Handmade; at the last minute...

For my Dad: A Neck Sock to use while motorbike riding in Winter. Pattern is Cowl'd and Frosty Morning, available for free on Ravelry. I used Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 10ply 'Slate'.

For my Mother-in-Law: Felted Nesting Bowls. Totally improvised crochet project, but it turned out really well! I used Bendigo Woollen Mills Murano.

I've been doing a bit of felting lately, can't wait to show off something I've been working on for the kids!

I've been reminded once again, that I need to get started on handmade gifts much earlier in the year, else Christmas Eve feels a little stressed!!

X Shara

Gratitude Gifts

... For Roman's wonderful Prep teachers. 

A hand rolled beeswax candle (made by Roman), and a Dentelle Scarf from me. 

3 of the loveliest ladies we could have ever hoped for, guiding Roman (and indeed, us) through his first year of school.

Mr E is currently away on long service leave, so we'll have to wait til we see him back at school in February, to give him his gift.

X Shara

A little time for craft...

We were supposed to attend our little friends 2nd birthday celebration on Saturday, instead I spent it in bed sick.

I had made her a little gift, though, and now it's safely in her hands, I can safely share it here.

:: some vintage bunting flags

:: a little toadstool cuddle toy

:: a personalised birthday crown

I'm enjoying the odd bit of crafting. Just a little here and there, helps keep the creative flame burning I find!

X Shara

Ps. While I've been bedridden, online shopping has been my little indulgence. I can't wait to share my yarn-y purchases for some upcoming gifts!

PPs: Spring is just around the corner... I can feel it!

Yarn Along

 

This week was all about Baby Gifts!

 

The top photo is a package ready to send to a friend whose babe is due any day now. I knitted a Pilot Hat in Bendigo Luxury 10ply (stone), a lovely little snuggly onesie, a gorgeous organic cotton duck, and a locally made Goat's Milk soap for Mama.

 

The bottom photo is another gift for a baby due in a couple of months from now. A cute Owl cuddly. Crocheted from bits and pieces in my basket, all 100% wool.

 

This week I have been reading Birth Matters by Ina May Gaskin. Almost everything in this book is "quotable"! I am finding it very inspiring.

 

x Shara

 

Joining in with Ginny.

Yarn Along

I finished my first hand made Christmas gift this week. A sweet knitted gnome for Leo. He stands about 30 cm high and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I used a free pattern available at Wee Folk Art.

And I tried my hand at knitting a Pebble Vest! I'm so glad I did, as it was much easier than I anticipated and although I didn't make any mistakes, my joins were a bit loose in parts, but I'm sure that just comes down to practice. I just need to find the perfect buttons now. I used some Malabrigo Rios in Lettuce.

I haven't really been reading this week, just flicking through Frankie Magazine and the new issue of Harper's Bazaar.

x Shara

Joining in with Ginny and friends for the Yarn Along!

Flags for Gathering

Each month my Mum hosts a little ladies lunch at her house. She invites ladies that don't know each other, ladies she doesn't know well, or ladies she hasn't caught up with in a while.

She asked me to make some flags to hang in the dining room specifically for these lunches. Something colourful, Please....

Just need to make some bias binding to join them all together....

x Shara

See what others are crafting over HERE.

Yarn Along

It has been a quiet yarning week this week, What with the busy-ness of birthdays (here and here) and my Mother in Law staying (she has left just this afternoon), I've been spending as much time with family as possible.

This blanket was a gift I made for my MIL for her birthday. I used a recycled doona cover (the black back) and got the beautiful purple quilting cotton from Spotlight. The edge is crocheted with a bamboo/cotton blend.

I have started knitting a little something for myself. 8 feet of stockinette stitch. Should be good practice for this beginner knitter. It will be a Rainbow Cowl, except, it's obviously red, not rainbow!

I also made myself a little "mug rug" based on one I saw in my Instagram feed (I'm on there as mamashara).

For my birthday my husband ordered me Down to Earth by Rhonda Hetzel. I love it and have almost finished reading it!! I highly recommend it if you are interested in self sufficiency and making your own soaps, laundry liquids, cleaners etc! You should also check out her blog, so much great stuff there!

