twenty sixth

Somehow I've gotten myself all the way to the twenty sixth day of the new year without a single craft post. Strange but true.

I guess that considering the amount of daylight hours we're having and the amount of farm work that needs doing, it's possibly understandable that not many stitches are being stitched, but still some are and I should tell you about them.

Starting with this shawl.

In the middle of last year my beautiful instagram friend Lori posted photos of the shawl she'd just knitted and I fell in love. To date I haven't really been much of a shawl knitter but I have made two and I enjoyed knitting them and have worn them often. But something about Lori's shawl made me stop scrolling and look at it for a while. Possibly the colour, maybe the tassels or the criss-cross design and definitely Lori's gorgeous photos of it both being knitted and complete.

I left a few comments gushing about my love. Lori ridiculously kindly offered to send me the yarn and the pattern to make my own. I knitted it. And then I waited for Miss Indi to come home after being away for ages so I could photograph it and share it with you.

There's something about shawls. They're kind of old fashioned but comforting and cozy at the same time, and that extra layer that you throw over your shoulders can make all the difference to your body warmth.

Someone once told me that when interviewing for prospective employees, they had a rule never to hire anyone who wore a shawl because of the time they'd waste fussing with it. I just giggled as much then typing that as I did when he first told me. Bit silly hey. But I guess there are people out there who can wear them effortlessly. They throw them on, twist them up and walk away looking fabulous. And then there are those of us who need to spend a little bit more time getting it right. And then readjusting when the end slips out. And then tucking Maybe I should get my farmer boy to carve me a shawl pin.

I think I might just have a another shawl or two in me before the year is up. There's something very meditative and calming about those long rows.

For those who like details - my Aristida shawl is raveled here.

Big love,

Kate

xoxo

Snail Mail - the book, our day & a giveaway!

The other day my Mum told us that she thinks Michelle Mackintosh's new book Snail Mail is the most beautiful book she's ever seen. Except for books written by Ulmans, my Dad added! Only Michelle was the designer of my book Vantastic too, so I think she's clearly the winner.

A couple of years ago when I was deep in the exciting phase of signing publishing contracts and working out exactly what my book would be, I remember looking at my phone and noticing that Michelle Mackintosh had just followed me on instagram. Guessing what that might hopefully mean, I promptly burst into tears and called my publisher. She confirmed that she had just signed Michelle as my designer. I hung up the phone and did a mixture of every single silly dance move I could think of all around the house.

Michelle Mackintosh has designed so many of my favourite books; like Beci Orpin's and Pip Lincolne's and Louise and Margaret Fulton's and The Little Veggie Patch Co's.

And indeed Michelle did design my book and I adored working with her and we became firm friends. And I can honestly tell you that seeing Michelle's name proudly stamped on the front of the cover of a book instead of inside the front cover, makes me as happy as can be.

Last Friday we invited Michelle and our friend Chanie and her three girls, Ponie, Nancy and Honey, to come and Snail Mail it up with us at my Mum and Dad's house across the Lane.

First we ooooohed and ahhhhhhed over every page of the beautiful book and ate cake.

And then Michelle led us step by step through a few projects from her book.





First we learnt how to make envelopes and then we spent ages decorating and writing to our loved ones.



And then we folded Snail Males.









Since last Friday my girls have been snatching every spare moment to rummage around in the recycling and in the craft cupboard for old stamps and pretty papers and stickers that they then use to create and decorate Snail Mail for their friends.

From the back of the book -

Snail Mail is here to bring back hand written communication - and more - in one beautifully illustrated and perfectly proper little package.

Learn how to improve your handwriting (and your manners) make your own paper, envelopes, wax seals and pressed flowers; put together care packages for loved ones who need a bit of TLC; romance someone the old-school way; and craft beautiful mail art for any occasion.

I love Snail Mail big time!!

And I'd love to pass on that love to you guys - I have two copies to giveaway thanks to the cool people at Hardie Grant. Leave a comment on this post telling me who you would most love to find Snail Mail in your post box from? 

Australian residents only - sorry.
The two winners will be chosen by me and my girls on the weekend and notified in a blog post and by email.

