06
FEB
crochet softie
My beautiful long-time mate Ali made this crochet softie for Erika. Isn't she a star? I have not been brave enough to try — to crochet a softie looks so hard! Aren't home-made gifts just tops? Love, love and more love. Peace out. xo
23
JAN
crochet monkey rattle
How gorgeous is this crochet monkey rattle? I just had to purchase when I spied it at Mathilda's Market in Malvern last year. From memory I was either very close to my due date, or overdue — hubby spotted quite a few stares and the odd person pointing at me and my enormous belly. Ah, those were the days...
28
OCT
baby blankie in progress
The little cot blanket I started is coming along nicely — finished the first two bands of colour (of four), just started on the third. It's lovely to have a little project to work on that doesn't involve much brain power. I'd really like to have the quilt finished first, given that winter is more than 6 months away and I probably won't need this little wooly blanket...
14
OCT
anniversary of travels – venice
You can view the original post 'Venice, one of a kind' here.
12
OCT
anniversary of travels – florence
You can view the original post 'Aah, Florence' here.
10
OCT
anniversary of travels – positano
View the original posts 'Perfect Positano' and 'Exploring Pompeii'.
07
OCT
anniversary of travels – rome
Anniversary of travels series continues... Ta-da! Rome. You can view the original post 'Five Days In Rome' here.
05
OCT
anniversary of travels – london
Can you believe it's been a whole year since hubby and I toured Italy (and a wee bit of London)? And what a year! I think about our trip all the time. It was so magical, for a whole host of reasons. I would love to go back again some day. To celebrate the anniversary, I decided to frame some of our photos and display them on our study wall....
03
OCT
a quick project
...or so I hope. I know what you're thinking: why o' why am I starting a new project when I haven't finished the last? Because I am impatient! It's been so long since I'd picked up a pair of knitting needles, I was afraid I wouldn't remember how to knit. But, as they say, it's just like riding a bicycle. My hands remembered even if my brain didn't...
05
SEP
back on track…
After a frustratingly time-consuming set-back, 'Project Sunspot' is back on track. I had crocheted together about 25 rounds — 19 in the first strip, then rounded the corner to come back the other way — when I discovered the vague 'pattern' (read: trying to decipher stitches via pictures) I had been following didn't quite work as I had anticipated...
18
JUL
hobart in a flash
Hubby and I traveled down to Hobart this past weekend for his sister's husband's 40th. Originally from Tassie, our brother-in-law gathered together a great group of family and friends for a beautiful birthday bash. We made the most of our leap across Bass Strait, scooting all over the country-side, sampling a little of what gorgeous Hobart...
11
JUL
sunspot crochet is a-go!
NOW I can take a deep breath and savour the moment — I'm almost there! The rounds are complete (with new Zara colours done and dusted; it did put me behind schedule, but I'm glad I bothered because they've added more blues and greens to the mix and made the overall size of the rug larger), now it's time to put them all together. It's lovely...
29
JUN
uh-oh, new colours
I was walking past Clegs on Elizabeth Street last week when I noticed they were having a big yarn sale. Lo and behold, they were stocking new colours from the Filatura Di Crosa Zara range. Just when I thought my sunspots were finished, time to whip out the crochet hook and make a few more rounds — 71 extra rounds...
31
MAR
visit victoria — march 2011
Okay, so I promised to share this with you in a timely manner... well, March kind of got away from me. But here 'tis — you can still enjoy perusing the events of April and May! My favourite jaunt in autumn? Daylesford. Hubby and I will definitely be doing a little weekend away sometime soon, when the leaves start to turn and...
19
JAN
wristworms
Love. Love. Love! I just had to share ‘wristworms’ with y’all. They are the work of Sandra Juto in Sweden and an absolute delight. I am particularly besotted with her ‘Buttcrack’ characters (Mr. Sunburn had me in stitches, no pun intended). Both the little wristwarmers and softies would make brilliant gifts — and of course you can buy online!...
11
JAN
halfway there
Time to pat me on the back, folks! I finished my goal number of crochet rounds on Sunday — 208 — with no days to spare before returning to work! (I’ll admit that, yes, there was at least one day during my break that I wore my PJ’s all day). And yes, I am just a bit daunted by the thought of sewing all those ends in (but don’t they look pretty!)...