Joining in with Ginny for the Yarn Along!

x Shara

Yarn Along

Joining in with Ginny again this week for the Yarn Along.

Here's a look at what I've been up to!

I finished Leo's Nasturtium bonnet and I absolutely love it! The trick now will be to keep it on his head!!

I made two little cloche hats with flowers. The purple one for a friend, to give as a gift and the yellow one is for my neighbour, whose baby girl, Louisa, was born on Good Friday. This hat pattern is from Little Crochet by Linda Permann and the flower is from Aesthetic Nest.

I finished the first pair of Cutie Patootie Pants. These are the 0-6 months size and are a gift for a friend. Now I will start on a bigger size for Leonardo.

I have made more progress on the TV Cosy, but it is so boring sewing the sqaures together and then sewing the ends in.... I really just want it finished though, as I know it will look great when it's done!

I knitted a simple headband for myself. I used the It's a Cinch pattern from Ravelry.

So all in all a pretty busy week for me and my hook!!

I still have few unfinished projects in the basket, so before I start anything new, I need to finish all these off....

Also, I forgot to mention a few weeks ago that when I was visiting my Aunt, I spied this wonderful knitted Nativity Set! She also had knitted some Topsy-Turvy Cinderella's for her grandaughters, but I forgot to take a picture!

All the details on Ravelry.

As for books, I made a trip to the library this week and picked up some non-fictions to flick through.

x Shara

Yarn Along

I was hoping to have something finished today to show you all, but alas, I have too many projects on the go. I believe this is a typical problem amongst crafty types!! Definitely next week.....

The green pants are almost done:

And I received my backorder from Bendigo Woollen Mills, with a lovely 8ply Classic in Brick Red. This will be whipped into hats for the boys.

I have already started Leo's. A Nasturtium bonnet...this will be so cute!

My Ravelry notes are here.

As for reading....I knew I was being ambitious last week, and to keep it all honest and above board...I have not read a word :)....

Joining in with Ginny...Check out who else is Yarning Along!

x Shara

A Baby for Leo

Baby Leonardo will be turning 1 next week. I can hardly believe it! I have bought a few small things for his birthday and of course I will be making a few things for him too! He is very much into kissing and hugging at the moment and loves snuggling with different soft toys that he finds around the house. So with that in mind, I thought he would like a little baby to kiss and hug.

I got this lovely lime green woodland print quilting cotton at spotlight yesterday.

The little face is embroidered and the tuft of hair is a soft bamboo/cotton mix.

I hope he likes it!!

x Shara

Check out what others have been crafting this week over at Frontier Dreams.

It's all in the details....

For Roman's little afternoon tea celebration, I told everyone by word, the details and then just sent out these little reminders in the post. I only had to make 5, which was great, as I handstamped all the dots and the lettering!

In an effort this year to use up some of the staggering amount of stashed materials and craft supplies (they really are taking over our garage!), I made a colourful circle garland out of craft felt. This will be useful for all sorts of celebrations.

Kaleb and I only give small amounts of gifts to our children (and ourselves), with the intention that they will learn to be grateful for the blessing of gifts rather than just expecting a truckload every year. Of course there are always gifts from grandparents, aunts and uncles and friends. This year Roman recieved some really wonderful gifts! We bought 1 gift, which was a soccer ball and then I made 2 gifts for him. The Pencil Roll was so easy to make and I used all materials that I had on hand including the pencils, which I bought on special some months ago. Pencil Roll tutorials are all over the net, but this one in particular came from the blog, Say Yes to Hoboken.

The other gift I made, was photographed, but I realised after it had been opened and used, that I didn't have the memory card in!! It was a playdough monster pack, that I originally saw on pinterest. Here is the original picture. To the playdough and googly eyes, I added cut up straws, mini craft pom poms and purple paddle pop sticks. Again all items I had on hand already.

So, all in all, apart from the food, I only spent $9.98 on gifts!

x Shara