Yay!! You gotta be in it to win it - so get commenting lovelies.

Until then - you can buy Michelle's book from Readings, and follow Michelle on instagram - @michellemackintosh.


Laters xx

why i love craft

This is why I love craft.

These two slippers began as two balls of yarn. One ball, the purply one, I bought from two women at the Bendigo Sheep and Wool show two years ago. I didn't love the feel of it and I didn't love the colour of it, but I did love the concept. That ball of yarn was called WOOLI by Nikki Gabriel and was a recycled blend of factory fibre waste: wool, alpaca, silk, cashmere and possum.  I just had to try some out and see how it knitted up.

The second was given to me by my friend and local shop-keeper Merrilyn. A Debbie Bliss chunky tweed made from merino and angora. I did love the look and feel of this speckley, lumpy gorgeous bluey-greeny yarn but had no idea what it would eventually become.

Both balls have sat patiently in my wool cupboard for close to two years now for just the right time and just the right project. Over the years I've pulled them out and wondered and considered and stroked them but nothing has felt quite right. Until now.

Until the past few days as we have grown closer to winter, the temperatures have dropped and the icy polished concrete floor in our kitchen has become increasingly difficult to stand on in socks. There's really nothing worse than freezing cold feet and the way the chilly feeling travels up the body making it impossible to relax and warm up.

As the days past I found myself breaking the rules by wearing my boots inside the house and at the same time wondering about a solution that wouldn't cost the crazy price of five new pairs of slippers and wouldn't involve a special trip into Melbourne to purchase them.

And then last Friday I was reading lovely Sophie's blog and it was like she had answered my question before I had even asked it when she shared the link to this fabulous list of slipper patterns. I chose the top pair, scrounged around for some chunky yarn, found those two balls and some 5.5mm needles and cast on.

Apart from a couple of issues with the way it is written, this pattern is simple, quick and so much fun to knit up.

On Monday morning when I walked into the kitchen where my farmer boy was in the middle of relighting the stove fire, stirring the porridge and making our coffee, I found him with the biggest smile on his face. His new slippers were warm, comfy, cushioned and he loved them.

There is no better feeling in the whole wide world than that which is making something for someone you love that they love.

I now have orders for three more pairs plus some for me. And I don't feel so, so bad when I sleep a little late and he's gotten it all warm and toasty in the house before my feet hit the floor.

Craft makes me happy.

Stay warm and cozy lovely people, I hope you get the chance to love what you make and make what you love.

xx

Sew together - Grow together - the book

Yesterday morning we woke up to grey skies, steady rain and a couple of coughing girls. Week three, day two of the school holidays, what on earth were we going to do? How on earth were we going to spend the day?


And then I remembered this treasure, Sew Together Grow Together, sent to me by Trixi Symonds, the author, a couple of weeks ago.

Sew Together Grow Together is a selection of hand-sewing projects developed over two decades in classes and workshops for children. The idea for this book was planted by parents who "can't even sew on a button" but wished they could play a more active role in their child's hand-sewing adventures and feel for themselves the excitement their children so clearly felt when they created something they loved and were proud to have made.

Sounds perfect hey?!

Trixi's projects are simple and completely achievable, her instructions make sense and are so child friendly that I believe anybody age five and up could make a go of them.


First our girls studied all the patterns in the book and chose one that they liked.

Then they gathered all the materials they needed, made space in the school holidays chaos of the kitchen table and got to work.

Miss Jazzy read through one step at a time, sometimes twice, and then they did it. Mostly Jazzy would finish first and help Pepper along.


Tracing, cutting, pinning, threading, stitching, snipping, turning...


Stuffing…


Gluing…

This was my favourite part. We didn't have the googly eyes recommended by the pattern, but undeterred Miss Jazzy came up with the idea of using buttons. A little button glued onto a big button glued onto the owl. So cool!

Ta-daaaaaaa!!!

Three little owls made from Sew Together Grow Together, by us. How great!