08
JAN
slice of healesville heaven
‘Twas such lovely weather on Thursday, I was so pleased to get an impromptu Healesville Sanctuary invite from my mate Ali. It has been many years since we visited, but it was a first for Ali’s little one, Piper. The bright little bubble is 18 months old, and her vocabulary has grown so much since I saw her last. It was so cute hearing her pronounce...
05
JAN
tourism victoria — spring 2010
I probably should have shared this with you during spring, when the event information was still relevant... but I was in Italy! (Was that a little too smug? Sorry...) Anyhoooo, I put the above booklet together just before going on holidays, and the final client tweaks were performed by my trusty side-kick. Though the events have passed,...
02
JAN
take a walk to lala land
On a beautiful day this week, hubby and I took the boys (our furry children) for a walk to the Lala Falls in Warburton (about 80km’s east of Melbourne). A 3.2km trek from the car park to the waterfall, the winding track was bathed in dappled sunlight. The sound of rushing water and bird calls was so uplifting, and the walk challenging enough...
30
DEC
i’ve been busy
I have added to my collection of rounds (whilst watching just about every soppy girly movie I own), from the 31 I had when I first posted, to 94! (And just in case you’re Rainman, no — there isn’t 94 in this photo, I have done even more since I took this pic!). Thank you to Sharon who gave me extra encouragement by commenting on my first ‘sunspot’...
06
DEC
pizza n’ pinot
Last Saturday hubby and I awoke at dawn (ok, not quite, but it felt like it) for a trek to the Red Hill market on Victoria’s coast with the fam. Oh, what a food & craft wonderland! Farm produce, breakfast delights and sugary treats as far as the eye can see! Sweet little bubba outfits, clever crafts and beautiful funky knits! It was all too easy to part...
25
NOV
in the round
This is a little project that I kind of made by accident. You see, I wanted to make a scarf in the round (kind of like a big cowl-neck warmer) but had never done it before. Linda (co-worker and knitter extraordinaire) said it was easy, but frankly, I didn’t believe her. She also says knitting socks is easy and they look like an absolute mo-fo...
17
NOV
a little bit of sunshine
This wee little project (ok, you’re right, it’s not little — it’s gargantuan), entitled ‘sun-spots’, has been put on the back-burner for... oh I don’t know, six months? (Oh, I know exactly when I started — I blogged about the wool I bought for the project here). Pathetic, I know. I think I’m daunted by the sheer size... plus, now that I’m out of practice...
06
NOV
saturday treat
It was such a beautiful day today, we couldn’t resist taking a drive to the Yarra Valley for lunch. If you’ve never been to Giant Steps Innocent Bystander in Healesville, you really ought to give it a go. Not only does the cafe/bistro serve wood-fired pizzas and bakery goodies, but they do wine and cheese tastings and sell all manner of jams,...
26
OCT
milan, let’s go shopping!
Train travel really is the best way to get around Italy. You can see glimpses of small towns and amazing terrain that you mightn’t otherwise. While on the train between Venice and Milan, I saw chickens pecking around beside the tracks. I theorised that the reason why we’ve seen so little ‘pollo’ on ristorante menu’s is, because the...
20
OCT
venice, one of a kind
Before leaving for our trip, I’d heard a couple of people remark that two days is all you need in Venice. There aren’t a huge number of ‘must-see’ touristy items to cross off your check-list. Love it, hate it or indifferent to it, I’m sure everyone must agree that there isn’t anywhere else in the world quite like it. I’ve been meaning to do a little reading,...
09
OCT
three days in the cinque terre…
...is not enough. Famous for the walking trails that connect these five tiny villages on the coast, the Cinque Terre is simply stunning. I probably should have done a little reading before departing on our first trek, however. Passing a number of German tourists wearing hiking boots and sporting walking sticks, I began to doubt my choice...
