I'm back!

Four years since I've been here. Lots of changes in my life. My darling husband Eric died last year , 26th September 2016. My ex husband also died in March of 2016. My two children had a terrible time because they lost two fathers within 6 months of each other.

I've lost several friends too - altogether 2016/17 has not been a great year, although I am coming to terms with the loss of Eric.

I am back at work - a long story - two days before my 70th birthday in 2015, I was offered a job!  I work for a dear friend of 40 plus years, he is a veterinarian. When Eric became sick, I stopped working to look after him. After he died, I had a couple of months off, then returned to work this year in March.  I am glad I did because it has helped greatly with the grieving process, being busy as stopped me feeling so sad...  However, I only work three days per week - I found five days was just too tiring - I have to make allowances for myself, I am not getting any younger.

Our lovely Tonkinese cat, Dusty, was stolen in June 2014, and we were given another little cat, a tabby called Pie. Then in May 2015, I acquired a lovely little cat, all white, long hair, with a blue eye and a brown eye, his name is Arnie. These two cats are the loves of my life and have helped me get out of bed in the mornings after Eric died.

Crocheted Cup and Saucer

This is the most gorgeous pattern - and the first of its kind I have ever made.

It is the Shell Cup and Saucer pattern by Vicki Patterson - find the pattern here

.http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/shell-cup-and-saucer

My friend Gail Grunske of Gail Grunske Designs asked me to make a cup and saucer to go with the knitted cupcakes I made for her for a display in the Crow's Nest In Studio Art Trail this weekend, 5th and 6th April

Here is the final display - showing off her gorgeous chair, and my cupcakes, cup and saucer and some other beautiful crochet items made by Marie Kruger

How gorgeous is this display?

Now charging a small fee for my patterns

Recently  someone published one of my patterns - Yvette's Garter
Stitch Baby Sweater - on her blog, claiming it as her own ! Prior to this, I had offered this pattern free of charge on Ravelry and elsewhere.

Due to this blatant piece of theft I have had to regretfully offer my pattern on Ravelry for a small fee....
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/yvettes-garter-stitch-baby-sweater

I have also added my pattern for sale on Craftsy - follow this link to buy it...

 http://www.craftsy.com//user/1344984/pattern-store?ext=craftlet-pattern"> src="http://graph.facebook.com/1044801880/picture?type=square" height="26"/> Visit GrandmaN1's Craftsy Pattern Store »



Happy Knitting!

Knitting and Crochet - such a lot done since December!

Still finding the odd teddy and bunny to dress in a little sweater of indigenous people's flag colours... these are pre-loved toys, washed and sanitised and given a hand made new sweater.. they go to aboriginal children who are, for one reason or another, being taken into care.. Another area the Knitting for Brisbane's Needy ladies are involved in..

 

 Christmas 2013, Knitting for Brisbane's Needy was asked to make 1000 crocheted Mini Christmas Stockings - we did manage to meet this total. I also made some Knitted Christmas Puddings



 I bought packets of brightly foil wrapped toffees to put inside them.

 They were given out to homeless people at various Christmas dinners given to the needy around Christmas time. Job well done, KFBN!!

The Christmas pudding pattern is my own - contact me if you would like a copy!

 I have gradually been making all my Christmas tree decorations in crochet  - these little snowflakes were just some of the ones I have made over the last months before Christmas., I have also been making crocheted thread covers for all the silver baubles I can find..   all the tree is now covered in white and silver ...

 

The little confection above is Rindy's Raglan - with short sleeves - in cotton. Reminds me of ice cream cones in summer....

Another favourite of mine for a quick knit is the Garter Yoke Baby Cardigan by Jennifer Hoel  - another free pattern available on Ravelry  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/garter-yoke-baby-cardi - aren't the pencil buttons sweet?

 

I love this little sweater! It is called Cadence and Hue and is available to buy on Ravelry here's the link - I loved this  in chocolate brown and mint green - yes peppermint chocolate came to mind immediately!

My friend Rosie in Arizona loved this one so much she asked me to make four more - in different sizes, for her four great grandsons...

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cadence-and-hue

So these were the START of my knitting for 2014!

They all came out so well  !  Rosie just emailed me - they arrived today 17th Feb - which is amazing - not even 10 working days to USA - well done Australia Post...for a change...

This little Baby jacket - is called Baby Girl in Red - and is a free pattern on Ravelry - however the designer is Italian, and while she had the pattern in English available , it doesn't seem to be there any more - I wrote to her and got a link to the English version which I shall now post here...
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4TxN6DjD-7rUlVFVEtkM3JEWUk/edit?pli=1

This pattern is SO easy - and a delight to make...

 

 Little Ripple Baby Blanket - Cathy Waldron's 'Rainbow Baby Blanket' - free pattern available on Ravelry

I made it to go with a sweet little crochet Hoody - Lion Brand's 'Four Colour Hoody' also a free pattern - and yes there are four colours - I did the back in pale blue!

