My first Yarn Bombing Eperience

And what an experience it was.

As I have mentioned before I have been working on my first piece to use in a yarn bombing adventure. I had heard about yarn bombing and had always been a fan, I loved that someone took time out of there life to beautify ordinary things in their community.

A little while ago I found a group through Facebook called ‘Yarn Corner’ and saw that they were planning a big Yarn Bomb in the city and were putting it out there for yarny people to help out. I couldn’t have contained my excitement at the thought of contributing something to a big project. So with a click of the mouse I entered the wonderful world of yarn bombing and met some really lovely and extremely talented women.

The project was big!! It was going to take a lot of yarn, not to mention the organization that these girls put in to make it happen. The plan was to cover all 11 trees in City Square Melbourne a busy gathering place in the metropolis of Melbourne.

After a lot of hard work and a lot of planning (much that went on behind the scenes from us contributors and just seemed to magically happen ) on Sunday around 20 women armed with a scissor lift and needle and thread converged on City Square and transformed a dull area into a brightly coloured yarny wonderland.

Unfortunately I couldn’t make the install day but I watched the Facebook page with enthusiasm as the girls started to up load photos.  The theme for this event was rainbow and was fully embraced by many a lovely lady.

Even though I didn’t get to go to the install day I was there the next day for the workshops that Yarn Corner had orgainised. The boys loved the learn to knit workshop and were even given a Knitting Nancy to keep and have been making pom pom after pom pom ever since.

After the boys had finished their workshop and run around excited at all the colours and not to mention the yarn bombed ducks that all the kiddies had a ball playing with, I stayed to help out with the crochet workshop. I absolutely loved  it. The Crochet workshop was packed to the brim, I worked with 3 beautiful students who were just a blessing as a 1st time teacher and were all really different skill levels but who all managed to grasp crochet. Plus they all enjoyed it! Which is the important bit about learning, right? I had a ball teaching the girls who came to the workshop and would have no hesitation in putting up my hand to help out in workshops again.

Joining Yarn Corner has been nothing but positive. On the Weekend I learned they started with 3 members and now have over 200 members worldwide. They are all a lovely group of gals. You are instantly made to feel like part of the group. I’ve already signed up for the next meet and the next yarn bomb project. The possibilities are endless now.

If you’ve ever wanted to yarn bomb but never knew where to start this would be the place. Just search for Yarn Corner under groups on Facebook, you’ll find them and never look back.

xx

A little forgotten hat.

I finished my Yarn bombing piece last night and proceeded to block my 4 squares for Stocki’s Beautiful Blogger Blanket and than I found myself in the very odd place of not having and immediate projects, but a big desire to start a blanket of my very own. But what to make and where to even begin with so many lovely blankets in blog land I just don’t know where to start. Though this morning I spent sometime browsing through blog land and came across Cherry Hearts Yearly round up and 1 photo caught my eye and popped right off the screen at me, can you tell which one it was. That’s right scroll down to march, any ideas yet? That’s it just down the bottom center those adorable flowers, I just must know where they are from, so after a little browsing in Cherry Heart land, I found Sandra had made them from this lovely book which just screams with so many make me now projects, so without a second thought I headed over to my fav online book shop and purchased said book with out a moments hesitation and now I start the wait for it to arrive on my little doorstep and the fun to begin. Yippee!!

But while browsing photos last night I realised I had forgotten to share a little hat I made at the start of December for a very special friend from the days of High School (and doesn’t high school feel like a faint memory) who is having her very 1st bubba. Lovely high school friend will be such a fun mummy I decided a little fun hat was in need but without knowing the sex (we do now) I wanted something gender neutral but not yellow. And than while browsing in my fave Debbie Bliss books (yes her again) I found it.

The Wee Willie Winkie Hat can’t you just picture a newborn sound asleep in this cute little hat. Well unfortunately I don’t have a cute little sleeping newborn on hand I do however have a little snowy bear

who was more than happy to pose for a few quick shots. I had so much fun making this little sleeping hat. It was my first time actually using all 4 Dpn’s and after a little confusion (more of my just see how it goes attitude) I was off and circling in no time.

This little hat was also a very quick knit worked up in about 2 days. That’s 2 days of normal knitting, you know the kind where children want things and partners need love and house needs attention: normal days.

I did however change one little thing and finished the hat off with 2 i cords tied in knot instead of the pom pom, I know know I just can’t seem to leave a pattern alone.

The little wee Willie winkie hat completed my little care hamper for the lovely high school friends baby shower.

After having 2 babies of my own and not being the most comfortable pregnant lady I decided that babies are far to spoilt at baby showers and the mums to be need much more attention. After all they’re the ones doing the hard work so we can all have new born cuddles. So from my own experience I put together a few little things to hopefully help ease the burden load of pregnancy

I do so hope she enjoys it all and I can’t wait for the little one to be born only. 4 more months to wait.

xx

One a Day – Episode 17

My brain is racing and I can’t decided what to tell you first. I feel like I have not checked in here in so long, it’s only been 5 days but it feels like so much longer as so much has been going on in my little part of the world and I’m not even sure where to start.

Maybe with a little confession. . .

Since I started the one a day project my exercise routine has decreased steadily to be at the rate of zero now. Now I’m not blaming my one a day but I seem to have replaced my exercise time with knitting time which for the brain is great but for the waistline is not so crash hot. And with the holiday seasons just behind us I find myself needing to get back into the exercise routine. And so this morning I hopped on our treadmill, yes we own a treadmill and still I don’t find the time for a quick 30 minute brisk walk. But I’m sure you’ll agree the call of the crochet hook or knitting needles is strong and sometimes can not be resisted. Well today I did it and I not only did 40mins but I knitted a hexipuff while I did this.

