Testing...testing...

Its probably a bit of a strange thing but I LOVE pattern testing!

I love it.

I hated tests at school, I hated my driving test and uni exams but pattern testing...love it!

I've been thinking about it quite a bit lately because recently I've been lucky enough to test a sewing pattern, two crochet patterns and a couple of knitting patterns.

I'm not sure if I love it so much because of the excitement of getting to work on a pattern only a few people have seen before, because I feel like its only a step away from the actual design process, because I like the interaction with the designer and sometimes the other testers or because in some cases I get something for free that other people will have to pay for.

Its probably a bit of all of the above.

I have seen pattern testing go a bit bad. I have been on testing forums where there are so many problems with the design. Where the designer has to constantly change the pattern to fix up the problems. Where other testers get cranky with how many times they have to rip back their knitting and start again. When testing times have been lengthened to accommodate all the issues and testers have sometimes dropped out.

Not me though, that's what the testing process is there for after all.

And most of the tests I have been involved in have finished happily ever after.

Miss Pepper is wearing The Bobolink test knit in these photos. It is a great little light weight knit with pockets. I love it as a t'shirt and I think it'll look great over a stripey long sleeved top in winter. And did I mention it has pockets!

When I asked the designer about a tunic length version she even explained how I should do it.

Have you ever tested a pattern or had a pattern of your own tested? Or maybe have you proof read or edited something? Did you enjoy it? Do you think you would? Do you understand my obsession?

So today I am grateful for pattern testing.

And I'm grateful for visits from friends we hadn't seen for about eight years, for drinking coffee outside cafes, for a house full of giggling girlies playing Twister, for pizza dough rising, for knitting, for health, for love.

I hope your weekend is all kinds of wonderful.

Love Kate X

Making me smile...

...a new haircut, a pile of old table cloths and a bag of bias binding scraps from the church fete, sunshine, love, giving somebody exactly what they have been looking for for ages...

...the most wonderful cushion as a surprise in the mail, (thank you so much Jenni, you have no idea how in love with her I am!) time to sew, the thought of how happy Indi will be when I tell her I've remembered to book her a haircut for this afternoon...

...three skeins of wool that Bren's parents bought me from a market just because, the sale of one of our Maremma puppies to a twelve year old boy setting up his own egg business, bargaining Indi down from seven girls to sleep over to three girls to sleep over...

...my Farmer Boy cutting a bucket full of my favourite food from just outside the front door, rocket and feta salad for lunch, a new crochet pattern to test...

...a new dress for my shop, finding out that every other child is allowed does not actually mean every other child is allowed, bumping into and chatting with lots of lovely girlies on a Friday morning, an email about a surprise pregnancy...

...other people knowing me so well and cutting the lace off their Mum's doona before chucking it out (thanks Rifka), long weekends, listening to the farmer boys chatting over their lunch in the other room, Miss Pepper promising me that she will never grow up and become a pre-teen...

...buzzy bees in the ballerina trees, our town being filled with rainbows for this weekend's ChillOut festival, lovely emails, Jazzy's new friend coming for a sleep over...

I hope your weekend brings with it so many things to smile about.

Love Kate XX

Creative stuff...

My creative space this week seems as scattered as my mind is. I am making all the time. Little bits here and little bits there. But I don't think I've completed anything for ages.

I am crocheting little colourful flowers to brighten up dresses on grey days like today.

I am sewing in pocket linings and darning in the ends of a gorgeous test knit for a designer in Colorado.

I am experimenting with layers of torn cotton, lace and other ruffly stuff.

I am cutting and over locking old table clothes for dresses and trying to make sure the see through bits happen in places where it is OK for see through bits to be.

And I am playing hide and seek with Miss Pepper.

Now I wonder where she could possibly be....

Peek-a-boo!!!!

Have a fabulous Thursday!

We are off to dancing class and then to a community garden opening where I am to be the official photographer. Cross your fingers for the rain to stay away.

