baskets full

I loaded these photos into my blog exactly a week ago.

I took these photos in the two weeks before that.

According to the calendar now it's autumn but then it was still summer, although with the extreme heat wave we've been having one could beg to differ.

Last week when I loaded the photos of the pumpkins and the sprouting seed and wondered about the birds who make nests in impossibly high places, I was sitting with my Mum at a cafe nearby. She was  handwriting a chapter in her novel and I was loading photos, trying not to talk to her, feeling a bit guilty for sitting down when there's SO MUCH to do right now on the farm, and in the end instead of writing the words that go with the photos, I wrote a looooooooong to-do list instead. No all that creative but sometimes quite necessary.

Monday morning one week later and the photos are older and the stories that go with them more out of date. But still these are the things that are filling our autumn days.

Apple picking, pumpkin gazing, cucumber collecting and fermenting, tomato harvesting and preserving, spinach, cauliflower, zucchini, cabbage, lettuce and carrot weeding and eating, watering, watering and more watering, planting the winter veg, mowing, netting and fencing.

It's a fabulous time of the year. It's the time that makes all the rest of the farming months make sense. It's crates of fruit in the doorway so you have to walk sideways into the house, it's bowls of tomatoes and boxes of cucumbers and baskets of apples, it's pots of bubbling produce on the stove waiting to be poured into jars, it's colourful bottles filling every available bit of bench space there is, it's books lying open all over the table with new recipes to try, it's rings and clips and lids and crocks, it's a washing machine load of aprons, it's a sticky mess on the floor next to the stove, it's a sink FULL of dishes, it's this crazy time when we are living in one season but trying to provide for the next, it's the part of the year that I feel most tired, most alive and the happiest.

Happy new season my friends!

What's it looking like where you are?


I hope yours is bountiful and delicious.


So much love,

Kate x

twelfth

Hello honey bunches!

How are things at your place?

Although I could easily do another few blogs about all the spoon carving that's going on around here, I thought I should shake things up a bit and write about something else.

So my twelfth (what a strange word both in spelling and pronunciation), blog is about the three things that I am making whenever I can squeeze in a round, or a row, or a coil.

Firstly, there is the basket. 

I'm not sure why I started making this basket the other day, but there I was sitting on the floor of my craft area with Pepper doing her weaving and I just started coiling. I haven't done any basket making for about ten years so it took me a little while to get it started but then I couldn't put it down. And haven't really wanted to ever since.

I'm using baling twine (AKA farmers' friend) as the base and odd balls of cotton for the top. I'm doing three coils and a figure eight into the row beneath each time. Around and around and around. It's slow going but I'm loving it.



Secondly there is the sock blanket.

Each time I cast off a pair of socks I knit the leftover yarn into my blanket. It's probably a bit optimistic to call it a blanket, sock yarn is pretty fine and it's going to take a long time and a lot of pairs of socks before it'll even cover my tootsies, but one square at a time hey.



And thirdly there are the stripy socks.

Each time I look over at my farmer boy carving another spoon and am tempted to have a go myself, I remind myself of this pair of socks. I cannot wait to wear these socks and cannot afford to fall in love with another craft right now. So he's shaving curly bits of wood and I'm knitting colourful bits of wool, practical and perfect.

What are you making these days anyway?

I hope your tootsies are warm wherever you are.

Big love xx


Happy Birthday Abby! xxxxx

snippety snippets

So the holidays are over and we've hit the ground running. It's springtime in our part of the world and although it's not quite tee-shirt weather yet, I feel like things are changing and I'm going to have to move fast and spend my time carefully to keep up.

I feel like we've had a great rest. I feel like I've had the time to really work out my priorities and I feel ready to work hard for and at the things I love and the things that inspire me and make me happy.

I feel like I've got loads to share with you here too, but before any of that let's do a quick catch up. Here are some of the early October snippets of my life.

ADMIRING the peony roses. We are generally a bit useless when it comes to growing anything that's not edible, but the peonies seem to take care of themselves. Each year they flower for Jazzy's birthday and each year I am astounded by their beauty and make a mental note to plant more. More roses and more flowers in general. We can't eat them but they certainly feed us in other ways. They make me happy, they make this place beautiful and they make me stop for a bit and be in the moment admiring them. Love!



Technically I'm not CROCHETING anything but I have plans. I'm searching Ravelry for a hat pattern for my cold headed, awesome friend Andi who shaved her gorgeous raven locks to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation. Pretty great hey!!

And I'm also queuing patterns for my Softie For Mirabel softie. I'm thinking I might make a kitty this year. Or a bird. Are you making one too?


I'm READING this book. Oh my goodness how I want to be a shepherdess. And a spinner. And a natural dyer. And I want to sell a Daylesford Organics yarn to people all around the world. And I want to work out if there is a way we can do it all from here in a certified organic/biodynamic way.

I'm a little bit obsessed but I feel like our probable plans to travel next year are putting the brakes on this new direction. Or maybe it's making me change the direction of our travels into woolly research. We'll see.



