Crochet apprentice

This is my gorgeous friend, Molly. We were both at my mum's recently watching a movie with my Brother and his Girlfriend and I was crocheting. Molly was so interested that Mum got her a hook and some wool and I started to teach her. Then a week or two ago she told me she had bought wool and hooks for herself, and we went through it again, she had remembered most of what I taught her.

I find it interesting how no-one I teach crochet does it exactly the same, it's kind of like how we all hold our pens and write differently. Molly wanted to make a beret type had, and you can see it here the following day, almost finished. (I think she stayed up late working on it.)
I love teaching people new things, and the best way to attract pupils is by them seeing you doing it. I take my crocheting and knitting, and other projects too numerous to mention to meetings, to movies at friends houses, when I travel and when I go somewhere for dinner. Why waste time when you can make something at the same time.

Go Molly!

Shopping Tote Swap

This is the cute Shopping Bag that Susan made for me in Rhonda's swap. It is lined with Bright orange material and has a cute pocket on the outside. I think it's one of the bags styled after the plastic shopping bag design. I haven't used it yet, but will take it shopping tomorrow as I'm having some friends round for dinner. She received my bag a few days ago and liked it as well.

Baskets of Flowers - a teacosy pattern.

Just posting a photo of the tea cosy I made for Sarah in the swap at Down to Earth. I crocheted the flower and put a mother of pearl button for the middle of the flower. The teacosy is two squares stitched in basket stich with rib stitch at the top and bottom to give it the stretch it needs to go around the teapot.

I thought I would post the pattern in case anyone would like to make one like it.

For this size Teapot the pattern I made was:

Cast on 36 stiches using 3-4 size needle. (This can be increased by multiples of 4)

Rib Stitch

(Knit one Purl one) repeated to the end of this row.
Repeat for 14 rows.

Basket Stitch
(a)(K4 P4) Repeat to end of row. Repeat for four rows.
(b)(P4 K4) Repeat to end of row. Repeat for four rows.
Continue (a) and (b) until you achieve the desired length.

Rib Stitch

(K1,P1) Repeat to end of row. repeat for 6 rows.

End off. (This is the top)

This is one side. After you have made a matching side Sew them together up the sides approximately 3-4cm (depending on the placement of the handle of the teapot) and across the top from each side approximately 2cm. Embellish or not as you desire. You can knit a plain layer to increase the insulation and attach this inside or use a piece of felt or flannel (but this will limit the stretchability of the cosy). Sarah lives in the warmer parts of USA so I didn't think this would be necessary.

Hannah

Tea Cosy Swap

This is the beautiful Teacosy I received in Rhonda's last swap at Down to Earth. Sarah from New Mexico gave it to me, and it arrived intact. I love the different blue fabrics, I made an offer on my first house this morning and it has a blue kitchen. More about the house soon. Anyhow, so the colours are perfect. I love the detail of the words tea and the little teapot ornament. Sarah also sent the great chilli fabric. She is from New Mexico and it's pretty hot there :)

I knitted my tea cosy for her, and forgot to take a photo so hoping she emails one to Rhonda.

What will I make???

I went to the op shop today to get an apron (for preparing wool for spinning) and found a whole lot of quilting fabrics for a bargain. They were all done up by colours and I bought a blue one which I have shown here, and a green one, which has some lovely fabrics too. I also got a ball of pink cotton yarn for making more dishcloths, I am on my third at the moment, inspired by Rhonda, but the cotton I have was too thin so I have started crocheting them. I like this as I don't have to focus too much on what I am doing, and can make them while chatting to my mum, or last night at the bushwalking club meeting. People are always surprised that someone under 60 is making something by hand which frustrates me.

Home made things do take time, but they give me a sense of satisfaction, of pleasure, and purpose. That I can contribute to the economy with more than my credit card (Which I only use as a debit card, and a regular amount of my pay goes into it each fortnight) I also love giving a gift that is handmade, it says I have thought about and put time into this gift. Anyone can run down the store and buy a present, but something made by hand speaks volumes to me.

I also finished and sent off my Tea Cosy for Rhonda's swap to Susan in New Mexico, I did knit that one and crochet a flower to go on it, but wrapped it up before I remembered to take a photo. I'll have to wait until she gets it and sends a photo to Rhonda to go on the Blog. Now I just have to wait for mine to arrive.

I am already thinking about what to make next with these fabrics, but I will wait until I have finished the project I am working on now.... Or maybe not, who needs one project when you can have ten!!!

Making Aprons

I am hard at work at the moment making my apron for my swap partner Bren. This is the second swap I have participated through Rhonda's Blog "Down to Earth" which you can link to through the links on the left hand side of my blog. I am really enjoying working with the fabric I bought to make it something with beauty and meaning and not just something practical.

I really like aprons, but I like the ones with bodices as well as skirts. There is something special about putting on an apron when you get ready to cook or clean, or to go and pick vegetables from the garden for dinner. I have a lovely babushka doll apron that is my favourite to wear. My mum got it for me at some markets on a holiday once, and it has lovely colours and fabrics. A friend of mine has a lovely hand appliqued apron with birds and dragonflies that she has never used because she likes it too much (it was made for her as a gift). We decided she should use it for a peg apron, as then it will not get very dirty.
I found this picture of a patchworked apron that I would like to try copying, I like the idea of incorporating those skills of beautiful handywork into something practical like an apron, that takes it from being something to keep the dirt off your good clothes, to a thing of beauty in itself.

An apron was the very first thing that I made on a sewing machine with my mum, learning how to hem and to decorate it. It was green with a pattern on it, but I can't remember what. It was a waisted apron, which I probably wouldn't make now, but I was very proud of it at the time.

Aprons speak of working to me, but working with purpose and passion for a house you care for and a family and friends that you love. It speaks to me of not being afraid to get your hands dirty, to make a mess, to be creating. It says I am happy in my home and in my family. It says that doing the little things well are important.

Spinning Around

I have wanted to learn to spin for a while now, and was in a craft group (part of the permaculture group I was in in Sydney) where others learnt to spin but at the time I was working on some weaving. So when I recently moved back to the South Coast (of NSW) I thought I might look into it some more.

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A friend at work told me she learnt to spin at a day course half an hour up the coast, but when I called them they are no longer running the courses. I tried to contact spinners and weavers locally but couldn't get onto one group and another met during the week which was impossible for me due to work commitments.

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Then the other day I went to the new exhibition at the local art gallery, and it was an exhibition of works by the spinners and weavers. I met some of the members and found out that the local group meets on a Saturday and the next meeting was the coming Saturday. I went along and met a great bunch of women, a couple of men too, although they weren't spinners. They showed me how to comb a fleece and how to spin and offered to lend me a wheel to practice on until I buy one.

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One lady had just had her sheep shorn and sold me a fleece to get started on and off I went to pick it up, however on the way there was a garage sale, and I found an ashford spinning wheel very similar to the one in the photo, (my camera won't hook up properly at the moment) This one only had a single treadle, but is very simple and compact to fit in my small hatchback. I had a go at spinning on it and it was fine so I ended up with my own spinning wheel. I could only justify it because I had learnt to spin that morning and I had told myself I wouldn't buy a wheel until I could spin.

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I am really enjoying spinning, either watching the television or talking with friends and it really is quite meditative, and satisfying as you see the bobbin fill with wool. It's a lovely sound as well and the lanolin on the fleece is beautiful and soft on your hands. Next time I go I am going to learn how to ply....and then make something.....more then.