I'm back.....well kind of......

You know the best of intentions....well....I have no real excuse for not being back on here....just got busy with work and was so tired....so a quick post today.....then maybe another in a day or two when I get some photos off the camera.

Thank you for your comments - I am indeed lucky to live on 5 acres, but it's a lot of work and I'm afraid I have no idea how to make jam (I'm barely housetrained & leave that to hubby - maybe he knows lol).  I am looking forward to when our native trees & shrubs get going & the house isn't sitting like a blob on the landscape....will try for some better photos for a later post....

I now have 9 trees in my 'orchard' - 3 pears, 2 apples, 3 plums and a fig.  As it's 2 weeks to spring, I've done all the planting I plan on doing this year and may add to the 'orchard' next year.  There's also been some more native euaclypts added to eventually give us some privacy.

'Winters Tale"

I'm still working on my main hardanger piece and am helping some local sewers with the 'winters tale' (see last blog post).  Here is my sample piece (in case they wanted to back out)....you may notice it's in my favourite colour of blue.  I thought this was a good design that would give the group something they can display at the end.....It's done on hardanger fabric in no 5 & no 8 perle.

On the crochet front, I'm working on my 3rd & final baby blanket in Panda 4ply baby lustre.  It's good having something to work on at lunch (gets my eyes away from the computer).  I think I read somewhere this yarn was being dis-continued, so I'm using some of the inherited stash as I don't think this yarn is soft enough for clothing (maybe that's just me, but a blanket should be ok).  (There are no grandchildren on the horizon, but building a stash for daughters & any of their friends)

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing - having a safe and happy week........

~ Karen ~ :)

at last the trees......

above are my fruit trees - 3 pears, 2 apples, a fig & 2 plums.  All have been mulched ready for the warmer weather.  It's a bit hard to tell what type of trees they are without leaves, but once they do have leaves, I'll post another photo.

What a busy couple of weeks....I didn't realise it had been so long since I'd been on here....

You may have noticed I changed the top picture.....I found some software from when I bought my scanner.  It  allows you to put photos together, so ta-dah - my own craft collage.  One downside - all the photos work better if they are either all portrait or landscape. 

Not a lot to speak of craft wise - a bit more work on the hardanger piece in the previous post, I've started the Winters Tale (http://kalina-kalinovivishivanki.blogspot.com/ - then search for 'winters tale').  It's a lovely little hardanger bell, perfect for the Christmas tree, although mine is blue & white.  Also finished a 4 ply blanket using previously used yarn (more from the inherited stash), but loads of threads to end off (yarn had been used already & was in small balls).  Now I've got another blanket in the same yarn (but un-used this time) just to have something on the go for my lunch break.....

We've had glorious weather, but 31 sleeps to spring officially....I'm so looking forward to more light morning & night & being able to get out in the garden after work.

I hope all is well in your corner of the world.....:)

til next time......Karen

and what about the trees.........

What trees you may ask - well I've been planting fruit trees - pears x 3, apples x 2 to add to my expanding 'orchard'.  I really was going to add some photos of the fruit trees, but guess next time - sorry :(

Instead, I've been working on a hardanger entry for our local show.....It's a bit hard to see the blue flowers on the needleweaving - and they took me a bit to work out.  No instructions, so with the aid of a magnifying glass I worked it out.  I'm pretty happy so far - just have to get all the cutting done without cutting a major thread.....so good so far...:)... at least everything meets up.  This is done on a 28 count Jobelin fabric...very nice to work on & seems crushproof too, so would use this fabric again for this or even cross-stitching.

Speaking of cross stitching, the family tree chart is slowly coming along, and I will get back to it....

Latest effort in Hardanger from the Award Winning Designs 2010 by Nordic Needle

 This doily has been done in a no 10 DMC ecru cotton.  I thought it would make another local show entry.  I might even do another couple for the daughters for Christmas......Quite a good pattern to follow although it is written in the US crochet language.


Doily in no 10 cotton from the book 'Old Fashioned Doilies" by Annies Attic

44 sleeps to spring - I can't wait - more light in the evening & morning, hopefully some warmer days.

Enough of the ramblings - have a wonderful week...

~Karen~

Another finish.......

Tri-Face Floral

I stitched the tri-face floral above last weekend....the design is from http://kincavelkrosses.wordpress.com/ and makes this cute scissor fob.  This is attached to a pair of brown handled scissors - it was either make a fob or stab myself looking for the scissors on a brown rug covering the couch......I've done this in the suggested colourway too.  It's a bit like a biscornu to put together and about as fiddly.....lol

Slowly making some progress on the family tree sampler and I've started a piece of hardanger....I just can't get back to the stumpwork piece (Butterfly Garland by Jan Kerton) - I think it's the butterflies on the silk gauze sewn with one strand of silk thread (I think I've got hairs thicker than this thread) - but maybe the warmer weather will inspire me to get back to it....

