The Stanley Book Cover.

I thought you might like to have a sneak preview of the cover of my book which I am currently working on. At the moment it's looking like being 6 weeks out from printing so that is very exciting! So much to be done on it still though....

Thank you so much for all of your comments on Archie's cactus. He was thrilled!
Lots and lots of love,
Kate xxooxx.

Archie's Crochet Cactus.

 Here it is, Archie's first crochet project.... his very own cactus. As you can imagine, I am indescribably proud. Also thrilled to see how much pleasure he had in working on a project and chatting with those around him. It is such a sociable thing to do, especially when camping. I stitched it up (he wanted me to as he has been a bit busy with school camps and so on) but the rest was absolutely him. We put rice in the base which helps it to stand and somehow makes it more tactile. He is a happy boy.

 And speaking of happy boys, here is a photo of Archie for the weekend all dolled up for a fairy and pirate party. He was very taken with having a silver tooth. As for the mark on the neck (long story and not as bad as it looks), well lets just say that he looked like a pirate that escaped with his life.

 Don't you hate it when your teeth keep falling out.

 Hugo kept himself busy over the weekend. Poor smurfs. Actually we have a beautifully decorated verandah.

This one is a cheeky one to be sure. 

Lots and lots of love,

Kate xxooxx.

Books for a Rainy Weekend.

 Because I am doing a lot of work on the Stanley project at the moment, book wise I am gravitating towards easy and entertaining reads. Hugo is going through a Paul Jenning's phase (wahoo) and Jonno is busy hanging out with Tony Park in Africa. When Archie is not reading the Skulduggery Pleasant books he has been devouring Jon Mayhew's Mortlock series.

 I have just finished Karen White's Tradd Street series (very light, a bit of supernatural and like being on a holiday) and started reading 'The Husband's Secret' by Liane Moriarty which is as unputdownable as a Jodie Picoult. The only things is, it's set in Australia and I am really homesick at the moment so that is kind of intensifying it.  I am so looking forward to 'Lost Lake' by Sarah Addison Allen - I love a bit of magical realism and am beside myself to think that a new Alice Hoffman book is coming out over the next few days. She is up there with Barbara Kingsolver (although entirely different) as two of my all time favourite authors.

 I will explain my Lonely Planet book another day.....

 Some new craft books and a couple of old friends.

 And the cookbook by Matt Preston that my mum received for Christmas - once again, another book that is making me homesick.

And here is the little creature that is keeping my busy and my mind bustling at the moment. Stanley Rabbit himself!

It is rainy here and there are some interesting boxes to be unpacked so I had better scurry along.

Lots and lots of love,

Kate xxooxx.

Knitting a Scarf.

 It is a very odd thing to find yourself in an extremely humid late summer and have an unquenchable desire to knit a thick woollen scarf. And yet that is exactly the situation I found myself in two nights ago. Maybe it's a primal way of guaranteeing a change of season.... Come Autumn, rain your golden leaves and cool nights down upon us. Or maybe just the contrary nature of being human....'why not knit heavy projects when the air is dense with hot, fuggy moisture'.

 Either way, this is what I have ended up with and now I am even more keen for a cool change so that I can actually wear it.

 Over the past few years I've become obsessed with learning as much about knitting and crochet as is possible in mortal time.... forgetting how sometimes the most perfect stitch is often the most simple. I love the knit stitch in this scarf, how satisfying it is to see that tiny wavy pattern repeated endlessly.

And I was very lucky this morning that I had a little model keen to bandy it about. In the last photo he obliged my request to put Ted Ted down and stop sucking his fingers. Oh yes... and to smile. Hmmmm.

Lots of love,

Kate xxooxx.

In the Cupboard.

 So with all of the boxes arriving from Australia, we have had a reshuffle of our furniture. This cupboard was purchased for toys and thank goodness we are now moving away from that stage. Which means..... that it can be moved into the kitchen and used for more a practical purpose.