Just after I took this photo I left the girls and went down to collect the eggs. I asked them to tidy up a bit. When I got back half an hour later, instead of finding a clear table, I found Miss Jazzy deep in the cutting and stitching zone. She was so inspired by her new found skills that she couldn't stop and was taking them further. Using another project from the book she was making a treasure bag for her sister. Tracing and cutting and pining and stitching...

And without one speck of help from me, she followed Trixi's directions and sewed a bag. Then she filled it with treasures of her own and presented it to her sister.

Today she tells me we're pulling out the sewing machine, she's obsessed. Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

Sometimes I wonder if my kids will ever love making as much as I do. If they will ever be the crazy girl with the basket full of wool at the picnic, the girl with the bits of cotton stuck all over her skirt up the street, the girl that fills every spare second cutting and stitching and knitting. Days like yesterday give me a glimpse into the future and I think maybe. There is so much love and creativity and satisfaction in making something by hand, I really hope I can pass a little of that on.

Happy days my friends, I hope you've got something gorgeous going on too.

xx

Australian Sheep and Wool Show 2013

Oh my goodness, I LOVE WOOL!!!!!

And I love the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo. Love it!

Last Friday was my third visit to the show and each time I think I love it more. I think I understand it more and I think I am less overwhelmed and inspired by it more.

I love it all the way from the sheep, to the fleece, to the sheep and wool peeps. I love watching them judging, handling, admiring, wearing, spectating and socialising.

I love watching the spinners and weavers and felters and dyers and knitters and crocheters too. I love the passion they have for their craft. I love watching their fingers move, the smiles on their faces and the excited way they describe what they do. I feel like I'm one of them. It makes me happy.

I love watching the way the stalls are set up. Trestles and baskets and bowls and hooks and shelves of glorious woolly delightfulness.

And I love how the shoppers shop. According to their craft, their colour pallet, their yarn weight, their yarn type, their budget.

I love the weaving.

I love the felting.

I love the yarn bombing.

I love the buttons.

I love all the different types of needles and hooks.

And most of all, I adore the wool.

On my first trip to the show, four years ago, I was so new to the wool crafts and so overwhelmed that I went home empty handed. Not so much this time. Now I know that I love organic, Australian made, naturally dyed, and 8ply or chunkier.

I had such a great time. I Love that my farmer boy did too. Taking a day off farm-work to walk from stall to stall, to chit chat with the stall holders and to carry my bags.

I'm hoping that by next year's show we might have a few woolly friends of our own living here. I'm hoping that I'll be a spinner by then too.

Oh what fun!

I'll have to show and tell my purchases another day, I've run out of room.


Did you go to the show?
Did you have a great weekend?


Happy new week you guys.

xx

the book quilt

If writing my book was all crocheted up into the squares of the book blanket, then these few weeks before the release time is definitely stitched into the book quilt.

Each email received and sent, each room tidied and cobweb brushed away, each photo taken, each interview question answered, each time and date diarised, each little piece of nervousness and over-emotion, each big piece of excitment buliding, each ohmygoodness ohmygoodness I wrote a book!

Each time I cut out a bunting flag to advertise the book, I also cut out a tiny 9mm by 9mm square of the same fabric.

As I sewed and pressed the flags, I sewed the little squares into long strips.

And as I stamped the bunting, I took breaks and sewed the strips into a quilt.

There was never any plan beyond the current stage. There still isn't.

Sometime over the next little while when I am meant to be doing something else, hopefully I'll sort through my stuff and find an old blanket. Then I'll pin the little sqaures to the blanket and to a bigger piece of fabric. And then sometime after that I'll stitch it all together. Together.

It's not all that big so I don't know what will become of it or where it will go.

But I do know that this time just before the release has surprised me with its mixture of jumbled up emotions. It feels big and sometimes overwhelming to see my name printed in red on the cover and the photos that I took and words that I wrote inside. It feels like an acomplishment and through the nerves I am also really proud.

I also feel really lucky to be a crafter. For the therapy of the cut and the stitch and for this quilt that holds the stories of this time. It's such a blessing really.

Happy weekend my friends.
I do hope yours is wonderful.

xx