See ya. XX

Purse.

Hey look I made a purse!

It was a test of Nikki's fab new pattern.

I think it was probably the first real structured thing I have ever sewn. It was such fun!

The pattern was easy peasy to follow and so exciting as it came together really quickly and looks so professional. The only problem I had was identifying all the different wadding, interfacing and villeins and then working out which side was the adhesive side of each, but that's just me and my inexperience.

The red floral fabric I used came from a church garage sale last year. I was the only customer there at the time and the ladies were fussing over me telling me that no one sews anymore and how excited they were to see the fabrics I bought walking down the street one day. It didn't take them long to recognise me as the girl who bought Tom and Lois's place. And then there was a whole discussion of what we are doing and what ever happened to them. I like small towns.

I've had a few practices to see how many of my necessities I can jam into my new purse and as you can see, I can fit a tape measure, my phone, some moisturiser/sun screen and my knitting. Its a big change from all the crap I usually carry around. I kinda like it.

My Farmer Boy thinks it looks like one of those old fashioned ice packs they had in the movies.

Carrying it makes me feel a bit fancy. Like I need to go to a garden party or something.

Funny that the only party I attended this weekend was a nine year old boy's. The activities were wooden spoon carving, Tarzan rope swinging, cross bow shooting, bush food foraging and bonfire lighting with flint. My girls had a ball. It was very different to the fairy, pop-star, make-up, cup cake type parties we have here but they got right into it. I left my new purse at home though.

I highly recommend Nikki's new purse pattern. If I can make it, you certainly can.

I do hope you've had a lovely weekend.

And I hope the week to come is fabulous.

See ya. XX

A morning...a winner...

This morning Farmer Bren wore his new hooded scarf to take the girls to school and to do his farm rounds. He said lots of people asked him about it and loved it. He told me the boys who work here with us said they were jealous and wanted me to make them one each as a staff uniform.

This morning Jazzy pulled out a notebook and a pen and started writing furiously. She wrote down every thought that fluttered through her mind and every word she heard spoken. She wrote and wrote and wrote and forgot to eat or brush her hair or get dressed. So I took the notebook and pen and popped them on a shelf for later on. She could have them back as soon as she was all ready to go to school. But by the time she was ready she had lost her rhythm. She was distraught. I'd ruined everything. She couldn't get back into it. She couldn't remember what to write. I feel terrible.

This morning Miss Pepper, thinking Jazzy was the coolest, got some pieces of paper, made Bren stick them together and me write 'Pepper's writing book' on the cover. She then sat down and started to fill it with her words. Its very important, she says and she has to take it every where she goes.

This morning Miss Indi said she was disappointed that swimming sports had been postponed until next week because it is freeeeeeezing here. She was so excited. She has entered herself in eight events even though you are only meant to compete in five.

Earlier in the week I had offered her to skip school on swimming sports day. I remember dreading that day when I was at school. That day when you have to compete with your classmates, stand around in your bathers and huff and puff up and down the pool. Not my kid. She looked at me like I was insane. She has been looking forward to the big day all year. She loves it.

This morning I asked the Random Number Generator to choose a random number between one and 138 and it chose number 50.

The fiftieth comment was Jo from Bubala!

Congratulations Jo! Send me your postal details and I'll pop your Hooded Scarf kit in the post.

For everyone else, thank you so much for your entries, I wish I had a kit to send to each of you. The lovely Anna of KnitKnit emailed me the with the same thought and would love to offer you a 10% discount off any purchase from her site. Mention my blog, Foxs Lane, in the checkout and she'll refund you the amount.

The details for my Hooded Scarf are Ravelled here.

Its now almost afternoon. I'd better get on with my day. I've got cooking and cleaning and a test pattern to sew up.

I hope your Friday is surprisingly wonderful.

Bye for now. XX

Finishing...

This week's creative space finds me starting and finishing lots of little projects rather than completing my long term project, my grey cardi.

