yarn along

 woo hoo, three posts in one day, that,s got to be a record for me right?!  Lately I haven't been getting on here much so when I finally do I have lots of photos to share. Things are busy at the moment. I went to a hens night on the weekend and have another this weekend and then two weddings, both of which I'm a brides maid in, within a month. A few weeks later were going on holiday to Queensland oh and in between all the excitement I'll go to the fertility specialist and naturopath. Its all going to be lots of fun and I have a feeling I'm going to blink and a whole crazy busy month or two will be gone. Which will make me a month or two closer to moving house:)

In the meantime, maybe ill get some knitting done. My work in progress is a flora hat. I started it a few weeks ago. Its one of my first tries at intarsia and I was almost finished when I tried it on. I'd pulled the stitches too tight and it sort of looked slightly bunched up. I thought it might be OK  but when I showed it to Benny he said "oh that looks cool, is it army print?" hmm, not quite the look I was going for. So now I kind of want to re do it but I'm worried it will look like army print again.
Maybe it can sit a little longer and I can knit this instead?

 A while back I knitted a few vanilla soakers for the one day baby.

 The white one is finished and the pink stripe one needs leg cuffs still.

Tonight I've been looking back on my blog. For quite a while now I've been unmotivated with it thinking that I'm just posting same old with not much new to share. As I looked back I enjoyed it so much and realized that my 'same old' really is nice to look back on. It might seem like same old when I've just done it but to look back on my favorite everyday moments really is a picture of my life. Even if I forget to take photos when out doing fun things like I usually do. I look back on my every day normal and I see the happiness I make for myself in simple ways. It inspires me to plant more seeds, knit more, sew more. I love my every day normal.
Its been so nice to look back on our holidays, anniversary's  fun day care moments, old houses. The every day things I have forgotten about.
I think my very favorite thing looking back on my blog is re reading my honest posts on the now 4 year journey of trying to get pregnant. It brings a calmness to my soul to re read them. Validating all the thoughts and feelings I've felt and written down, It some how heals the hurt a little more each time and makes me feel strength. It reminds me that were still trying, even though after all this time it sort of feels like I've moved on and just gotten used to pregnancy and parenthood being something that other people get to experience and I don't.
That sounds so miserable but honestly its not in a sad way, just in a protecting myself from hurt way. My naturopath speaks so positively about me getting pregnant and I try to still talk like I feel its possible but after all this time it sounds kind of silly to me to. I guess I think of myself as infertile until proven otherwise. It's not that I don't believe it can happen, it really is just wanting to be at peace with what is until it does.
I was re reading all the comments on those posts too. Each of you that wrote kind and reassuring comments, every time time I re look at those posts, I re read them and they feel like little angels of hope dancing into the sky. It really does make me feel so much better to have all those kind words wishing my baby would come

wood and wool (two of my favourite things)

 On Saturday the weather was so nice that Benny and I spent almost the whole day outside working on various crafts and projects and relaxing on the daybed. One of the things I did was add windows to the old doll house . I got to use my favourite tool the trimmer again to round the edges so I was happy:)

 With these warm days wool jumpers (sweaters) at the opp shops are in abundance. Ive been collecting them to eventually make a felted patchwork blanket but this lambswool/angora one really wanted to become a rabbit. After beginning this dear little bunny I realised that I was nearly out of wool for stuffing so he has a nice big bag of rice in his belly which turned out great and means that he can sit on his own. Now I've just got to stitch him together, add a face and maybe a peter rabbit coat

I got the idea for him from a post and a tutorial on Our Ash Grove

Yarn along

 Seems ive been spending my spare moments knitting and reading im joining Ginny and many others for her yarn along!
Im working on some evenstar fingerless gloves , the same as I made for mum last year. She will be thankful that I will stop borrowing hers every time I visit! Im enjoying knitting these this second time round as its easier yet still challenging enough to keep me thinking, although it would have been a bit more exciting to do this second pair if 'id chosen a different colour for myself . I quite enjoy doing the cable pattern as its so much easier to go back on mistakes then lace.
The book im reading, knit one kill two is a knitting murder mystery. Benny thinks its hillarious that knitting murder mysteries exist, he talks about fearing old ladies that might stab him with their knitting needles:) I love this series of books, this is my second time reading them. The charachters in the book are so into knitting and talking about different yarns that its contagious and inspires me to knit. very handy, I needed some knitting motivation

 Ive also been making another pair of slippers, these ones from a felted jumper.