06
OCT
aah, florence
Yes, you are right. I know. I have procrastinated over writing this post. Why? Well, I’ve gushed over every other destination thus far, it’s difficult to articulate just how much I loved Florence. I. Bloody. Loved. Florence. How’s that? I seriously loved this little city. It has such an abundance of art and culture and history and lush green gardens...
29
SEP
quick stop in pescara
Following on from my last post on Pompeii: Our driver then drove us from Pompeii to Salerno train station where we were to catch a train back to Rome. I have discovered that I can sleep just about anywhere — including on the steps of the main train station entrance, with my head resting on my folded arms across my bag. Not quite as...
25
SEP
exploring pompeii
Pompeii, like much of Italy thus far in our trip, was a mind-blowing experience. So much of the original city has been spectacularly preserved, and the area it covers is immense. We had just two hours to explore this ancient wonder, and so had a very knowledgeable and lovely guide, Maria, walk us through. I was so impressed by how...
24
SEP
perfect positano
Getting to Positano was to be our first major train journey, and it could have been a bit of a juggle. As it was, we cheated a little — we caught a train from Roma Termini to Salerno, then jumped into a taxi for the remaining distance. Hefty price, yes, but we avoided connection complications, and was able to see some amazing scenery...
23
SEP
five days in rome
Aaah, Rome. What a phenomenal city. I was somewhat intimidated upon our first meeting. I feared the language barrier would lead us up numerous dead-ends, not to mention all the thieving gypsies and pick-pocketers we'd been warned about. Whilst I am confident in reading an Italian menu (seen plenty of them before),...
21
SEP
london calling
My goodness, we managed to pack a lot into our day and a half in good ol’ London-town. We had uncharacteristically good weather for at least half of it, too! You would suppose that after a 24 hour journey we would have been just shy of a coma, but we were running on adrenaline and determined not to miss a thing...
20
SEP
buongiorno!
Aaah, alas we are home from our whirlwind Italian tour. What an amazing time we had, and what spectacular things we’ve seen! Not to mention all the delicious food we’ve eaten... but oh, where to start? I kept a little diary whilst there, so that I could recall where we visited and what we saw...
18
JUL
aah, the alpine air
Biting cold, soft white powder snow, extra-thick socks and ten cosy layers, slow-cooked lamb stew with cous cous, amazing views, lots of colourful wool and a crochet needle, and bloody gorgeous mates and hilarious conversation make for a very enjoyable weekend. Love you lots, me sweets xo...
11
JUL
for the soul
I officially started my four-day week this week. Work has been busy and stressful of late, so on Friday I resolved to treat myself. It was such a beautiful day, clear blue skies and bright sunshine, though incredibly cold. Thus, I decided to drive to the Yarra Valley — to soak in some rays, treasure hunt in an antique store...
29
MAY
spreading the crafty joy
I have a great job (mostly — ask me again when I’m stressed and under deadline!). I work in Melbourne for News Magazines, designing across the women’s titles (Country Style, Delicious, Donna Hay, Vogue Australia and Vogue Living, etc.). This week, News Magazines was invited into the offices of Mindshare,...
15
MAY
knit knit
About a year ago, my lovely Nan taught me to knit. Slow and oh-so-awkward at first, with each project my skill and speed improve. It will, however, take me until I reach Nan’s age to match her — she’s a machine! My first project was a scarf (of course) — I played with knit and purl to create...
04
MAY
somewhere over the rainbow
I have crochet fever. Since the lovely Carly taught me the basics, I have been thinking about little else. She spotted a beautiful granny square rug on a blog, which has been the inspiration for my purchasing wool in every colour in the rainbow. The idea is to put together rounds of three different colours,...
26
APR
tourism victoria — spring 2009
Since mid-last year, I have had the pleasure of working with Tourism Victoria to produce several 24-page advertising inserts. This first insert appeared in The Adelaide Magazine and QWeekend Magazine in October 2009. My contact at Tourism Victoria, the lovely Emily, has been wonderful to work with...
24
APR
granny squares
Ok, I was going to share my crafty journey with you in chronological order, but I’m going to skip a few chapters, just this once (‘cos I’m so excited). On Friday, my mate Carlz (crazy monkey, you can read her blog here) taught me how to crochet granny squares! She was such a brilliant little teacher,...