 Displaying all of my bits and bobs. I am waiting for Jonno to screw in lots of little hooks so that I can hang up tea cups and trays so hopefully by next week I can start unpacking some of my Australian stuff into it. I have to admit that it felt like playing with a large scale dollhouse.

 And of course the odd bird was definitely needed to perch inside as Hugo has often thought it looked like a big birdhouse.

In case you have had enough of my cupboard (But whyyyyyyyy?), here are some crochet roses I have been working on. 

Lots and lots of love,

Kate xxooxx.

This Morning at Home.

And so ends another (and hopefully our last for a while) crazy week. Monday saw unpacking from our camping trip, yarn arrive for a crochet project that had to be sent away by Tuesday lunch and repacking for Archie's school camp. I had a couple of days to do things like washing, shopping, town jobs etc before we had a phone call saying that my shipping container from Australia was about to be dropped off! Wahoo and eek!!!!!

 Some of you may remember that I went to my parent's place in Australia mid November to finally pack up the rest of my stuff as they were moving and down sizing. It has been the most wonderful thing to have lovely bits of family furniture and boxes arrive... However, with the whole house being rearranged it looks very much as though we have just moved in! Yesterday I concentrated on our bedroom because to me, the sleeping area will always be my main priority. Last night, settling down surrounded by old familiar friends (chests of drawers and so on rather than a strange audience of neighbours), I felt so connected to my Australian family... a real sense of homecoming. 

Waking up this morning was a bit special so I thought I would share a few photos.

I added this photo because I always like to include a reality check. Downstairs is flooded with belongings and furniture. It took me 3 years to find the children yesterday and that was only when I had removed copious bags of wool from the couch. It turned out they were happy watching Stephen Fry's 'Hidden Kingdom' on demand. I would have been contently lost too!

Lots of love,

Kate xxooxx.

p.s. I am reading 'The Food of Love Cookery School' by Nicky Pellegrino at the moment. It is lovely and light and exactly what I need. I've also just finished 'Ripper' by Isabelle Allende which I adored - a thriller/mystery set in San Francisco and well written with great characters. I love a good murder mystery but have been spoilt by Louise Penny who is my absolute favourite writer of that genre (and in my top 10 all time bestie writers). It's worth starting at the beginning of her books (Louise Penny) as the characters develop so much as time goes on.

Crochet Roses.

 Wahoo, I am allowed to show you an early glimpse of my next project for Simply Crochet mag that I am working on. There is more to go with it but I will wait until closer to publication time before showing you. 

These roses are loosely based upon one of my favourite roses, 'Pierre de Ronsard'. Unfortunately it will be another two months before it comes out but I can't wait to show you the full picture!

Lots of love,

Kate xxooxx.

Holidays and other Good Things.

 I am sure that you must be thinking I have run away by now. And in a way I have a guess with camping and beach stays while the school holidays have been on. Reality is though, that I haven't had much access to internet for the past month.... can you imagine such a thing? I would love to say that has been good for me but I have really missed it. AND have missed blogging a ridiculous amount!

 So, a few things to catch you up on. Archie has become the most wonderful crocheter. He has such a lovely style that I could watch him for hours. He adores it too which is a bonus and we have spent a lot of time together crocheting and chatting. He has almost finished his first project which I can't wait to show you.

 Look at those little/big boy hands holding that hook and yarn....

 I have started a new fun project, crocheting a blanket for Jonno's old car (1977 Ford Falcon) which he has been doing up for the past few years. It would be sacrilegious to not have a blankie in the back. It's coming along well but I have limited myself to masculine colours which has been a good challenge. While I am not a pink person as such, I do rely on it a lot.

 I have more projects for Simply Crochet magazine coming up which I will hopefully be able to tell you about soon. And aside from that it is all about packing for school camps, unpacking from family camping and trying to shovel a bit of stuff back into cupboards after 6 weeks of having boys deliciously underfoot.

So many more bits and pieces to show you but until then,
Lots of love,
Kate xxooxx.