This sudden realisation of needing to get back into the exercise has not as many of you might be thinking been brought about by a new years resolution, but by the fact we just booked a holiday for our family to the sunny state and so in 4 weeks I will require to be swim wear ready so I need to start whipping my but now. I can’t wait to be in the lovely sunny state soaking up the surf and sand and as such this has become my inspiration. Wish me luck.

Have you all been busy one a daying. I haven’t made one a day we have just been having such a lovely time with Mr C holidays with us we  have just been enjoying our days with at home and I have also been working on my piece for the yarn bomb event being held in Melbourne on the 22nd of January. I have been granny stripping away using all my lovely new yarn I got.

I’m zipping up the stripes with utter enjoyment and I’m bouncing out of my seat to choose the next colour, I’m so enjoying granny stripping again It truly is so much fun all those little treble clusters in a row. But along with this I have managed to increase my number of hexipuffs; so here we go

So on December 13th 2011 I had

87.5 hexipuffs

Today I have

97.5

I still need

209 hexipuffs

To be made in

I’m almost scared to work this number out

…

…

293 days

Phew I’m still in my goal I have no idea how though. I feel like I should be so much further behind.

But by looks of things I will have myself one of these by the 27th of September 2012

If you haven’t already, knick over to Carole’s and check out all the other one a days

and I will back when I have a little more time with more of those lovely bunts I received in the mail. For now though I am going to go and give a little princess who is giggling behind me lots of cuddles

xx

Holidays

Did you have a good Christmas?? We had such a lovely time, it really was a beautiful day. But now the last of the boxes have gone out, the last of the turkey has been eaten and the feeling to pack away the tree is starting to gnaw away at me. When do you pack up your tree? Do you follow the 12 days of Christmas and take it down on the 6th or do you pack it up straight away. We usually wait till the 1st of January but I’m itching to be done with it and get it all back out in the shed. I have been known to pack it up on Christmas night after the kiddies have gone to bed. I’m no grinch just after the big day I tend to want to get everything packed up, but I do love Christmas tree time so next year I might do what a dear friend did this year and pop it up the 1st weekend of November.

Were you spoilt this Christmas did you get lots of lovely goodies, were many of them yarn related. I treated myself to this lovely sight.

After signing up for my first Yarn Bomb with a rainbow theme, I decided new yarn was needed and with the shops all having sales it was the perfect time to splurge and get a delightful amount of glorious coloured yarn. I’m just loving the way it looks on the craft shelves at the moment and as my craft shelves sit in our living area Mr C is getting asked a lot of ‘doesn’t it just look beautiful’ and ‘oh look at those wonderful colours’ all of which he dutifully proclaims ‘it looks lovely’ and ‘yes very wonderful colours, very bright dear.’ (Gotta love him). But it does all look so bright and cheery I’m not sure which ball to remove first to begin my new project. I don’t want to disturb the little piece of yarn heaven I seem to have created. But I must, just to decide which ball to begin with and not to mention which pattern to start with. I’m thinking granny stripes as it works wonderfully with bright colours and as the yarn bomb is on the 22nd January, granny stripes would work up nice and quick too. I’m itching to start now I type about it but I must finish this little pretty first.

I can’t tell you what it is yet, but I am learning as I go with this little one. And yes this is going to be very little and I do so hope it works out to be the right size but I dare not mention any more as this little pretty is a gift and I don’t want to give away anymore.

I feel like I have not popped into say hello is such a long time it feels like I have so much to update you on. I’m not sure where to begin. You may have guessed from the above picture I finally finished ‘inheritance’ and it got slightly better but I’m not recommending anyone to go out and read this book it’s just another predictable fantasy conclusion to an other wise ok serious. I did want to start ‘A tale of two cities’ by Charles Dickens but I can’t seem to find my copy so I’m starting the above pictured book tonight, I’ll let you know how it goes. I have also decided that like coffee life is too short for a bad book so I am going to try to stop reading a novel if I don’t like it. Something I find terribly hard to do, so we will see how it goes.

I’m still working on the mystery ‘frilly witches’ hat. She is taking a little longer than I would like but I’m working out the pattern myself and finding time to crochet, concentrate and write it all down does not seem to be happening with everybody on holidays. So she may have to wait till the start of school before she grows legs. Oops did that give it away.

But I do have a finished object to show you. Yes Yes I’m shocked too! With all this busy business of the holidays going on I’m surprised anything has been finished but here is the fair isle coat hanger.

Only one now but  I do intend on making another one. It was really fun and I loved all the colour changes though sewing in all those ends was not fun but I guess being a hooker – I was use to ends, that even they seemed to work in relatively quick and easy. I also decided that I’m keeping this one for myself, some of little princess’ clothes will still fit on it and it’s just too pretty and colorful to give away. I used another Debbie Bliss pattern and she is quiet quickly becoming one of my favourite knitting patterns designers. She just seems to have such lovely easy knits for little kiddies and bubbas alike. Every time I find a pattern I like it always seem to be another Debbie Bliss creation.

And lastly but not least I’m still hexipuffing away.

I hope you all have lovely New Years Eve, Do you have big plans?? I wonder if this year I will make it till midnight we shall see but for now bye bye and lots of holiday cheers

till next year

xx