Its the strangest thing, I only have five rows of ribbing to knit on the left sleeve and then I can cast off and wear the grey cardi I've been so excited about for so long, but something is stopping me.

I can only compare it to finishing a book that you have been reading for ages and have loved. A book where you know the characters so well you almost feel like they are your friends. You feel comfortable in the story and can slip in and out of it whenever you please. When you are in the middle of a book like this you look forward to finishing it and seeing how it ends, but when you only have a few pages to go you start to wonder about the next book. Will you enjoy it as much? Will you ever get to know the new characters as well? Will it take you long to get right into it? Will it feel as comfortable and part of your life as the old book did?

Once I cast off my old friend the grey cardi I'll have to choose a new project. I'll have to make sure I have the right coloured yarn and enough of it, I'll have to knit up gauge squares until I get one right and then I'll have to learn a new stitch sequence. It'll take a while before I can pull it out at school pick up time and knit a couple of rows without really thinking about what I am doing.

And so I have been putting off the final five rows and crocheting squares and triangles,

I have been knitting a tiny green beanie for a chef friend about to have a baby(Ravelled here), a bunch of rainbow carrots (Ravelled here) and a hooded scarf.

So do you think I'm a bit cuckoo or can you relate? Do you have a long term project that you would feel a bit lost without? A project that is comforting in its comfortableness? A paper pieced hexagon quilt that you pick up like an old friend, a crocheted granny rug that you know the pattern of so well, or a book that you only have a few pages left to read but must start another to delay the inevitable.

I wonder...

Today, along with the gazillion Thursday things to do, I plan to make a final decision on the buttons for the grey cardi and then knit five rows of ribbing, cast it off, block it, sew on the buttons, darn in the ends and wear it. Its freeeeeeeeeezing and a grey cardi would look great over the dress I'm wearing.

I hope your Thursday is a creative one.

See ya. XX

giveaway!!!!!!!

Hello! How are things?

I am super dooper excited because I have the most wonderful giveaway for you today.

I have a hooded scarf package from the wonderful KnitKnit at Olive and me.

KnitKnit make up knitting project packages that are suitable for first time knitters and really for anybody at all who would love to knit themselves some cool accessories. If you have been wanting to learn to knit, if you know somebody else who has, if you would love to teach somebody to knit or if you've been admiring all the chunky knits in blogland and magazineland then read on because this is for you.

This giveaway Hooded Scarf Kit includes every single tool and every bit of information and even the pattern that you will need to make yourself a hooded scarf of your very own.

This package is so gorgeous and cleverly designed and if you're anything like me you'll be squealing with delight upon opening it and discovering four sausages (?) of 100% chunky wool in the most beautiful kiwi fruit colour, a pair of fat bamboo knitting needles, a funky calico bag to tote your project about in, a darning needle for the ends and the most detailed knitting lessons and patterns you have ever seen. Oh how I could have used a package like this that takes all the guess work out of knitting when I was learning last year.

One of my favourite parts of the instruction booklet is the grid of knit and purls that you cross off as you go so you don't even have to count. The very lovely Anna from KnitKnit has really thought of everything.

This is the brown paper package that it all comes in. Cute non?

Anna also very generously sent a kit for me to try out too and let me tell you I'm loving it. Chunky wool and fat needles mean quick results and that can only be a good thing, right? The package arrived yesterday morning and I cast on immediately and I couldn't stop knitting. By bedtime I had cast off the hood part and am looking for a spare moment today to cast on the scarf.

My Farmer Boy has been laughing at me though, he says after the thin wool and fine needles I've been using for months, looking at me knitting with these chunky ones makes me look like a cartoon character knitting. Everything is big!

So there you have it folks.

Leave me a comment on this post and I'll choose a winner later in the week.

While you are waiting why don't you check out the KnitKnit website and all the other project kits available and if you are from Melbourne you could visit the KnitKnit stand at the Autumn/Winter Finders Keepers market on the 26th and 27th of March.

Have fun out there. XX