Who would have thunk it?

Who would have thunk it? Two posts in a week? I would never have guessed I'd be back so soon. But guess what?  I'm so glad I am.  *doing a little dance in my imagination cos I can't do it in my bedroom  because of the wine fridge*.  Did I ever mention I have a wine fridge in my bedroom?  Let's not go there today...

Even though I've been away from the land of crafty blogs I have still managed to keep the crochet fires burning.  There's rarely been a day where I haven't sat down to hook.  I've made lots of different things and I'm really proud of all of them.  I guess that's the great thing about having an unintended break.  I now have  so many things to talk about.  I don't have to think up things to post about because I've essentially established a blog post stash.  It's the kind of thing posting slackers like me dream about but in truth I really don't need another stash.  When there's too much to do procrastination inevitably sets in.

Now don't freak out but I need to confess something. In the time I've been away I have not crocheted one single jug cover. I know. Insane. The urge just stopped. The obsessive compulsion completely dissipated.  The bugs hibernated, winter set in and I wanted to create bigger and warmer and cosier things.

First cab off the rank was this sweet little red cardigan for Ivy.  I made it in a red merino bamboo.  It's so lovely and soft and because of the bamboo it has a really lovely weight to it.   I like a weighty hang, don't you?



I downloaded the pattern for free from here (the Anna pattern).  It's a great pattern and is easy peasy.  It's an all in one so there's no need for seam sewing.  The pattern only goes up to a size two but because Ivy is petite I knew the pattern would probably fit her.



That being said I couldn't help getting paranoid about it being too small.  I added one set of the V stitch pattern to the front edges to give it a little more width and made sure I crocheted the first stitch before following and counting my way across each row and increase.



Funnily enough it's actually ended up being a bit too big (surprise, suprise!) but that's the way I like it.  I hate the thought of lovingly crocheting something only to have it handed down or packed away into a glory box after one season.  The yarn is so beautiful I'd hate to only enjoy it for a short time.



The pattern also called for some rather fancy flowers around the neck line but I can't say they appealed much to me.  I thought a tie threaded around the neck line with some lovely big pom-poms would look much better.  Now I'm just waiting for the pom-pom faeries to get that done.  Unfortunately they appear to be taking their faery time.  I hope they're not procrastinating.  Winter will be over soon.

M* xo

start with a photo...

I know it's been a while.  The longer you leave your blog the harder it is to return.  With so many ideas going through your mind where do you start?

I saw Cathie last weekend when I went on the Northside Makers Market bus tour to Daylesford.  Cathie said "Just start with a photo and keep it simple".  So I am.  Here is the photo (well there's two actually).  It's a shawl I crocheted during the week from some handspun alpaca  I bought at the Daylesford craft market.  It's yummy, has great weight and I love how it spirals around on the ends.



It's also a bit sparkly(I'm a sucker for a bit of glitter) and incredibly warm.

Hope you are all well and please forgive me for my absence.  I know I have a give away to attend to and  a couple of other unfinished things.  Promise I'll be onto all of that asap.

Take care. xo M*

Youth Market

Hey everyone!  A colleague of mine is an organiser for this market and is looking for stall-holders so I thought I'd post about it to help him out.  They are currently accepting stallholder applications for young artists 25 years of age and younger. This particular market is going to be located at the Footscray Arts Centre, Moreland Street Footscray and adjacent to the Maribyrnong River. The Youth Market details are on the Maribyrnong Makers Market website. Don't forget also put the next Maribyrnong Makers Market in your diary too - next makers market is on 15 May!!

just because giveaway

It's Friday night and it's raining so I've decided to have a giveaway just because. You see, I missed my 200th post 14 posts ago and I missed my 1 year birthday a couple of weeks ago.  "Just because" is going to have to do on this occasion.

And here's what I'm giving away...



Ta da! Yep it's an extra pin cushion that I made as part of my tutorial testing process for the delightful Kate of Foxs Lane's pin cushion swap.  It's not as pretty as this one but it's still functional and will come with all the goodies - pins, measuring tape, tailors chalk, stitch unpick etc...

