Beginnings...

I love starting out on a new project or skill. It doesn't matter how wonky or rough it is, the fact that you have started something is such a rush.
Lots of love,
Kate.

Playing!

 The printer deadline for the book is looming so while I am keeping very busy with that for most of the time, there are still odd quiet moments when I can do very non-booky things. This little spotted guinea tailed squirrel is an example of a stolen few minutes here and there spent with Gypsona plaster bandages. So much fun.

And of course, who wouldn't want to spare another ten minutes experimenting with tulle and glitter. 

I hope you are managing to find the odd minute of creative freedom here and there. Sometimes it's good to remember that regular snippets of time add up!

Lots of love,

Kate. xxooxx

Wings and Other Things.

Finally Christmas Tree Angel Fairy Girl - perhaps not the best name in the world - is complete. I love here so much and it will be a little hard to say goodbye but I am sure she will go to a good home. I also must keep in mind that it is for a good cause.

 Jonno isn't wearing his viking helmet with the flowers wrapped around it - they are for my hair... but I kind of wish they were for his costume.

Lots of love,

Kate xxooxx.

Angel/Fairy/Girl....

 I made more progress on the angel/fairy/girl over the weekend whilst snuggling on the couch with the boys watching Star Wars for the first time.  I never knew that I was a Star Wars fan but it turns out that I am. As I was watching fight scenes with the light sabers, I found myself thinking how useful they would be for cutting paper into amazing shapes and patterns.

 All I now need to do is sew on her wings and flowers.

Then she will be ready for a silent auction at our school ball. See how she has her dancing shoes on....

Hope you had a great weekend,

Love Kate xxooxx.

Fluffy the Deer Finds a Home.

 I don't know if you can remember Fluffy the deer who I made late last year? I finally hung him up on the kitchen wall, giving him the respect he so deserves.

 He is actually surprisingly good company for when I am cooking - always looking over my shoulder with an interesting comment or suggestion.

 As mentioned in my last post (a week ago... eeek), Mum has come to stay and we have been working on a quilt together using Nani Iro fabric. Any decent strip left over from the main pieces have been assembled and I am hoping there will be enough to make a cushion from.

Look at all of those neat little piles. So satisfying.

Have a lovely day/night!

Lots and lots of love,

Kate xxooxx.

Behind the Scenes.

Here are a few sneak peeks of some projects I have been working on at the moment. Above is my wicker bicycle basket which I am so ridiculously excited over - it is still very much a work in progress. Only a few more days though and then I will be able to ride to the shops and put milk (bottled - wicker is quite porous) in it. It will be the most fancily delivered milk ever...

Crown progress is coming on. The pattern for an adult is very similar to the toddler's but ties at the back.

The toddler crown is crocheted in a circle.

And this is the tiny and very much experimental beginning of a new phase where papier mache and crochet get to make a forest together. I have been getting into the habit of showing a piece only when it is finished. This year I really want to show my workings more on the blog and record the making of it to show how things evolve.

So this stumpy thing is the beginning of a tree pattern. I like the logginess of it but am needing to work on tapering the end more.

The biggest whack of inspiration came from Archie's casual draping of the crown over the hill. I love it and now need to find a way to work them together. It's all very castley.

Right now I am revelling in some hard won peace between the boys (they certainly have many moments that are not worth photographing for the blog), marvelling in two days without rain (not including showers during the night) and roasting a chicken in milk which according to this recipe by Jamie Oliver is a very sensible thing to do. And it smells so good already.

Have a lovely day/night.

Love Kate xxooxxooxx.

A Quick Crochet Star Pattern.

I thought as a last little Christmas present I would jot down a new star pattern that I've been working on. Being the eve before the eve I won't do a post with lots of how to photos - just the nitty-gritty directions. But before I do... here are a couple more photos.

A shy snowman...

And a named reindeer - Hugo though Fluffy was appropriate and was very happy to make it official for me.

Now for the star pattern...

Christmas Star.

Abbreviations (U.S.) :

slst - slip stitch

st - stitch

sc - single crochet

dc - double crochet

trbc - treble crochet

Round 1. Chain 2, the 5 sc into the 2nd ch from the hook. Slst into the 1st sc to make a circle.

