My Creative Space

I could hardly wait to finish crocheting Maya’s new little top I started last week.

I could hardly wait to get it on her.
Actually I didn’t wait. It’s nearly done. I still need to finish weaving in the ends. I tried it on her anyway. She ended up wearing it the whole day and I kept poking unfinished ends back inside.I’m really happy with the way it turned out, even though it is a bit tighter around her body than I had hoped for.
I also had to modify the pattern and add some more rows across the shoulders so her arms could fit through. Tension swatches are so borrring!

Now it’s dirty after a hard day of commando crawling and now I miss it. The crocheting that is. I wish I hadn’t finished it so quickly. Sure I have other crochet projects but I really enjoyed doing this one.

More Creative Spaces over here at Kootoyoo.

PS. Do you know how hard it is to make a very active 10 month old sit and pose for a photo?

My Creative Space

So I have been thinking about this issue of stitching with visitors or when you are out visiting. An issue which Cath and Tas have been talking about lately. I have never even considered doing it, although there have been many times I would have loved to. I have just always thought that my visitors/hosts might think it rude to stitch while trying to have a conversation.

But this week I thought I would give it a go and test other's reactions to it.

At one friend's house, I actually asked her if she minded whether I crochet while chatting. She didn't mind, but we were too busy chasing after children anyway. I also took my crochet to playgroup, but again there was more chasing children.

Then we were invited to a friend's house for dinner and I finally found the opportunity to crochet in front of my hosts. I happily crocheted while Maya had a breastfeed, Khye played and we chatted. There were no funny looks or comments (that I saw or heard) about my crocheting until Sean suddenly realised what I was doing (about an hour later mind you!).

"Renee! Put that away!" Our friend's laughed and said they thought it was a bit odd but that it was just what I do. They're right it is just what I do. Except I usually only do it in the comfort of my own home with only my family.

I did put the crochet away. I probably won't get it out again with visitors. It just feels wrong and I feel too consious that other people think it is rude. And I do care what other people think. I don't want to p___ them off, particularly friends and family. I guess it would would be a very different story if they had a passion for stitching as much as I do.

So where have your creative spaces been this week?

Wordless Wednesday

More at Faith, Hope & a Whole Lotta Love

My Crazy Chaotic Crochet Space

I need some focus. I’m going batty with ideas. I am crazy for crochet right now. Ever since I learnt how to crochet and discovered the possibilities of it, I have felt like a woman obsessed. Every spare moment has been spent hooking or at least thinking about it. And this week there have been far too many crochet projects started. Fixing the blanket and Maya’s little dress were the first but now I’ve got so many things on the go I can’t keep up with them all. Now I’m not one of those freaky people who finish one project before they start another. Oh no I’m quite the opposite. I have half started projects everywhere. And it’s not that I get bored with those projects, it’s that I’m excited to start new ideas. I just feel a little out of control with the amount of projects I’ve started. I feel like I’m in crochet chaos. It doesn’t help that I find books at the oppy filled with patterns I want to crochet. It also doesn’t help that I find so much inspiration when I read your blogs and get so many ideas I want to try. I am the sort of person that needs to get started on an idea right away rather than note it for later, otherwise I loose the enthusiasm and excitement for it. So, much of my time has been spent poking about inside my big doona bag full of yarns, sifting through trying to find the perfect balls. Trying to find colours that match other colours. Trying to find balls bigger than scraps. Crocheting lots of samples. Unravelling half of them ‘cos I don’t have enough of the yarn to “waste” on a sample. Then yesterday afternoon I went and purchased more wool yarn for yet another couple of projects that I hope to start working on soon.

Will this craziness ever end?

I hope your creative spaces aren’t quite so chaotic and a bit more focussed than mine!

(This is the one crochet thing I actually finished. It’s a hat the looks ridiculous on me but gee doesn’t it make a fantastic vessel?)

A bit about me…

I have seen these Sunshine Awards floating around blogworld for ages and now I am a recipient! Thank you Brenda! (at Mira Narnie) Thank you for giving me the opportunity to tell a little about myself. Here is my 7-things-you-may-not-know-about-me list:

1. After 13 years being together, 8 of those years engaged, we are still not married. There have been far more exciting things to do like produce 2 beautiful children.

2. I had a stroke at the age of 27 about 7 years ago (just so you can work out how old I am!)

3. I work as a GIS Analyst (when I go back after maternity leave) and I studied Cartography at uni. (GIS = Geographic Information Systems and Cartography = map making)

4. If I’m not the first in bed every night, I get grumpy, feel uncomfy and have trouble sleeping.

5. I used to be a fairly organised person until the kids came along.

6. My mum’s middle name is Joy, my middle name is Joy and my daughter’s middle name is Joy.

7. I love the sunshine and follow it about as it moves throughout the day, particularly in winter. And of course summer is my favourite season.

Now to fulfil my obligation for receiving a Sunshine Award, I have to pass it on to some of my favourite blogs. A pretty difficult task when you follow so many blogs and I’m sure many of my favourites have already received this. Anyway here are just 5 of them:

Melissa at Clothwork

Tina at Tinkerbell’s Treehouse

Tracey at Bountifully

Laura Mitchell

Made of Cloth

Flea Market Finds

Just because I have been silent the last few Sundays does not mean I haven’t been bargain hunting. I have been hunting and I have found stuff, but it wasn’t until this week that I was excited to share it with you and play along with Flea Market Finds.

During our visit to the in-laws, we had the opportunity to visit a few country oppies (without the children – thanks J&B) and boy have they come up with the goods!

My favourite find was hiding high up on the top shelf. First it was the colour and then I spotted the price…far out…$2!?!? The lady told me it was $2 because it was old and a bit scuffed up! I really don’t care! How good is it to see Maya taking an early interest in vintagey stuff!

Anyway luckily I found the case ‘cos I needed it to hold all these gorgeous fabrics and wool I collected. Fabric scraps, sheets, pillowcases, tablecloths, curtains, upholstery samples… you can never have too much fabric… until you can’t close the cases or the cupboards I guess!

Then there were the books. The Crochet Book published by the Australian Wool Corporation has some fantastic 80’s patterns that I can’t wait to try. Of course there were more Little Golden books to add to the ever growing collection and Sean found a couple more Enid Blyton books to add to his collection.

And lastly there was this little white wicker shelf which will be perfect for displaying softies on my stall … after a bit of a clean up and coat of new paint.

There was more stuff than this though. I just haven’t photographed it. There was the $1 single bed wool blanket destined to be used inside a quilt, the hessian I’ll use to teach Khye how to sew, more self cover buttons, the lovely original painting complete with falling apart frame and the beautifully soft lambswool jumper for making more softies.

Hope you had a good bargain hunting week too!

My Creative Space

It's all been about vintage sheets for me lately. Washing, ironing, measuring, ripping, folding, stacking,

arranging,

rearranging,

and restacking.

And now my vintage sheet fat quarters...

...are ready for the big swap!

More Creative Spaces here.