I thought I should also point out that this jar is slightly imperfect.  If you look closely you will see it has a teeny, tiny dent on the outside rim of the lid.   There is a rather interesting story behind that dent and I've decided that if you want to win the pin cushion, then you have to tell me what you think happened to cause the dent.

Soooooo so if you are up to telling a tale please leave your comments below. I'll do the usual thing and choose the first correct answer (or randomly draw a winner) on Saturday the 1st of May.

have a great weekend

M* xo

my creative space

In my creative space today I can gladly say I have finished something I've been working on for a while. I finally got all 560 of these...



...on to this...



I think you'll agree, it's very, very pretty.  I'm really loving bright colour combinations for my jug covers at the moment.



I now have to list it in my shop but I am in two minds.  It's so pretty and 560 beads takes a lot of time to count and crochet into the work.  I feel quite attached to it.



I think I need a little more time to think about it.

For more creative spaces pop on over to Kirsty's

pin cushion swapsies

Oh I know! I'm late, I'm late!  Not too late just a little bit late but this was supposed to be in the post on Friday.  I'm sorry Kate.  I'm sorry secret swapsies person.  It will be in the post tomorrow, I promise.  I swear upon the crochet goddess...



So this is my pin cushion for Kate's pin cushion swap! It's a jar pin cushion pattern that I'd seen on the net a few times. I decided to use this tutorial.  It was really easy to follow.

I really like the idea of being able to store pins in the bottom as well as having a cool pin cushion space on top.  I couldn't resist decorating it with a bit of crochet.  I also couldn't resist choosing bright contrasting colours either... and I couldn't resist filling it with a few additional goodies either.

It's kind of like a pin-cushion sewing kit all in one.  I'm really pleased with the way it turned out and are hoping my secret swapsies person likes it as much as I do.

For more amazing pin cushions, check out the contributions on this flickr page.  I think you'll agree it's been a fun and fantastic swap.  That's probably because it was organised by a fun, fantastic and creative person by the name of Kate...

my creative space

My creative space is a bit of a mess this week, just like the rest of my life.



On the upside there's been plenty of crochet...



a scarf for my sister-in-law...



and some skirt sewing for my bestest friend.  She's leaving for a 5 week overseas trip in 10 days and now she is not only going to have a mind-blowing holiday with her family, she is going to look hot too.  It always helps.



Gotta love the action shot!!

More action can be found over at Kirsty's

things are getting smaller

I know it'll probably send me blind.  But it's like anything addictive, you just can't stop. I just seem to be getting smaller and smaller.



The photos can't convey how fine this stuff is - it's as fine as sewing cotton.



I did a fair bit of experimentation over the Easter weekend and really got inspired by the stainless steel Habu. It's so spidery and lovely.  It's going to be a scarf (for me).

I'll show you the finished product in 6 months...

one a penny, two a penny....

Happy Easter everyone!  Good luck with your egg hunting tomorrow...

M* xo

the little engine that did

I didn't think I could do it.  I thought it would be too hard.  I thought I simply wouldn't have the time.  But I did do it and I can't believe it.

I OPENED AN ETSY SHOP!!

Yep, that's right. I finally did it.  I now have a place to sell the jug covers I am so addicted to making. I am so glad I have done it too.  I was beginning to wonder what on earth I was going to do with them all.  But now there is a place for them.  A little outlet in cyberspace.  You can see the little linky gallery thing at the top of my left side-bar. It's so exciting.

In all honesty it's not as perfect as I would have liked but I am very limited by time at the moment.  The commercial purists out there may scoff as the image you project is very important - but apart from not being driven when it comes to selling, I also didn't want to sit in the proscrastinators hole that I often find myself in.  At least this way I can learn from my mistakes and improve things as I go.  Banners are easy enough to change and my photography can improve!

So if you have the time,  please go and take a look and tell me what you think.  I am very open to your suggestions and advice.

Hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday.

xo M*

saturday afternoon

Hope you are all having as much a relaxing Saturday afternoon as I am.  I'm in crochet bliss, what about you?

