Rainbow 4 ply superwash
“Rhubarb” wool, alpaca, mohair and silk 8 ply
Spring meadow wool and bamboo 8 ply
These are all available in my Madeit shop now š
Latest hand dyed yarns
Knitting
Cast on, cast off!
The knitting bug hasn’t left me and isn’t likely to any time soon. Likewise, the yarn dyeing bug š
The pattern is Granny’s Favourite by Tikki. The yarn is hand dyed by me, merino 8ply.
It’s my first attempt at lace knitting, and though I had to enlist a little help from Tas to read the instructions properly, it wasn’t hard in the end.
I got some lovely little heart buttons from here.
It’s a snug fit on Gem, but luckily her 2 younger sisters will be more than willing to take it off her hands next season š
I’ve been working on so much stuff lately it makes me giddy to think of it all! You could say I’m well and truly immersed in everything handmade. There isn’t much I can show you yet, but before too long I can reveal what’s been taking up my creative time.
New tools (or toys?)
Delving deeper into dyeing yarn has been a painful experience! On my back, that is – winding skeins and balls by hand is not only time consuming but doesn’t agree with my easily aggravated back.
I made an agreement with myself that if my last 2 skeins of dyed yarn sold, I would buy some tools. They did sell š So I now have a yarn swift.
And a ball winder. Watching the swift and winder working together for the first time is like magic!
I bought them from Petlins and their service was perfect.
I’m really pleased to see my yarn re-skeined, it shows off the colours better and gives a more even wind, hence a tidier appearance.
Oh, did I mention these 2 hanks are available for sale? You can head to my Madeit shop if you’re interested.
I’m hoping to have time to dye some new skeins over the next few days and I may just be drawing inspiration from the Limestone Coast and redback spiders! Sound interesting?
Stitch markers
I was in need of some stitch markers so thought I’d make some up for my Madeit shop as well.
They’re $4.50 for a set of 4.
They can easily be put in with a yarn purchase without having to pay for postage.
Speaking of postage, Australia Post has been very popular this week for all the wrong reasons, mainly that they are way too greedy and are making things really difficult for business owners who rely on the post to get their products out there.
“Change” is running a petition which you can sign here.
Hand dyed yarn and a great short film
Superwash pure new wool in opal and cyclamen hand painted. 100g skein.
This one is available for sale, leave me a message if you’re interested.
Hand painted cotton in rainbow colours, 100g skein.
Already sold š
Hand painted cotton in rainbow colours, 100g skein.
Already sold š
Love the colours in these!
We watched this excellent short film last night, if you go here you can watch it free. I won’t give away the plot, but the movie is about the value of every person and the filming and acting is really excellent.
Thanks for all your comments and positive interactions of late, it reminds me why I enjoyed blogging in the first place!
Oh, and I can’t not mention our new Pope!
God bless Pope Francis!
Little butterflies cardi
Another knit finished and no inclination to slow down š This beautiful little cardi is Little Butterflies from Tikki (couldn’t you have guessed, I’m a little obsessed with this lady’s patterns!)
This photo has the best colour representation. The yarn is Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 8 ply in the colour Aquarium.
She chose rainbow striped buttons and I made her a little brooch to go with it.
It would be amiss of me to not thank my girl for modelling on a day where she has a horrible cold and is feeling rotten, good on you Gem!
And just in case you’re wondering, I do have another cardi cast on already with some yarn I hand dyed (I’ll show you that another day). And yes. It’s another Tikki pattern š
Can I officially call myself a knitter now?
A belated Merry Christmas! With all the festivities I didn’t get a chance to do my usual Christmas post.
I’ve been knitting. A lot. And loving it!
This is my first knitting success story. Most arty/crafty stuff comes pretty naturally to me, but not knitting – I’ve had to really work at it. But finally it’s paying off š
The pattern is “Annie” by Tikki. The yarn is “luxury” in the colour lavender from Bendigo Woollen Mills.
I learned so much knitting this cardigan and the end result far surpasses what I thought I was capable of. Thanks be to God, my help and inspiration!
Isn’t the daisy stitch just beautiful. This is what I love about Tikki patterns – they are quite simple in design but have these little “highlights” to make it special. Most of her patterns are knit on circular needles, which I also love.
This cardi used just over 1x 200g ball of yarn and the buttons were from my stash, which makes the total cost about $15 AUD, what a bargain! OK, lots and lots of hours but so little money.
I’ve already ordered yarn for my next cardigan, this time for my eldest daughter and I must admit I’m feeling quite impatient for it to arrive so I can get started, I’m so loving knitting right now!
Lavender
The Lavender beret from Tikki is my second knit off the needles for this year. I’m starting to think that by the time I’m a Grandma I could be pretty decent at this (and yes, it probably will take that long!)
There are mistakes but overall I’m pretty happy with the result and once again, I’ve learned a lot.
The yarn is from Woolganics in Kundalini, it’s really lovely and I was able to get it in a swap with Zofia – thank you Zof!
Rest is good
I haven’t been well for a couple of days but in a few ways it’s been a good thing. My husband was able to stay home to care for the children. I was able to rest, like, actual bed rest! I even napped!
I knitted. I read. I dozed.
The children brought me flowers in bed. They climbed up and hugged me and told me stories and looked at me with smiling concern.
I’d almost forgotten how much I enjoy reading. I finished off Perelandra by C.S. Lewis and almost finished The Pilgrim’s Regress, also by Lewis (not to be confused with The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, which is also excellent). Did you know C.S. Lewis was a total genius?
It’s been a good reminder to me. I can’t go flat out all the time. I can’t always care for everyone else. I need to rest. And my family really, really loves me š
Warm colours
The weather has turned wintery in Melbourne today and what a perfect time for the postman to bring good tidings with warm colours!
All of these beautiful things were sent to me by Baukje as I was lucky enough to win her blog giveaway recently. There are some truly beautiful and very useful treasures in that parcel, thank you so much Baukje!
And another timely arrival on a day where I’ve largely been shut inside – my favourite embroidery magazine š
I spent some time warming my fingers by rolling a hank of Nell’s lovely wool into a ball in preparation for a little something.
I hope you find a happy craft to warm your fingers and your heart today. Until next time!