on communities all over the world.

Meditative? Yes!

Soothing?? Yes!

Grateful for a craft that occupies my hands? Oh yeah!

Thinking of those in cyclones, flood, snow and fire affected areas.

Of course, I'm not forgetting those in areas of political unrest either.

I hope your Thursday has a little bit of creativity in it.

Kitchen table makings.

Miss Pepper is threading me a necklace.

Miss Jazzy is drawing the best drawing she has ever done.

Miss Indi is making bunting for her new bedroom.

Do you recognise it?

And I am pressing some old hankies.

Its funny how time changes. The summer holidays used to seem endless when we were little. Long hot dreamy days that slowly tuned into weeks. But these past six weeks feel like they've flown by. We haven't done nearly as much as I'd thought we would. But we have hung around here a lot. We have really slowed down and followed our days where ever they have led us. Not many plans but lots of adventures.

I feel sad about the girls going back to school in a few days. I will miss these rambling, drifting days. I am no good at routine and don't really like watching the clock for drop offs and pick ups and always being prepared for the next thing.

But I will enjoy some quiet time. I will enjoy packing up from a meal and not having to make any more food again until the next meal and I will enjoy hanging out with the littlest and doing some three year old things with her.

And its less overwhelming this year because half way through we'll be heading off on our caravan adventure.

A huge and happy February to you lovely people reading along. May Mother Nature be calmer and may we all feel creative and inspired.

See ya!

Ripped jeans.

This morning as I was hanging out the washing I was relieved to find a hole in Miss Pepper's jeans. You can see it there, just under the red flower.

Bren's Mum bought these jeans for Indi waaaaay back about eight or nine years ago. All three of my girls have worn them. They've been hemmed, let down, patched and repatched many times. Loved. The other day I noticed that they were a tad too short for Miss Pepper, my littlest and last.

So what do I do with them now?

I was relieved to see the hole because it narrows down the options and some of the guilt.

I am so happy to hand most things on to friends or op shops when we are done with them if they are in good condition, but there are some things that I just can't.

One of my friends has recently inherited a suitcase of baby clothes that her and her sisters all wore and then all her nieces and nephews wore and now its time for her own babies to be dressed in these white hand knits and nighties.

I love the idea of keeping clothes my kids wore for their kids to wear but most of the things I want to keep are well worn items I made, my girls wore and wore and wore and will realistically never serve any purpose but the sentimental one ever again.

So far I have two and a bit boxes of clothes Miss Pepper has outgrown and I have put away. Two and a bit boxes of little hand made bits and pieces I have made, friends have made, or bought or knit by a grandmother no longer with us. Each has its own story.

These little patched up jeans will be carefully folded and added to the contents of the boxes this afternoon. Maybe one day the girls will take them to school for show and share, maybe one day we'll sit together and go through the boxes telling the stories, maybe one day I'll tell them to their kids or maybe one day I'll come across the boxes and see that I've kept way too much and chuck them out. Who knows.

Its a little bit sad to think of these jeans not being worn again and put away in a box, but they sure have had quite a life...well you know what I mean.

Do you keep many of your kids' old clothes? How many? How do you decide what to keep and what to give away? Has anyone actually made one of those quilts out of all their baby clothes? And if you don't have kids yet, have you started a collection of clothes for when you do?

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend where ever you are.

Bye now. XX

Now.

Today is the last Friday in January, we're four weeks into 2011 and its the only Friday left of the school holidays. Today I have that fluttery happy feeling in my tummy for no real reason at all. Today it feels like its all good and I'm not going to question it but I am going to record this little moment in time.

Today; I am reading The Secret Garden to the girls.

I am eating sun warmed, just picked apricots, plums and berries. Mmmmmm

I am wearing a sundress, jeans, thongs and a straw hat when outside.

I am knitting bits of my charcoal cardi.

I am threading elastic through the neckline of a little dress.

I am trying to remember to get to critical mass at 5 this afternoon.

I am marveling at how grown up my big girls are. This morning I dropped them off at a cafe where they ordered and drank hot chocolates. I met them half an hour later at the fruit shop when I'd finished my deliveries. I must say my heart almost burst when I drove past them crossing the road holding hands.

I am loving that the boys are laying irrigation lines and planting carrots and beetroots. Farmers need to farm and after the uncertainty of the last few weeks after the flood that's what they are doing. Hooray!!

I am looking forward to the weekend when our Farmer Boy will be ours and we'll go swimming and hang out by the dam.