M*xo

My Creative Space

I'm still up to the usual, chipping away on a jug cover or two.  This one is being blocked and will be given as a gift today.



When time permits, I am also playing around with some Habu stainless steel.  I bought some a few weeks ago and have been having a bit of a play.

There's pattern-followed play...



and some free form...




It's so very fine and therefore lovely and delicate to play with.  The special thing about the stainless steel Habu is that it has a "memory", meaning it you can stretch it or crush it and it will keep it's shape.  It's so much fun.

I have a few interesting ideas I'm toying with.  Hopefully they will make a show in this space soon.

For more spaces pop on over to Kirsty's.

northside makers market

Yesterday I took the big plunge into the marketing world...Actually it wasn't the first time I have had a market stall selling stuff I've made but it is the first time in over 12 years so I was a little nervous about it all.

As discussed in previous posts most of my travelling is done on foot or public transport as I don't have my drivers licence.  Yesterday I decided that getting to the market would be no different.  The market is only a 30 min walk from my place and jug covers are relatively easy to carry.  I pulled old Red Bessie out of the shed and loaded her up.



(I'm very fond of Red Bessie.  I purchased her at a trash and treasure market about 15 years ago for $5 bucks and she has been a very useful addition to my non-driving life)

What can I say about the market?  Perfect weather, perfect company and an overall perfect day.  I had a place on the communal stall and spent most of my day chatting with Leonie whilst she knitted and I crocheted.  Liz also spent time on the stall selling her gorgeous lino creations and Melinda dropped by to sell her things for a little while too and had me in stitches!



There were lots of hellos and visits from other crafty bloggy people and I ended up selling 5 jug covers out of the 15 there, two of which this lovely lady bought.  I was really, really happy with the result because I didn't really think I'd sell that many.  This isn't because I think they aren't worth buying, I love them,  it's just that they are not to everyone's taste or requirements.  How many people are looking for something to keep bugs out of their jugs??

So what did I learn about selling at markets?

• I'm a lousy spruiker and spruiking makes an enormous difference.  I'm actually rather shy believe it not and feel terribly awkward. 
• I am much better at spruiking everyone else's stuff than my own, go figure. Melinda and Leonie are queens of the spruik.
• I don't have the ambition to make what I create more than what it is, a hobby but I will still do it on occasion anyway.  You just never know.
• Northside Makers Market is a well organised, friendly market; and
• the craft market community is downright ace.

On that positive note, I'm off to use up some more tired bananas in a banana loaf.  I've just finished a batch of banana, honey and cinnamon choc-chip muffins and thought I'd try out this recipe.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend too. xo

my creative space

Ahh my creative space is a web of conflicting priorities at the moment.  I'm sorry I haven't been around visiting you all regularly and posting bits and pieces.  So much is going on at work, my family and in my head that it feels a little suffocating sometimes.  When life throws so many curve balls at you it can be hard to create order amongst it all. I know I will get back on track soon, it is all cyclical afterall.

That being said, I am still pushing through with my crochet.  I won't let anything get in it's way. This was my creative space on the weekend...



I am churning out jug covers in all manners of colour, shapes and beads.  It's my little moment of solace throughout the day. In fact I have made so many jug covers lately that I have decided it's time to take the next big step and give this a go...

Yep, I'm going to try and sell some jug covers at the Northside Makers Market this Saturday.  I'm not game enough to have my own stand alone stall yet so I put my hand up for the communal table instead.  I'm so excited.  It's such a great market run by very clever and talented people!  Hope I get to meet/see some of you there too!

Pop on over to Kirsty's for more creative spaces...

word of the week

My Creative Space

My creative space today was during  lunchtime.  I took a jaunt to an amazing antiquities warehouse in Richmond called Ziguzagu.  A friend of mine invited me a few months back as I'd never been there before nor heard of it.  It's essentially and import shop full of amazing furniture, homewares and best of all tonnes of stunning, breathtaking Japanese fabric and kimonos. I don't know why but I always seem to be the last person to find out about places like these.



