400 Times = a little giveaway

Wow - who would have thought that I would get this far.

From a little blog that started off so that I could share what I had been making on two forums to this.  Crafted by Kylie was born out a rush to start blogging and sharing - no thought was really put into it. As I sit here almost 4 years and 400 posts on I wonder if I should change it.

I have toyed with the idea of renaming it 'Two Sticks and a Hook'  or should I lean towards 'Mealybug Creations' (mealy is an affectionate name that a few family friends call Amelia - the bug part - well a mealy bug is actually a pest)  Or, should I just leave it as is. 400 posts, many visitors and almost 70 followers, I must be doing something right.

Thankyou to all, those who visit, comment and of course by family, who check on this regularly to see what I have been up to and to catch a glimpse of the youngsters in a new knit that I have told them about.

Blogging has helped me to meet some fantastic friends. Find out about areas before I had even moved there.  I have learnt to take and share better photos and I have seen my knitting grow from scary feather and Chunky Woollen Jumpers to what it is today.

I am going to have a little competition - I have not got a pack together yet - as I would like to make it just for the winner.  So if you are a knitter, I am NOT going to send you something knitted (unless there is something that you would like and can not do.  You might instead recieve a progect bag or some yummy yarn from a local yarn store.  If you dont knit - then yes you might just recieve something knitted.  I will chat to the winner and stalk their blog too. I can promise you that it will be good.

What you have to do to enter

Commenting and letting me know what you think about a name change will get you one entry - would like a few more (each of these will give you another chance - please let me know so I can keep track)

Blog it on our blog

Be or become a follower

Thanks in advance for all your help and for visiting.  I will leave you with a sneak of what has just come off of the needles.  I will daw the lucky commenter/follower Friday 9th 

Stash is not Stash...

if it is gifted.

A gift from the lovely Steph,  I am so blessed to have found such a wonderful friend.

...if it is not for you (this will be turned into a shawl for my grandmother)

...if it is going to be gifted as part of a swap

... if it was purchased from a fair

... if it was purchased from an open day.

...if it is prize yarn

Biggan 8ply x 2balls as part of their monthly comp on Ravelry

...if it is the next project on the needles...

... Humm... The boxes are now filled to the brim and overflowing with yarny goodness. Best go knit.

Finished Knits on a Friday

I have been busy this last week. The needles have been click, click, clacking.

Off the needles, blocked, wrapped and on a plane to the birthday girl (all in 5 days - what an effort)
The latest pattern from the talented Australian designer and knitter Georgie aka Tikki.

This pattern is a joy to knit, looking forward to getting some modelled shots from the birthday girl.

Pattern: Olearia by Georgie Hallam


Timeframe: June 15 - 19 2010

Yarn: Bendigo Woollen Mills 8ply Luxury

Needles: 3.25mm and 4mm (used circulars but it is knitted flat)

Modifications: None - it is perfect as it is. 
 
Ravelled

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-Ladybug! Ladybug!

Fly away home.

Your house is on fire.

And your children are all gone.

All except one,

And that’s little Ann,

For she’s hiding under

The frying pan.

---Children’s Nursery Rhyme, author unknown

A ladybug beanie to match (Her invitations had little ladybugs on them - how could one resist and I have aways had a it of a thing for Ladybugs)
 

Pattern: Ladybug Beanie by Megan Nadalet 


Timeframe: a few hours on the 19th June 2010
Yarn: Bendigo Woollen Mills 8ply Luxury and Panda Helix 8ply

Hook: 4.5mm
Modifications: Followed the colour and used my basic skills of crochet to make it bigger. Did 7 circles (just kept doing Trebles until I could not fit any more sothey are all slightly different, but like it that way)
Ravelled
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And finally

PJ in all her glory(NB:  PJ changes from a female to a male bear on a regular basis  I can not keep up - he is a she today  - go figure)

We also made some cupcakes for the occasion

Thankyou for all of the lovely commnts - Bluetac is still attatched to fur (that stuff is hard to get off)  PJ even had the deep freezer treatment last night (I told him that he was going on a quick visit to the North Pole)
Pattern: Poppy Cardigan by Tikki (told you this women is a genoius)


Timeframe: 22 - 23 June 2010

Yarn: Bendigo Woollen Mills 8ply Classic (left over from this matchymatch Milo)

Needle: 4mm

Modifications: Only knitted one button hole. After seperating sleeves I only knitted 12 rows and then the garter edge.
Sleeves - picked up 4 stitches under arm and knitted two rounds.
Capped sleeves (slip 1, K2tog, psso) x4 times. 2 purl rows and then cast off.
Ravelled

 

My Creative Space

PJ Bear has been invited to attend the annual Teddy Bear’s Picnic at Amelia’s Kindergarten tomorrow.


This is a big deal. You see PJ attended Kinder with Amelia every week last year and this year he has been weened off of attending (so he got used to her going to big girl school next year) He started to go and then we had a chat with him and he decided that he would sit in the car (he tells me that it is good that he is only stuffed and not a real bear - as real bears would only survive in the car for 8 minutes) and wait for her to finish. Often he is now found still sitting on the bed after she has left.

For this big occasion I am lovingly knitting PJ a new cardigan to attend the event. Amelia asked for pink and pink she will get.

Best keep moving.  PJ needs to go for a tumble in the washing machine and dryer and then I have to work out how to get buetac out of his fur.