 The soules are different colour at the moment as I made the first one with the intention to leave the seams on the outside but then decided to turn the seams to inside (meaning the black outer soul is on the inside) One day soon I will fix it but for now their so cozy and warm I dont want to take them off

My favourite part was adding these wooden tree buttons that id been saving for the right project. Love them:)

recycled wool socks

Lately as the weathers been getting colder I've been busy re-purposing  wool jumpers (sweaters) that I collected over summer. I got lots from the $1 rack at my favourite opp shop because of course I was the only one wanting wool jumpers in the middle of summer!
Most of them I just altered to fit me better by taking in the sleeves and width if they were too big etc but for a few that just weren't going to work Ive felted them and turned them into other things. Ive made fingerless gloves, the cowl I was wearing last post and here are some pictures of some socks I made tonight.

 I started with this piece which used to be a heavily felted jumper before I used the arms and top for other projects.

I then marked around my foot and then the length I wanted them making sure that the jumpers ribbing would be at the top of the sock. One side was on the fold so that my socks would have less seams

 I cut the fabric allowing plenty of room around my marked line. I then sewed on the line and tried them on. It fitted perfectly but if it was too small I would have had room to un-pick and make it a little bigger

 Once I knew that id got the fit right I trimmed the excess fabric to about 1/4 inch and turned them inside out

 Felty warm socks, as easy as that!

 I also made these silky soft cashmere socks out of the same cardigan as my cowl and arm warmers. Oh and a double layered cozy beanie.Yep I got good value out of that miss fitting cardie!

wooly wooly pants and a nearly finished rag rug

 I am beyond excited about what came in the mail today!
A few months ago I realised that I was in need of some warm winter pants. I decided to search for some stretch merino wool pants. I knew they would be pricey but I'm all about quality over quantity. My absolute favourite pair were yoga pants (the kind with a wide waist band that folds over instead of elastic, so comfy) from Merino Country but they were $150 and I really needed two pairs.
Since then I've been regularly checking ebay to see if I could find anything similar with no luck whatsoever (I only once saw a pair of stretchy merino pants in size XXL) until the other day I found the exact Merino Country pants I had been wanting in my exact size! Two pairs! I managed to win the auction and got both pairs for 2/3 of what it would have otherwise cost for one pair new. They look brand new and I couldn't be happier (or cozier or warmer) with them. Yep, these were meant to be my pants

Look how big my rag rug is getting! A few more rounds and it will be finished. As you can see its already in use. So far none of the day care children have discovered the loose end that if pulled will unravel my hard work, that's a plus

Wet felting slippers-in pictures

 For the past few winters I've wanted to make wet felted slippers, now that I've done quite a few wet felting projects I decided I was up for the challenge.
I followed this tutorial

 here are my stripes placed on one side of my slippers

 felting felting felting!

 snipping the two slippers apart

 Trying them on for the first time (thinking oh dear I hope they shrink a lot and get a whole lot cuter)

 One shaped and one ready for shaping

 Finished (for now, might shape them a bit more)

I'm pretty happy with them for a first attempt but I made the initial template a bit too big so they're a bit big for me. I think ill make another pair although these might fit well with thick socks. I cant wait until their dry, my feet are freezing!

edited to add-actually, just now ive put them in the dryer and been checking them every few mins and not only do they fit better, their almost dry! Yippe

Today im loving...

*Weather that is cool enough for winter winter woolies. I love this $1 wool jumper from the salvos (I found an opp shop open on Saturdays, yay) and stripey woolen top second hand from ebay. Im glad to have discovered that I love wearing wool. I thought I didn't like wearing wool but Ive found fine knits are comfortable on my skin. I started off last winter wearing an opp shopped cashmere cardi, then merino, and then I got brave enough for regular wool. Now I love them all 

*the masses of tiny butterflies in our garden. Every time I walk through the grass they flutter about happily (or maybe unhappily, seems I disturbed them!)

 This beautiful needle felted picture recieved from I swap I did recently with Marie of Softearthhart . Im also enjoying making a daisy chain garland for Maries friend who is starting a Steiner inspired playgroup ( she wanted a daisy chain to symbolise the children coming together, isnt that the sweetest idea:)

This colourfull felty mess on our couch side table:) (you can see in the basket a leaf garland and flower garland that have made their way to my shop yesterday. The leaf garland is already in a treasury)

My favourite plate.I thrifted this wooden plate for 50c. When I got it it was un finished and had a big bit of wood sticking up in the middle. Im not sure what it was supposed to be but with the help of a chisel and sand paper it transformed into a beautiful plate. (I may or may not have been eating that pizza for breakfast:)

Ive noticed that 149 people are now following allong this little blog of mine. Im thinking a give away would be a fun way to cellebrate when it gets to 150, dont you agree?