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.