I am smelling lavender. Jazzy has been making fairy cups full of sparkles and flowers and beads and lavender.

I am imagining what it will be like when my parents build and then live on the block opposite ours where these photos were taken.

I am popping the auction cushion in the post.

I am listening to Pepper 'read' to me the pages and pages of stories she has 'written'. I must remember to film her.

I am marveling at Indi making eggs for the boys for lunch the past few days.

I am not shopping for school uniforms. A lovely lady stopped me in the street the other day to offer me three bags full. She saw I had girls and her girls are off to high school this year. Yay!

I am worrying about those communities trying to pick up the pieces of their lives after the floods. Like people have said all along, the recovery will be a marathon not a sprint, and we cannot forget about them now that the media circus has moved on.

That's me today.

I hope you are happy and I hope you have the most wonderful weekend.

Bye for now. X

Makings.

In my creative space this week I am stitching together a cushion sandwich.

I am making a mad dash at a dress for Miss Indi.

When a ten year old jeans only wearing girl says she might contemplate wearing a dress now and then, you don't dilly dally.

And I am slowly knitting away at my charcoal cardi.

I divided the sleeves last night (that's them on the red cotton), only to find I have about 13 too many stitches. I have no idea how far back that happened, but I do know that this is the sort of pattern that you do not pull apart one or two rows, waaaaaaay too many yarn overs and stitches knitted together. I might try and decrease a few under the arms, or I might leave it and deal with it when its finished. I have already pulled the whole thing off and started again once, and know that I don't have it in me to do it again.

And then there's these three balls of Noro sitting across from me taunting me. We picked them up the other day at the Purl's Palace closing party. The last three balls of Noro they will ever sell. Indi says they should become a pair of arm warmers. I like the idea although I have yet to master the skill of knitting on double pointed needles. We'll see.

So what's going on in your creative space today?

Have a happy Thursday.

Bye for now.

PS. Maddy and Ali, Pepper says thanks so much for her postcard, she loved it so much. She wants to reply but I've lost the bit of paper with all your new details on it. When you get a chance please ask your Mum to email me your address and birthdays. Miss you loads. XX

Not so random.

I am thrilled to announce that the lovely Michelle has won my cushion cover auction. I couldn't think of many better homes for a granny cushion to go to. Not only is Michelle a fabulous crocheter herself, she also sent me a photo of her very granny lounge room and I think this cushion will fit right in.

After a few attempts at random colour selection that did not work at all, after leaving the whole package of wool and crochet hooks at the beach and having to wait for it to be posted back to me, I am finally on the home stretch.

Michelle, hopefully I will be posting this big fat granny off to you before the week is done.

Thanks to everyone who participated in my auction and to those who cheered it along from the comments section. You guys are so ace!

And just in case you thought it was all lazing about with my feet up and hook in hand at our place. ITS NOT! After playing buses, vets, doggies, babies and squeezing in some laundry and cooking, I have set up a bit of cupcake decorating so I can have a few minutes off to myself.

Now if only they'd stop describing each cake to me in minute detail and asking me if I like it....

Have fun out there. X

ps. Have you ever tried completely random colour selection for anything? Did it work for you? Mine was awful. I think maybe I'm too much of a crafty control freak.

What's in your bag.

This morning after my pilates class I was rummaging around in my bag for some money to pay when it occurred to me how much crap I carry around. Oh my goodness, so much crap!

Then I came home and started to sort through it when it occurred to me how pretty all that crap would look all laid out in a photo and how it probably is a moment in time worth documenting.

So here it is. All my crap laid out for the world to see. The only things I edited out are my current knitting pattern (too much paper), a carrot (it had seen better days), my phone (needed for a scrabble move), my diary and a pair of little undies.

So this is what's there from top left; My sunnies, Jazzy's sunnies, water bottle, current knitting project, crochet hook pen, Pepper's sunnies, socks for pilates.

Next row from left; sample face creams, tape measure, spare circular needles, a button, pin tin, purse, wool band, sewing machine needles.

Bottom row from left; bias binding, double pointed knitting needles, a teaspoon, a texta, a hair choppy, another texta, some buttons, a head band, soy sauce, hair elastics, tweezers, coins, face cream, big button, sewing kit, crayons.

Whew!

You wanna play too? You know you do. Don't be shy, I've shown you mine... Why don't you empty it, lay it all out, take a pic and then pop back here and put in your link so we can all have a look.

I hope your Monday is a funday.

See ya. X