Around these parts ...

Have you heard of the Hudson's Bay Company Blanket?  I hadn't until I came across this post on Purl Bee.  Inspired by their version, but leaning back towards the original and working in crochet, I've started one for my boy.  He wants a soft blanket to snuggle up under in winter.  The history steeped in adventure, masculine vibe, colour scheme and overall simplicity of this blanket appeals to me completely.  I'm working in a double treble stitch, so the finished fabric will be fluid and wrappable, which is a big departure from the original.  I could have knitted it to achieve the fluidity I'm after, but I'm far too impatient and crochet is so much quicker.

I never met a bobble I didn't love, so when I came across this blanket on Rachele's The Nearsighted Owl, I knew I had to make it.  For anyone who sees my instagram feed, I've been working on this for a few weeks now.  I'm joining in her crochet-along ... bit late to the party, I know.  Like Rachele, I've been using yarn from my stash, in a feeble attempt at reduction.  I did cave and buy orange ... well, it was needed.  My edging isn't as neat as Rachelle's but I'm in love with the texture.  Would love to use this in a soft furnishing project in the round.  If I work out a pattern, I'll post it.  I'm probably about a third of the way through this WIP, so another couple of months to go and it will probably be finished off with chain tassels.  Because I do lurve a tassel.

Thanks for the share Rachele.

Last night I went to this:

I was invited as part of the Sydney ABCD (Artists + Bloggers + Crafters + Designers) meet up, organised by clever ladies Lisa from The Red Thread and Steph from Bondville. My media role was over-exaggerated by my badging and although it did allow me take photos with permission from the sellers, I was very aware of getting in the way of any business deals and was more than happy to soak up the surrounds.  One of my favourite stall installations was Down to the Woods, with their canopy of pom poms, being the pom pom lover that I am ... up there with all things bobbly.  There was all kinds of lovely everywhere.  Thanks to Lisa and Steph for organising a great evening and it was super meeting other bloggers and crafters in an inspiring environment.

Onwards to the weekend.

What's in store for you?

Carmel

x

Taste of Summer

The first week of term 4 is down. Done. Only a week and I feel like I've run a marathon.  As a a bit of a tonic I've been looking through the photos of the holidays only two weeks ago, when we a had a glimpse of summer and things to come.

Endless days of swimming and picnics, and evenings in the garden tending to new seedlings. Highly accessorised with ribbons and bows - of course.

Happy weekend.

Carmel

x

Oh yes - and I've been playing with PicMonkey again.

WARNING:  It's addictive

Not doing what I should ... and a day at the fair

I should be doing other things right now.  Bla, bla things.  Things I don't want to do.  Errands I don't want to run, tidying up rooms I don't want to tidy. Sorting a weekend and weeks worth of laundry I don't want to sort .  So I'm hanging out here for a bit, doing what I shouldn't be doing for a while.

The weekend was a whirlwind.  A mad whirlwind of piano exams, baseball games and a school fair.

The first of my close friends turned 50 and reminded me how close I am getting to that.  Half a century - that can't be ME can it?  My sailor boy went off to sea again, so Father's Day had an absentee in this house.  I was given a secret mission by the fairy on the night before he left.  So when I was sneaking out of bed in the middle of night it was because I had left the heater on, not to stash a top secret envelope in his ready for sea bag.  A happy man called from the dockside on Saturday night after finding his special messages.

I love the fair.

Our school puts on the best fair in the land.

It's the biz 

You know you've had a great day when you can't speak at the end of it (and not a drop of drink has passed your lips).  I ordered takeaway curry for dinner, which is strange as I was up at 6.30am making the biggest mofo pot of it for the curry stall.

I'm off to do the things I would pay someone to do if I had the money.

Carmel

x

The fairy spent an hour making her mobile at Pru from Flotsam Friends Upcycling stall.

Damtastic

 The simple things in life are the best.

Friends.

Food.

Location.

After 20 years living down under, I still have to pinch myself when I can spend a Sunday like this.  And. We don't have to travel into the country to enjoy the bush.  Our local dam is just the best, the bush in the city.  We all love it.  The kids love building the fire and cooking breakfast, chased by marshmallows.  They love swimming and running and building cubbies from sticks and branches.  I love that they are happy to paddle  on boards, boats. canoes - whatever is available, endlessly.  I love that it's a taste of the Swallows and Amazons childhood that I had.  I love that they are free and wild.  I love that at the end of the day they are filthy from fun. I love that I get to sit and crochet for ages.  I love that I can chat with friends drinking endless cuppas boiled up in the billy can by willing adventurers.

Dam it!

Love that dam!

Carmel

x

Blowing in the Wind

We had the windiest wind I've ever seen in Sydney over the weekend.

And I mean WIND.

Real woolly tights and tuck your vest in your knickers stuff.

It started on Friday by blowing the roof off my son's school. I got the call just as I was about to have my pre-Coles shop sushi moment (never shop hungry people).  Off I went to collect him amidst a sea of police, fire engines and reporters, without my food shopping.  So to top off a 'no food for dinner in the house' situation we had a power failure.  Big excitement - HUGE.  Friends with no food and no power came over and we ordered pizza eaten by candlelight.  Stuff childhood is made off.   A power cut isn't a power cut without  murder in the dark and the sound of smashing things all over the house.  

I was not going anywhere on Saturday!  Him Indoors scored the double soccer whammy.

The Fairy and me hit the baking - hard.

I am completely knackered this morning, but loved the Olympic closing replay last night. 

Favourite?

Hmmmm - Madness.

You?

London I love you!

Looking forward to getting to bed on time, after 2 weeks of late nights glued to the TV - (and snacks).

Carmel

x

[Smashing things: Picture frame and tub of pencils]

My Creative Space

Lily's blanket.

Neopolitan with Raspberry Sauce

It's been posted and received and is much loved.  Phew, it was one of those ones I didn't think I was going to finish.

My Creative Space has moved since I last joined in.

It's here.

There is an assignment for this week.

Tips for Creativity

Hmmmm .....

I wish I could share something clever and really useful.

The only thing I would say is,

just crack on throughout everything else.

I'm prone to procrastinate and have to push myself to just

Make A Start

and the rest seems to follow.

Carmel

x

Shooting In The Kitchen

I've been practising a lot.  Shooting photos that is.  Anywhere I can, which is usually in the kitchen, because that is where I seem to be, a lot.  And of The Fairy, because that is who I seem to be with, a lot. Now I do not live in a show home, it is an OK house, but it is not an attractive house and there is nothing I can do about it because it is not ours.  The beauty of shooting in manual learnt from Tim Coulson and Scott McGale, is that I can make the kitchen all kind of a blurrrr, so you can't even tell - love that. And don't you think the green of the Palmolive on the window sill adds a certain something?

Back to the Olympics for me.

Carmel

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