This was made as a Crochet Along on the Babysweaters Group on Yahoo - I had the honour of being asked to be a moderator on this lovely group - I've been a member since about 2005


I put the loveliest little Rocking Horse buttons on it - they came from a seller on ebay.com.au 'Spikecraft' a.k.a Muriel Parsons - she has the best buttons at reasonable prices...

This little jacket and booties were made, like most of everything I make, for Knitting for Brisbane's Needy

The jacket is Suzanne's Matinee Jacket - only available to members of Babysweaters Group on Yahoo Groups

The booties I found on Ravelry - what did we do before Ravelry??? They are Mary, Mary Booties by Gillie Parsons - a free pattern.

I loved making the booties - it is a very easy pattern to follow and the results look so professional - not like some booties I have made in the past..

Next - a sweet little fun fur beret - I made this pattern up - just using DK (8 ply to us Aussies) and Moda Vera Jazz from Spotlight -

 The little jacket is the pattern I call Yvette's Easy Baby Sweater -I have been making it for ages but never got around to writing up the pattern- this time I kept notes - so as soon as I can decipher what I wrote - I shall have to do another test knit if I can't read it - I shall publish it on Ravelry along with some of my other designs.. it is a very quick pattern - this one used Red Heart Super Saver - colour Monet - which I have had in my stash for a while.. the cuffs and bands were done in Panda Disco - a very useful yarn which I still have a fair bit of - it is discontinued and has been for some time - pity because it had some lovely bright colours in the range.

 

 

 This knitted hoody was also done as part of Babysweaters Knit A Long - yes we had a Knit a Long and Crochet a Long running simultaneously in November last year - the pattern was Easy Baby Cardigan by Diane Soucy - http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/easy-baby-cardigan



 
 
 
 

 I used a lovely yarn that I bought from Knitters Paradise ebay store on ebay.com (US) - it is mill ends but I think comes from Spinrite - which took over Bernat and Caron and US Patons earlier last year. It is a DK yarn (8 ply) but a bit thinner than normal - I used, from memory, 3.5 mm needles - it is a beautiful watermelon pink - very nice to knit with...

Digressing - if you haven't bought mill ends of yarn before - it is well worth while - even though I pay horrendous postage to obtain it from Brian Wertmann (Knitters Paradise store owner on ebay.com USA) it is still reasonably priced - and of course it is unobtainable here in OZ - he used to carry a lot of  Red Heart Yarn - but now has Caron, and some Bernat and a lot of cotton like Sugar and Cream - and of course, this new yarn which I suspect is from Spinrite - if you check out the Yarnspirations website (*which is for Bernat, Caron and Patons yarns, USA) you can see some of the Spinrite yarns and this particular pink one appears to be one of theirs...

Anyhow - for this little hoody - I added stitches for  button and buttonhole bands instead of the knitted ties used by the designer - much better IMHO... top down of course - so NO sewing up - I hate sewing up with a passion and seldom do it nowadays unless it is a pattern I love (an old favourite, say) which I will do because I enjoy the pattern so much.

Talking of Knit a Longs - we are currently conducting one on Babysweaters - for a baby sweater of course - the choices were for two FREE designs and two PURCHASED designs - so if you don't want to buy a pattern  you don't have to. Membership on Babysweaters is by invitation only - we run a Knit a Long/Crochet a Long every three months , by membership choice . There is plenty of time to join in and also plenty of time to  make the sweater as we aren't having another Knit a Long until May. The free patterns chosen were Rindy's Raglan ( available only to members of the Babysweaters group) and Silver Cardigan by Kristina Temin http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/silver-cardigan

The two purchased patterns chosen were Elizabeth Zimmermann's Babysweater on Two Needles (February) a.k.a the February Baby Sweater (available from Schoolhouse Press http://www.schoolhousepress.com/
or from Elizabeth Zimmermann's book 'Knitter's Almanac')
and the  Milo Vest  by Georgie Hallam - available to buy on Ravelry  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/milo-3

Ok - back to the knitting and crochet - this lovely baby shawl is a thread doily pattern , done in a lovely soft yarn that has a slight sparkle to it. A friend of my daughter's put a vintage hand crocheted baby shawl in her front loading washing machine - and all the nap/fluffy part came off, leaving her with a bundle of crocheted string.....

She asked if I could reproduce the original - but after putting it in the too hard basket for a couple of months I realised it couldn't be done - I would have had to laboriously count every row and work out the stitches used...

Any way, I had done this before, used a doily pattern for a baby shawl - so decided this particular pattern was close enough to what it might have looked like pre disaster....the pattern I used was the Cluster Pineapple Doily - from the Annie's Attic publication 'The Ultimate Book of Pineapples'

I think it came out rather well......

I haven't heard back to know whether it was satisfactory yet, though...

 

 

 

These pullovers are becoming a standby for me for charity knitting - the size ranges from toddler to 10 years old. I have made a few of these now for Knitting for Brisbane's Needy - the pattern is the Texo Pullover by Anjali M - http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/texo-pullover - the original pattern has a kangaroo pouch pocket - but I have yet to make one with this feature !

 

The reason I like it so much is of course that it is knit top down - and can be made  using odd balls of yarn. It is a fast knit - and comes in very handy when asked for an emergency lot of kids sweaters at short notice, which of course KFBN takes in its stride...