Aren't the kimonos divine?  So many of them and in children's sizes too.  Then there's the fabrics...



So many colours,



so many textures, so many baskets.



It was so heavenly and so inspiring.  Needless to say I left with a small bundle of Japanese delight that I will hopefully turn into some kind of decorative addition on a skirt or top. 

Visit more creative spaces here.

Ziguzagu is situated at 7 - 11 Hill St, Richmond (just off Church St).

My Creative Space

It’s all coming back to me now!! Slip stitch into next treble, yarn over and into the next treble, yarn over and pull through two loops, yarn over and pull through remaining two loops. Ahh, it’s just like the rhythmic chant of the times-tables - I loved reciting them when I was a kid and I now love reciting crochet patterns as an adult.

Woo Hoo – and it's 'My Creative Space' again?! It's great to have found my blogging mojo again so that I'm able to be part of the ‘space’ crew.  Last year I looked forward to every Thursday because of this meme. It's my absolute favourite as it seems to hit the spot for me. Thanks heaps Kirsty for keeping this going week after week.  I know it's a lot of work.

You have probably realised from my opening paragraph that in my creative space this week I have picked up the hook and started off on the jug covers again. It seems that they are slowly evolving into my niche which is rather strange as I have never had a niche before. I am continually impressed by the fact that I never get sick of making them. It's so very unlike me I must say. I’m usually one to try new things all the time and move on. Is it a good thing to be in this kind of space? A space that keeps you locked into one thing? Is it something that comes with age?  Hmmm perhaps I'll have to wait for time to answer that one for me.



I am making my way around a black jug cover at the moment.  Before my break I had a strong desire to make a 'gothic' themed jug cover.  For some reason I thought it necessary to appeal to the goths out there who may be looking for a jug cover but find that the ones on offer don't cater to the dark, creepier side of their tastes.  Yes I know, it's lucky we all don't live on the planet Melanie.



The green cover you can see in the picture is a square jug cover that I finished earlier in the week and is my first attempt at a pattern from a very special treat I bought myself online just after Christmas...



Yes, it's a Japanese cug cover pattern book.  I was so excited when I saw it.  The patterns are absolutely mind-blowing.  They are quite intricate and some of them use over 1000 beads in just one cover!  I don't know if I will ever go there as I can't see myself counting out 1080 beads but then again you never know This is planet Melanie afterall.



What's even more challenging is not a word of it is in English!  It's lucky the patterns are drawn and not written so that they are technically universal. The only problem is that I don't know if any of the Japanese text contains any useful hints or tips.  I will have to show the book to a friend who speaks and reads fluent Japanese and see if he can help.



When I was on the tram the other day I was finishing the last rows of the green cover when I dropped my yarn cone (as you do on a peak hour tram) and it rolled under a seat and into the isle.  The kafuffle caused two other women to strike up a conversation with me. Both of them admired my work, in particular one woman who was very impressed with the fact I was crocheting from a pattern in another language.  As tempting as it was, I did I own up to the truth.

Make sure you pop on over to Kirsty's and visit more creative spaces here...

Blog stuck

image from here

Hi everyone.  Just letting you know I am still here.  I'm just blog stuck.  I don't know what to write about.  It's like I'm an ant walking on top of a sticky bun.  The harder I try to get off the more stuck I get.  Hopefully my ant friends or someone else will eat the bun so I can finally be free from this silly little rut I find myself in.

Happy new year and see you all very soon.

hello from the otherside...

I made it to the otherside, not entirely  unscathed but nothing too serious.  As promised here I am with some jug covers. 



I know it's growing a little repetative but I am quite taken by them. I have never ever been so enamoured with something I've made before.



I am completely absorbed and entranced by them. When they're finished I have a little play with each one.



Did you ever see Pollyanna when you were a kid? Remember the moment when she holds up the crystal shard from the antique lamp and looks through it?



That's how I feel. I get excited by their tinkle against the jug. I get excited when I photograph them. I love looking at them.



*tinkle tinkle*