Round 2. 2sc into every st until the end of the round. (10)

Round 3. 2sc into every st until the end of the round. (20)

Round 4. *Working into the first stitch, 2dc then 1 trbc. The next part forms a picot stitch at the top of star's point - ch3 then slst back into the 1st ch. Trbc once back down into the same stitch (as the first 2dc and 1trbc) then 2 dc. Skip a stitch then slst into the next stitch. Skip anoather stitch then repeat from * 4 more times. Bind off and then use your fingers to gently pinch and shape the points to make them extra pointy.

N.B. It is very important to make sure you are only working into every second stitch and not accidentally skipping more (this is very easy to do).

I hope this makes sense. I have had a ginormous day - as I am sure everybody does at this time of year - and my brain is feeling pretty foggy. Please ask if any parts are unclear.

Lots of love,

Kate xxooxx.

P.S. In the photo above I finished the star by single crocheting around the edge to give it a sparkle - I haven't included that step in the instructions but if you want to sc into every straight stitch and 3sc into the points.

More Christmas Peeps AND the Best Shortbread Recipe Ever!!!

Business first, Jonno cut out the stag head shield for me yesterday and I spent the day spraying it. The unnamed little fellow is now mounted and waiting for a brass plate to announce his name (although he may have to make do with a cardboard one until after Christmas).

The presents are almost, almost done.

And the boys and I are still enjoying our Christmas glamming of the house.

Now, for the shortbread recipe. I do not make this claim lightly but I do think we may have a winning recipe. It is gluten free but please don't let this turn you off if you are lucky enough to be a gluten eater. I made a batch of gluten and gluten free the other day and had my father-in-law (well known as a shortbread connoisseur test it). Jonno and the boys back up his decision whole heartedly. Here we go...

Shortbread.

250 grams softened butter

1 cup of icing sugar

1 1/2 cups of white rice flour

1 1/2 cups of corn flour

Method.

Pre-heat oven to 180c. Cream butter and icing sugar together. Add rice flour and corn flour and mix well until it comes together in a big ball. Add a little extra butter if it is too dry or crumbly. Roll out on a well floured bench and cut into shapes or roll into a log and slice into circles. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. When they come out of the oven be patient, don't test to see if they are cool with your tongue - it took forever for the blister on Hugo's to go away.

Lots of love, Kate xxooxx.

My Goofy Little Deer.

This is my papier mache reindeer I have been making to hang on my wall at Christmas.

Even though I have seen him through a lot of surgery,

And decorating (which is still ongoing)...

I haven't come up with a name for him yet. When he is finished I am sure something will spring to mind.

Archie and Hugo are going mad on all of the roses in the garden.

I think they are very well-rounded farm boys.

Lots and lots of love,

Kate xxooxxooxx.

Angel Bunny.

Apart from the garland/headband, this is the other project I have been working on for our school's silent auction. An angel-bunny-Christmas-tree-topper in the tradition of Julie Arkell combining crochet (or knitting) with papier mache (google her). I left the body hollow so that she can sit proudly on top of the tree but will also attach a little loop to her head so she can also dangle from a branch if need be.

She is very special as she has some of my grandmother's trim sewn around the bottom of her dress, something I rarely use as it is just so precious.

Every angel bunny needs wings, especially if they are a sunny yellow.

I wonder where she will end up...

Lots of love,

Kate xxooxxooxx.

Happenings.

Once again, time has slipped through my fingers as the days have sped along too quickly. My mum arrived to stay a week ago and it has been such a special time with all of our favourite things - chatting, tea drinking, knitting crocheting and reading. Why can't time slow down when special people come to stay?

I finished the garland/headband last week for Hugo's friend (pictured above) and have now started another one in ice cream colours for a school fundraiser. They do become quite addictive. Maybe I should work out some sort of version for the boys... Fungus and bird eggs?

My knitting needles have been busy completing another pair of socks for my nephew. I think he will love them however he may not wear them until next year as I noticed on the weather forecast tonight that Melbourne will be 3o degrees Celsius.

Archie has been dreaming of Lego holidays. Do you think that in his mind he has shrunk down to the size of a beetle?

And as for Mum, she has been busy learning how to make papier mache birds and crocheting a few cute and quirky characters.

Look how quickly her hands can thread a needle - she's a blur.

This is Mum's little wren - I LOVE IT. The only thing wrong with it is that I didn't make it.

Have a lovely weekend and with lots of making if you can,

Love Kate xxooxx.