I'm SMELLING all of the blossom. I'm fighting for space to get my nose in deep with the bees. And I'm dreaming of quinces and plums and almonds and apples and nashis and berries. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.....



Unfortunately we're still LIGHTING the fire for warmth. I had hoped that our days of collecting, splitting, hauling, stacking, lighting and cleaning would be over for another season by now, but I should have known better. Hopefully soon we'll be down to overnight burns only. And by then it'll probably be fire season.



I'm still KNITTING my love heart socks. Knitting time at home is so much scarcer than on holidays.



And I'm MISSING little holiday bare legs and arms photobombing my pics.



We're EATING kale on everything, in everything and around everything. We planted a ridiculous amount this year and now I want the space back.



I'm incredibly GRATEFUL for this beautiful 100% natural Polwarth wool that Tom from Tarndie Heritage Sheep Farm sent me.

Tom's great-great grandfather developed the Polwarth sheep on their farm in the 1800's to better suit the southern climate and now 100 years later they are still farming the sheep and now they are selling the wool on their big cartel site. Imagine what Tom's great-great grandfather would think of that?! Amazing!!

I haven't had a chance to knit with the Polwarth yet but I can tell you that it is soft and squishy and the colours are gorgeous, all the most important ingredients in a good yarn I think.

And finally, I'm EXAMINING our wisteria vines as they naturally weave themselves into the roof of our carport. I think I need to make some time for some basket making, and wreath making and weaving soon before they wake up and sprout leaves and flower. I think the clock is ticking on my big basket dreaming, maybe this weekend the sun will shine and I'll get out my secateurs and get to work.

And that's me, all caught up and ready to press go.

How about you?
What are you admiring, crocheting, reading, smelling, lighting, knitting, missing eating, examining and grateful for?
Let me know in the comments, or perhaps you'd like to make a blog post of your own?

Until then, I hope some fun stuff is happening in your world.

Big love

xx

snapshot of now

I feel like I have a thousand things to tell you. There's so much going on my mind, in my heart and in my life. This morning after I took the girls to school, tidied the house and took part in a lovely girl's photography project, I sat down and started this blog three times.

I have three incomplete blog drafts sitting in my post list and now this is my fourth.

But I think this one will work because just before I sat down to write it, I spent a few minutes walking around snapping photos of things that tell the story of me now. Twelve photos that represent a bit of a snap shot of my life at the moment (minus the girls of course because they are at school). So I think instead of being overwhelmed with details I'm going to write a sentence or two to go with each photo and that'll be that.

Simple, right?!

OK, let's do this.

HARVESTING - rhubarb. There is just so much rhubarb right now. I cut and tied this bunch to give to a friend this morning but forgot. I think I'll make a cake for the girls for afternoon tea now instead.

I'm a little bit obsessed with tying things up with string at the moment. Somehow the winding and the tying make every package just that little bit prettier, don't you think?

READING - These two books. Finished one and a hundred pages left of the other. Possibly two of the best books I have ever read. I'm trying my hardest to slow down and make the last pages last longer but it's impossible. I only hope the next book I pick up is as good.

MISSING - salt. About a month ago my grandfather was told he had to cut salt right out of his diet. My grandfather and I have always shared a deep love of the salty. We were the type of people who added salt to a dish before even tasting it. If you were looking for the salt shaker at a meal time you could always be certain it was next to one of us. When he was told to cut salt out for health reasons I was devastated for him. It actually made me cry. And then I decided to cut salt from my diet too.

I haven't added salt to a dish for a month. I miss salt like crazy.

WAITING - for rocket. And for all the veggies that are sitting still in the icy cold ground waiting for the winter equinox and the days to get longer so they can put on some growth and feed my hunger for salads.

CROCHETING - well I'm not actually crocheting anything right now, but I do need to darn in the ends of my May motifs, photograph them and write up a blog post about #MotifDayMay before it turns into July.

KNITTING - woolly slippers. I love that Miss Pepper chose odd colours for hers. I love that she sleeps with them on the shelf next to her bed and I love that she took them to school today to wear them in class. Miss Jazzy's are next.

LOVING - my farmer boy's new house rule that every member of this family must pick and eat at least one carrot a day, everyday. Yay!

CARRYING - chunky wool and fat knitting needles in a cute basket wherever I go.

SEWING - right now I really should be outside helping farmer Bren prune the apple orchard but instead I'm alternating between writing this blog and sewing leaves. But firstly it really is just too cold outside. And secondly, I've got this space in my new craft area that I just painted white that I think needs to be surrounded by a leaf wreath. Hopefully the reality looks as pretty as it does in my mind. Hopefully also, it warms up a couple of degrees in the next little while and I can get a couple of hours of pruning in before pick up.

WEARING - great quality, wool socks for the first time in my life and marvelling at the difference they make in terms of comfort and warmth. Until now I have always been too mean to spend much money on socks, but all that has changed from now on. Wow!!