For more creative spaces (take a thermos) head over to Kootoyoo

Chasing the Sun

with the weather man/women predicting rain this week we went outside yesterday to enjoy a picnic in the backyard.

Amelia had fun wrapping yarn around a funny looking stick (more on that soon - I think it deserves a post of it's own)

It was nice to get outside (I even managed to do a little weeding while the kids were happy playing) and it is actually warmer outside than in our house!

I also started on another knit.  This time for me, more info soon. The red knit is finished - knitting under pressure and finished in time, will post pictures once it has been received.

Flea Market Finds

What a find - Buttons.  Mum and I hit the oppys this last week and I grabbed up some bargins. 

We happened to turn up on fill a bag of summer clothes for $1.  $1 - what a bargin.   Mum grabbed a few things that she could wear and then I helped her to fill the bag - she looked at me as though Iwas nuts (as the clothes that I was throwing in would not have fit me in a million years.  But I came home, buttons were unpicked and I have some new buttons.  Best of all there is more than one in each of the colour/size.  I have many buttons in jars - but struggle to find similar ones when needed.

For more FleaMarket goness head over to Her Library Adventures, she scored op shop gold this week.

A request for a Sherpa

My patient husband has finally received a knitted item.  Apparently it is his first (he forgot about the scarf that I knit him back in the winter of 2003) 

Baden's beanie from last year (I can't believe I did no blog it)

When I knitted Baden's beanie last year he fell in love with it instantly and requested one for this winter.  He sat and looked through Ravelry and chose the pattern that he liked and the colours.  He also requested for a rounded ear (not the point version) so teamed with all of this information and the new skill of colourwork I set off.

I dyed the yarn myself.  Base colours were Bendigo Luxury Cream and Stone 10ply with Landscape dyes. What fun to see how they turned out. 

Once on the needles it did not take me long.  I blame fairisle for that and the late nights that I pulled while doing this beanie - 'just one more row - another repeat' and before I knew it, it was on a had for a model shot.

There will be another of these on the needles soon.  Tim has asked for another to be made to give to a friend (who he is hitting the cold stuff with) but with the colours mixed around a little (The reason being so he can decide which one he likes the best- MEN!)

My Creative Space...

Life has been busy - does life just get in the way of living for you sometimes too?  I have no idea where the last two weeks have disappeared to.  So for those that have been wondering, there has been knitting happening and the hook has been hung up for a little while.

On the needles at the moment is an Olearia.  The latest pattern from the brains and needles of Georgie (aka Tikki) and what a lovely little knit.  This is moving full steam ahead at the moment and the needles have been smoking as I have to have it finished, blocked, dry and wrapped before 6.30am Sunday morning (so it can get a free ride back with Mum and Dad) in time for the 1st birthday of my niece.

I am not sure I will have enough time to play. But I purchased some sculpty and would like to have a play at making some buttons.  May not happen for this jumper - maybe another.

In other news, I have had Mum and Dad down for the week.  It has been nice although it would have been nicer if we had not have come down with the wonderful common cold that is shared around at this time of the year.  Hope that everyone is staying well and warm.
For more creative spots all over the world make sure you stop by and check out the ever growing list at Kootoyoo.

Oppy Finds...

it has been a while since I popped into the op shop.  After moving from NSW and the finds that I picked up while living there, I had been disappointed by the prices and what was on offer around here.

Yesterday I decided to try again.  Mum and I piled the kids in the car and went for a drive.  We only did one (have a toddler who is teething at the moment and he was not a happy chappy*) 

Anyway - I told the kids that they could chose something from the toy section - the sign that read 'all toys 1/2 price' got my attention.

We came home with what I thought was a little house.  Not that we needed another, but on further inspection it is infact a pet parlour.

We also grabbed a bag of plasticy toys - but for $1.50 who would leave them there. This is only a small selection of what was in the bag. Both of the kids have had a ball playing with them all day.  

*who also managed to get in trouble by the BOSS lady of the opshop - seriously - he is a toddler.  If I had of heard what she said to him (the term boss lady was her own) I would have not have held my tongue - well done to my Mum!

If you would like to join in - pop over and sign up at Her Library Adventures.

Something for me...

With all of the excitment around here, I keep forgetting to share this with you all.

It is a neck cowl and my finished knitted item from my Colourwork course a few weeks back.

It is lovely and warm and is calling to be taken on a winter holiday:)  I can dream - missing the snow fields and cold winter already.

My Creative Space...

is also the creative spaces of many this week.

A walk through the city streets to spot the yarn bombing and to see if we could spot what I had made. 

Amelia was the BEST finder of all things heart shaped.

Here are a few photos for you - I ended up taking 66 - but that is a little too many to share. I will try and put a collage together and upload it later.

 

So, what is this all abut.  The word on the streets is that the knitting nanna's have gone mad - but no.  It is part of I Knit Brisbane. I Knit BRIS is a large community knitting & crochet project intertwining & colouring the city.  Knitters and Crochet groups, individuals, Schools and others around the Brisbane area and beyond have spent months organising and working there little fingers to the bone.  A great effort and a wonderful feeling to be part of something so big.

If you are in Brisbane and would like to find some of these for yourself, here is a link to a little map of where they are. They will be in pace till (hopefully) the end of June.