loving...

 time and patience...
not worrying about anyone else or what was going on around her.  One foot infront of the other. Shuffle, Shuffle, Shuffle.

 confidence...
Round and Round and Round she went until she gained the confidence to head out on her own. watching this little girl get up the courage and head out with all of the others (many of whom were a lot bigger than her)

 friendship...
it makes my heart sing to see this little girl make such lovely friends  (picture was snapped just moments before they both fell on their bottoms - two five year old's on skates helping each other, not really certain how much help they were to each other)

 and to get back up again when she came crashing down.  A few hours of one on one time with this little girl, while a friend watched Baden (thanks Dee)

 and for the hugs that I received when we returned.

Linking up with PaisleyJade and her Things I'm Loving Meme

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.-soulemama

In my creative space...

...I am creating a rainbow today.

The colours are devine and is making me want to knit and knit some more.

 It is Crystal Palace Mini Mochi and I think that it is the softest wool I have ever knitted with.  This scarf will be the first to make it's way into the Christmas Present box (if Amelia doesn't claim it before then)
Mini Mochi is available from Yarn Over for those that may be interested in getting themselves a little colour onto their needles or hook.

For more colourful and creative spaces grab a cuppa and hop on over to Our Creative Spaces.

Jennie has also featured a little of my creative fix it skills on her blog today.  Lucky me, three mentions on her blog in a week.  
And one of my knits is featured over at Ingrids today (I am a popular girls today) Thanks so much girls.

The gift that keeps giving... and a pattern

When Baden was a new born I received a little knitted cardigan from Kate.  Kate had received it as a gift from Taphophile and thought that it was just too good to have sit in a cupboard for Martha Moth to find and enjoy.

A beautiful hand knitted and hand dyed matinee cardigan that he wore alot before he grew out of it's size (and I failed to get a photo of him in it)

Once he had grown out of it I went to give it back to Kate and was told to pass it onto another friend who was a knitter or would appreciate such things.  So the journey began.  It travelled to Albury and then over to the US.  It did a stint in England before it returned back to Australia and then over to Germany.  It has finally found it's way back to us with the tiniest of holes.  No one is to blame, except the fact that this little cardi has been loved and worn and washed and finally it has just come apart at one of the ball changes or wet felted points and there is not enough for me to fix it.

I popped it into the 4ply yarn box.  The colour of it was just too good to throw away and I had plans of changing it into something else.

The time came over the weekend with the invitation to a baby shower.  I frogged and knitted a little beanie at the same time.

It was received with love and care for a friend with the story of what was a cardigan that became a beanie.  I will leave it up to her if she keeps it or keeps sending it on its way (which I think she will do) as she liked the story so much and doesn't want it to end.

Live on dear cardigan (June 2007 - July 2011) and look forward to hearing where you travel in the form of a beanie (2011 -    )  Thinking that I need to get my hands on the matinee cardigan pattern so I can start another and send another out there to create another story.

The pattern:  I have knitted this pattern a few times. It is nothing new or special - basically a rolled brim beanie with an umbilical cord, minus the roll.  I can not stand the roll on beanies for little babies (finding that they roll straight off of little heads with the amount that they wriggle)  So I have created a pattern for a ribbed brim.

Yarn:  4ply Baby Yarn  (a great sock wool stash buster)
Needles:  3.25 mm (I used Double Pointed Needles)

Cast on 80 stitches.  Join in round being careful not to twist, place marker.
Rows 1 - 6:  knit 1, purl 1 around.
Row 7:         kfab.  Knit around.

Optional  Row 8:      Change colour and knit around
               Row 9-10: knit around

Continue in pattern established in rows 8 - 10 or
knit in stockinette stitch until length from cast on measures 3.5inches.

Start decreases:  *Knit 7, K2tog   (repeat around)
Knit 1 round
*Knit 6, K2tog (repeat around)
Knit 1 round
*Knit 5, K2tog (repeat around)Knit 1 round
*Knit 4, K2tog (repeat around)Knit 1 round
*Knit 3, K2tog (repeat around)Knit 1 round
*Knit 2, K2tog (repeat around)Knit 1 round
*Knit 1, K2tog (repeat around)Knit 1 round
*K2tog (repeat around)
Knit 3 together x 3times onto the same needle.
Knit an icord until it measures 1 inch.  Thread yarn through and weave in all ends.  Knot the top and block lightly.  Wrap and give as a gift or pop it on the closest newborn head.