As of today, it's 56 sleeps to spring.....the cold and lack of light is getting to me.....but it's good weather to plant fruit trees.

enjoy your week.....

~Karen~

Hexagons, books & a flower frog.......

We'd been away for a few days and on my travels bought a couple of books, including the tatting book above.  The picture above is from the Aamzon site, where I would have to agree with all the reviews on this book.  I've been reading through it first & then will have a try.  I did buy a couple of crochet pattern books (a baby pattern book and one on old fashioned doilies) plus a 1970's Australian Book of Crochet - all absolute gems.

 Also bought the vase and frog above.  I started out in embroidery like everyone else - with one pair of scissors, then they just seem to multiply.  I'd seen on some other blogs collectors of flower frogs, but this one looked as though it would suit me perfectly and it was a find at $18.  The vase is in mint condition as is the internal frog and once it was washed just gleams and there are 8 smaller holes around the side & a central opening in the frog - so no more new scissors for me......well not for the moment anyway....

Finally to the hexagons.....I've done 20 for the top of a cot quilt.  The light background bears were done by my late mother in law - the rest of the fabric is also hers, except for the 4 bears on blue background.  I have 6 white hexagons to sew for the centre, then will sew it together & put it onto a white piece of homespun.  I've chosen a bright yellow for the backing & binding, then will decide how I want to quilt this up - I'm thinking of an all-over quilting across the hexagons (free motion style) rather than in the ditch.  Any thoughts????  Sorry for the picture quality, but I laid these out on my sewing table rather than bending to the floor......

I planted my apple trees on the weekend (a pink lady and a gala) and now just waiting on my peacharine and mariposa plum.  I'm looking forward to being able to pick my own fruit.....so hopefully these trees will setlle in nicely.....

Have a great week....

~Karen~

latest finishes.......

2 posts in the one week.....amazing or what.....but I'm showing my finished cardigan & 4th scarf.

'Celeste' 8ply Bendigo wool

4th scarf

The cardigan is from Interweave Crochet Spring 2011 edition and the design is by Edie Eckmann.  The wool is Celeste from Bendigo Woollen Mills in Almond.  Again, I made the cardigan longer & the sleeves slightly longer too.  The scarf is what was left from the 3rd 200g ball - I still have 1 untouched 200g ball to go, but thankfully won't need it.  I hate running out of wool then the next order is probably going to be a different dye lot, so might be noticeable.

No further progress on the hexagons, but time permitting this weekend, some pictures should be up here next week (fingers crossed).

Only a few days left to the shortest winter day - I find the early nights & dark mornings become overwhelming after a while, so will be looking forward to getting some daylight back.

Do leave me a comment - it's nice to read your thoughts.  Hope you have a great few days.......

~Karen~

must post more often........

When I started this blog, I intended to post about once a week at the minimum.  You know the best laid plans....anyway, I have a new resolve to get on here & do this more often.

I survived the dentist (not sure about my wallet though) and 2 more visits to go.....

We just had our long weekend for the Queen's Birthday (and Volunteers day), so the extra day was welcome.  I was reading over at Katherine's blog (Katherine's creations - see the link on the side) and her efforts put me to shame.  I did however get the following done over the weekend:

• dug another 2 fruit tree holes & prepared them with blood & bone & some fertiliser (our soil is very sandy).  Waiting now for my pear trees - a Beurre Bosc & a Williams.  I'd already done 4 other holes about 3 or 4 weeks ago for 2 apples, another plum and a peacharine - will add some pics of our 'orchard' when all 6 new trees are here
• changed 23 doilies, meaning dusting, then washed all 23, pressed them & put them away.  Some of these I'd inherited and I figure why leave them in a cupboard, why not use them & enjoy them.  There are some finely crocheted doilies probably done by my great grandma, some embroidered items by my late mother - I love to see them out
• sorted out the sewing room drawers of fabric & other items (quilting pins etc).  When I finished that I got some further fabric out to do some hexagons - will add a pic soon on that one I promise
• pruned my hydrangea, planted a broken piece of a Monstera (hope it grows) and planted some annuals in a box planter for some colour
• cleaned out the inside of the car ready for a bit of a trip away - cleaning this new car doesn't involve a vacuum cleaner as the floor isn't carpet (it's a ute), so what used to take about an hour with the old car, now takes about 15 minutes - bliss.

My wool arrived too - I get really irritated when the wool I wasn't in a rush for arrives, but the wool I really wanted was late - anyway it arrived a few days later & my cardigan is almost finished (started it last Thursday).  The wool is Bendigo's newest - an 85% wool, 10% alpaca and 5% silk called Celeste - crochets up a treat, so on the next post a pic of the cardigan.

I've also done 7 doilies in 4 ply cotton for my oldest daughter (somehow some of the others I'd done have disappeared ??) from 4 50g balls from the book 'doilies to crochet in 4 ply' from Crochet Australia.

Enjoy your week.....

~Karen~