 

As  you can see , the pattern lends itself to a bit of embellishment too -  I did a little bit of fairisle colour work on the green and white one.. these all go to Aunty Gwen's Project for Outback Aboriginal Kids....



 
Next, two  crochet hats made from leftover yarn from the two pullovers -how's that for thrift? The one on the left is a slouchy hat -  both made up on the spot as I went along..


And finally, a plateful of Divine cupcakes!  The pattern is Divine Cupcakes by Maiya Becker http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/divine-cupcakes

These were made by request of my friend Gail Grunske - the lady who made the amazing chair cover that I posted on my blog about a couple of months or so back! She is putting the chair on display for the Arts and Crafts Trail in Crow's Nest (near Toowoomba) in April, and wants a table with a plate of cupcakes beside the chair  and a bright knitted or crocheted rug thrown over the chair....
Very easy to make, it is a great pattern because there is no sewing up - they are all made in one piece....and of course, wonderful for using up small scraps of yarn!

I have more knitting on the needles, and crochet on the hook and a couple of garments awaiting buttons and to be photographed - see you in my next instalment!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Wishing everyone a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Australian Dawn Chorus

Australian Dawn Chorus

Enjoy this wonderful video of Dawn breaking in Australia with all the birds gradually waking up.

Happy 90th Birthday!

Wangaratta Woollen Mills (now Australian Country Spinners) has been processing wool for 90 years - and still makes hand knitting and crochet yarn in Australia - NOT overseas!

Recently ABC Landline did video coverage  on this enterprising Aussie company - go  to http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/view/75448906 and fast forward to 39.41 to see what it is all about!

Congratulations Australian Country Spinners!!!

CLICKING HELPS!

Just a request to readers of my blog - are there still any here???

You see these little ads on the left hand side, and underneath, this posting?? If you click on them, you earn me a few cents for each click.....when the clicks mount up to $100 - Google AdSense sends me the money  - this helps me to buy the yarn to help me make warm clothing and blankets for Homeless and Needy people in Queensland.

I just recently received some money from AdSense - but it took four years for the amount to reach the target of $100 !!!

So if any of the ads appeal to you - or the subject matter is something you are interested in finding out more about, PLEASE click away!!!!

Most of the knitting and crochet you see on this blog has been made for some less fortunate than I am - and I know you want to help me keep doing this - all it costs you is a click of the mouse - so please, do this for all the Homeless and Needy people in our state....

Thank you in advance.....

Homeless man with  Dog

This makes me so HOPPING MAD!!! What about you?

I don't know if I am being paranoid and overly sensitive but here's what happened to me . A woman I don't know at all contacted me on Facebook asking me to make a preemie beanie and pair of booties for her niece who was born at a very tiny 5lb 7oz

I said I would be happy to do that and told her the price would be $10

She wrote back and told me a sad story of how she realised $10 'wasn't very much' BUT she  was very poor, her wedding was on November 30th, she had a lot of bills, didn't know if she would have enough money yada  yada  yada......

I wrote this back

The things I make are one offs and works of creative art. I have to pay for the materials used. Check out my facebook page and look at the pictures of my work - it isn't the fact that $10 isn't much - but that you think my work is not worth paying for - go and buy something from Target and see how much they charge for a mass produced article. If I could afford to give them to you for nothing, I wouldn't be putting a price on them, would I ?

 

Well, she replied - a blistering message, calling me stingy, and unfeeling, that I was 'up myself'' that she never criticised my work (did I say she did?) and that I could stick the hat and booties where the sun doesn't shine......( well not in so many words , but you get my drift)

 

This sort of thing makes so angry - I had another woman last year ask me if I would make a Queen Size Wool Eater Blanket in pure wool - when I told her it would cost her over $200 ( I was not charging the full price) she was so astounded, she said she thought it would be about $20.00 !!!!! Twenty  dollars????????? for a Queen size blanket with about 10 or more kilos of yarn  in it????

 

Where do people get this mad idea that knitting and crochet is worth nothing??

 

I am so mad at this idiotic woman I could SPIT!!!

 

Rant over - back to some nice soothing knitting and cup of lemon and ginger tea......

 

 

How's this for a Knitted CHAIR ????

 I met this wonderful, hugely talented, woman a few months back... she is a designer of the most beautiful things in the world! Here is a lovely profile of her and her work https://www.handmadeincountry.com.au/artisans/profile/gail-grunske/

Just a few weeks ago, I was knitting and chatting with a group of like minded ladies here in Toowoomba, when Gail brought out this magnificent work of art for 'show and tell'

It is a chair - just an ordinary aluminium and plastic cane type outdoor chair - but look what Gail has done to it!

How gorgeous is that?? And what fun !!!

Does it give you ideas of how to tart up your tired old outdoor furniture??? It did me!!

To see more of Gail's amazing work with textiles and yarn - go here
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gail-Grunske-Designs/255236614612568

Gail is very involved with Community Arts and Crafts in Crow's Nest, Queensland not far from Toowooomba, where she has her studio.

Have another look - don't you just wish you'd thought of it ?