As I said - it is not a new idea - just a few different things that I do.  I will Rav link it when I work out how.  If you knit it please let me know.

Things I'm Loving

I never seem to remember to do this post before the linky stops me.  So here goes.  Joining in with Paisley Jade's - Things I'm Loving Fridays  Yes I do know that it is Saturday.


Loving this photo of Miss 3rd Girl Posie, taken on Thursday during our knitting/crochet session.  She is using her toes as tention to help pull her french knitting through - so cute.

Loving that teaching the four of them also gave me the confidence to teach Amelia.  She has been asking for ages if I could teach her how to knit and I keep telling her when she is 6.  Her sixth birthday is quickly approaching and I know that my Mum has a little sewing/knit kit ready for her, so there will be nothing standing in her way.

Loving longer days and sun shinny afternoons. A picnic on the front lawn,  'restuarant'  style during the week, complete with wattle cuttings and milky tea.

Thie joy on this little girls face when she came out of Acrobatics today and told me that she did a handstand.  (I was a sneaky Mum and took a video through the window)

Wonderful feed back from a friend.  We traded services.  Haircuts for Knits (not the creepy crawly variety either!)  Here is the beanie that was requested for a friends 40th birthday.

Hope that you are all enjoying a wonderful weekend.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.-soulemama

I know that these posts are meant to be word free - but it needs explanation.  

This is a photo of a tent in our backyard.  If it was warmer out there I know that there would be two little people who would love nothing more than to sleep out  in it.

This is a photo of them inside it reading stories with torches before bed.

(Not sure how much reading was occuring?  But they were having fun and lots of laughter and lots of "Don't shine it in my eyes" was occuring)

All you need in knitting...

... is a girlfriend to get you started"  Julia Roberts 2011

That girl was me yesterday.  I taught five eager beaver students (aka as the Posie bunch) how to knit and crochet there little hearts away.

We had so much fun.  Including this little man who spent the day tangling and knotting up the balls.  After seeing how he could work his magic in a matter of seconds with this ball, I quickly put the lovely soft alpaca that Jennie had bought up out of his reach (they are on the microwave Jennie.)

 They did so well, Some ended there crocheting skills at chain and were happy with a bracelet.  But Jennie now has the skills to show and help them at home (which was her main aim, and maybe a little couch crafting time)  Her darling husband popped home for lunch and asked "when will you be as fast as Kylie?"  Give her time I say (or watch out if the five of them put there heads together!)  Looking forward to our next holiday session.  Knitting in the round and hexagons and flowers here we come!

More photos of the finished products over at Jennie's. Be certain to pop into Our Creative Spaces and see what other crafty happenings have been happening.

And if you are a fan of Julia Roberts (and even if you aren't)  Have a look at this practical joke that Joker Tom Hanks played on Co Star and Friend on her love of knitting.

My Creative Space..

... is a sticky one this week.

I have been making jam in preparation for the school fete.

Lets just say that every door and tile in the house is sticky.

This jam making business is a talent.  After hours and hours of stirring and still not setting I added jam setter (thankyou pectin in a bag)

My little helpers performed a quality test before I chopped up 2.5kgs worth.

And have been enjoying some on toast (so have I for that matter)

The Recipe:

Ingredients

• 2.5kg strawberries, hulled, halved
• 2.5kg white sugar (warmed)
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon

If you don't have the luxury of getting reject mutant strawberries from the strawberry farm, adjust the recipe to equal parts of sugar to water and a little lemon.

Method

1.  Wash and Slice (or quarter) Strawberries.  Place strawberries in a saucepan and stir through sugar. Leave for 1-2 hours while sugar softens the fruit.
2.  Add juice then cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fruit is soft.  Wash and Sterilize Jars.

3. Remove 1/3 of fruit. Set aside. Cook remaining mixture until fruit is mostly dissolved and jam sets on testing (see note).  Stir reserved fruit back into the pot and mix through to reheat. 