I would really like to learn how to knit socks this winter. If you have an in-the-round, snugly fitting, simple sock pattern, I'd love the link.



COOKING - spinach and kale and all things green and leafy in every meal. It makes me feel like a better Mum when I know my girls are eating such garden goodness.

MARVELLING -  at the fact that you can cook haloumi in your sandwich press. I know!! I had no idea you could do it either. Indi saw it on a blog somewhere, told me, we tried it and it works. I can't believe I spent so many years frying it in oil, splattering my kitchen with oil, and burning myself with flying bits of splattering oil. This past week we've enjoying the squishy, melty cheese without the hassle of the big cleanup. So great!

OPENING - the pages of Zoe Phillip's new book The Time of Our Lives. It is such a gorgeous book and I think the photo she took of farmer Bren and Bingo Maremma might just be one of the most beautiful photos I have ever seen.

OK, that's me all caught up now.
How about you? What are you harvesting, reading, missing, waiting, crocheting, knitting, loving, carrying, sewing, wearing, cooking, marvelling and opening?
Care to share?

Big love

xx

basket case

Last week I somehow convinced my farmer boy that adding to my vintage basket collection was a matter of urgent business importance. Not only that, but I convinced him to spend Thursday afternoon driving around hunting down the woven treasures.

I'm a little bit in love with the old baskets. I love their shapes, the feel of the old wicker, the bits of colour used to highlight and to cover the handles and the thoughts of the stories they hold.

I carry a basket full of crap wherever I go. I also have most of my wool collection tucked up neatly in baskets and then I've got a few filled with other odds and ends.

Our builder Mick, who is going to build my studio one day, is designing one whole wall for basket storage. Baskets are functional and decorational (?), win, win!

So naturally when it came to freshening up our farmer's market stall to show off our new season's apples, I thought of baskets. A bunch of baskets filled with apples sitting on a red and white checkered table-cloth. Now why haven't I ever thought of that before?!

So we basket hunted, and we basket bought, and we basket filled and we basket loved. And we chatted baskets with so many people on market day. It actually surprised me how many people stopped to take photos and how many people had basket stories of their own to tell. Old baskets, family heirloom baskets, romantic picnic baskets, baskets on top of fridges, Lego filled baskets, market baskets...so many baskets. So many bits of wicker woven into vessels. So much gorgeousness.

So how about you? Are you a basket user? A basket collector? A basket lover?
Is there a special basket in your life?
I reckon there just might be.

Be good peeps.

xx

The basket family

Isn't it funny how all it takes is something a little out of the ordinary to make your day. A little shift in the routine, a surprise, an unexpected gift and everything looks different.

This morning after the usual muesli and coffee for breakfast, after the ordinary drive to school and the same old-same old school drop off, I waited in the queue at the post office with a fist full of boring bills for what I was certain would be some dull boxes of electric fencing.

But I was wrong!

This morning there was also a great big box addressed to me.

A surprise!

Fiona Kate of Fiona Kate Simply Gorgeous Storage had sent me a basket family. Three sizes of wire baskets all nestled inside one another in their box.

I was thrilled. I still am. I skipped out of there and came straight home to try my new baskets out for myself.

I started with wool, of course, for the middle one.

And then I took the baby one over to the harvest table in the kitchen garden and chucked some onions in. The big one I am saving for apples. Or socks. Or dolls clothes...

Fiona Kate sent these baskets to me as a surprise gift. That's a pretty lovely thing to do don't you think. She thought I'd like them and I do.

So thanks heaps for making my day lovely Fiona Kate!

I hope something a bit fun has happened in your day today too.
Or perhaps you've done something lovely to make someone else's.
Do tell, I'd love to hear about it.

I'd also love to hear about what you're having for dinner.
I'm a bit disorganised but thinking about roast vegies and lentils and fetta.
And maybe a purple carrot cake.
Maybe.

Bye!

Crocheting up my scraps.

The problem.

The problem with my plan to crochet a queen sized granny blanket that uses up all my straggly half balls of yarn, is that I'm about a quarter of the way through and I've already finished the good colours.

My intention was to neaten up my stash. But in the process I've used up all the brights and all that's left is the greens, pinks and blues. Don't get me wrong, I do like those colours a lot, but the blanket is starting to look a bit flat, and that is not the random, stripey look I was going for.

The solution.

So I went out and bought some more wool.

And then I had to buy a new/old basket to put it all in.

Of course.

So now I am all sorted.

I wonder if I'll have to crochet a use up all my scraps blanket to use up all my scraps from this use up all my scraps blanket when I've finished it. Get it? Good.

So, I'm wondering, what do you do with all your woolly/fabric/paper/haberdashery scraps?
Do you have a special basket/bag/box/drawer?
Do you devise special plans/projects to use them all up?
Do you give them away? Hoard them? Check them out?
Do you love the look of a wool filled basket as much as I do?

See ya later hot potata! x