4.  Pour into jars and seal*

Note:  Place a few saucers in the freezer.  To check if jam will set, smooth a little hot jam over the saucer and leave for a few minutes. Test by pushing the jam a little.  If it is set it will scrunch up.  If not set stir on medium for a further 3 minutes.  Add Jam setter if in doubt (or have had enough stirring)  Don't be like yours truly and do it for 3 hours before deciding to add it as it was past her bedtime.

*this part is hot - be careful not to burn yourself.

For more creative spaces (and hopefully less sticky ones)  Pop over and say HI.

I'll have BLUE...

Baden requested a new beanie (he really did need one as a joint effort with his father last year, we managed to felt his beanie to fit the teddies of the house)

I let him go through the yarn stash and choose the colours that he would like.

"I'll have BLUE!"

He loves it, keeps him warm and he will wear it as he feels that he had a part in making it (if you call walking past asking if it was finished and requesting that I "knit faster Mumma" as helping)

Yarn and other details here.
Blogger have gone and changed on me again. Does anyone know how I add labels to the posts.

{the day after sunday}

I am always running late at joining in with PaisleyJades: Things I'm Loving and Maxabella Loves: Grateful Linkup (or should that be forgetting altogether)
Then today I found a new one.  Blogs Tea and Me has started a linky named {the day after Sunday}  Perfect.  I never seem to find the time to blog towards the end of the week and there is usually alot happening over the weekends (lots of family things) that I would love to share.

Yesterday saw us have a slower start to the day.  We missed church (opps) A family day was in order as the family is about to become one less again very soon:(

We packed up the car with the kids, the makings of a BBQ and headed up to Mt Cootha for a lovely family day in the sun.

I watched the kids as they explored the bush and collect fallen sticks to start a fire.  There is nothing like the smell of smoke in your hair and always creates LOTS of memories.

These two stood just close enough to be in the action (but far enough away to be safe)

We smelt the flowering wattle (and bought some home to enjoy)

Enjoyed watching this fellow (and his friend) who was just as interested in us as we were of him

Walked up to the summit and enjoyed a rather chilli icecream (it was a 30minute wait for a coffee - it is times like these that I wish that I owned a coffee cart or had taken the theromos)
We looked out over the city and enjoyed blue of the Brisbane River 6 months after it ruined many homes and lives.

Had a photo take by a random man who grabbed the camera off of me and snapped a lovely family photo. Thankyou - we now another lovely family photo of the four of us (there is usually always someone missing)  Will be off to get this printed today.

I wonder what next Sunday will bring?

this moment...

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.-soulemama

Off the needles...

My creative space this week has been a busy one.

Knitting into the wee hours of the morning while I watch men in lycra ride around the sites and hills of France.

Off the needles is a beanie for a friend.  I recieved a picture and after searching for a pattern I descided to design it myself.  It had too much slouch first attempt - so this is attempt two. 

I will knit it again soon, a friend saw it yesterday and has asked for one too.

The second knit off of the needles is a beanie for my cousin.  You may recall this one that I knitted for her at the beginning of her Chemo treatement.  Well she lives in it and requested another in black and a little smaller.

All details can be found here and here.

On another note - all photos were taken  by myself and reminded me of a post that Kate did about taking product photos.  lets just say there were quiet a few close ups of ears, noses and eyes and lets not forget the toilet and the wall.

-20

Friends have headed over to Canada for a residency position.

They have sold up most of their house and belongings and have taken the plunge for her husbands work. Such a brave move.  I sat one night not long before they left and googled where they were headed.

FREEZING is what comes to mind - oh my -20 degrees is the maximum daytime temperature during the height of winter and a beautiful summers day is as cold as it gets here in Brisbane, BRRRRRR.

So with that I decided that they would find room for a lovely hand knit each and got to work.

I knitted this loop cowl

and a little sister for the little sister.  The third one I will blog a little later when I get a photo of Baden in his.

Hoping that this helps to keep them warm.  Hope to see you in three years to defrost.

Please follow the links to pattern and yarn details if interested.