WrappedInLove: Let's knit & crochet this SUNDAY!

15 weeks to go...

Will you be in Melbourne this Sunday (20th June)?
It would be lovely to see you at the Brunswick Green for some knitting & crocheting, ESPECIALLY if you don't know how, or you're a bit rusty. Don't be scared, there'll be lots of friendly faces there ready to help!

So come along, from 2-4pm, Brunswick Green, 313 Sydney Rd.
Tram 19, get off at Dawson St (Glenlyon Rd) and walk north, just a little bit.

What to bring:

• your enthusiasm (of course!)
• some knitting needles (size 7 or 8 or 9mm) or a crochet hook (5 or 6mm)*
• some yarn if you have some, but don't worry if you don't - I'll bring lots
• some spare change to buy a beer or a coffee (or whatever you drink, just so we're not completely freeloading)
  

I really hope you can make it. I'll see you there!

*just a guide, not a rule! Any size is fine.

My creative space: Yellow!

It's all about the yellow lately...
This yellow piece is for the WrappedInLove guerilla knitting project. It's my first finished piece, made from some cotton I picked up for $1 a ball at the Yarn Barn.

At a measly $2, even more of a bargain was this six cup and saucer set from the Salvo's.
Made in japan, how lucky am I?!

they're not exactly yellow, but something that has been keeping me busy is these coasters for sooz's usefulness swap. Coasters are useful, aren't they? I'm well behind and they're due next week- eek! Beginning to wonder why I signed up for a swap at the same time as I'm trying to cover a tree with knitting... :-)

next, one of the best things about living in Melbourne's north - cheese pies from the local Lebanese bakery.

and finally, I must show you my awesome new fingerless gloves, a birthday present from she who has the most fabulous taste I know, the gorgeous Bec. Any guesses what colour?


wishing you a week of yellow goodness.
more creative spaces, as always, at Kirsty's

Nycole x

My creative space

Finished bunting...

Finished scarf... (only a year late!)

And the beginnings of something for sooz's swap... and four hours on a v/line train tomorrow night to make some progress on the rest. Bring on the long weekend!

Wrapped in Love: I Knit Brisbane

Hi knitters & crocheters!
Less than 17 weeks to go...

Some inspiration this week from Brisbane, where the 'I Knit Brisbane' project has ushered in the first days of winter (do they actually have winter in Brisbane?) by covering the city's landmarks in yarn. How amazing are these Brissie folk?!

Images from here, and here.

btw, you might be interested to know that 'Green Heart', or 'I heart BNE' is Brisbane City Council's environmental program, which has the target of being carbon neutral by 2026. They have all sorts of programs for households, schools and businesses in the Brisbane area. More info available from here.

I think it's really nice to see the link between healthy communities and a healthy environment.

Thanks Arathi & Geeta for sending through the links!

And don't forget the Melbourne crafting session is less than 2 weeks away!
Sunday 20th June, 2-4pm, Brunswick Green
For newbies there will be guaranteed friendly helpers to get you started!

Wrapped in Love Project: Thinking about afterwards

20 weeks to go...

(I thought it better to count down than up - I think it gives more sense of the 'big day' approaching. Plus, it makes things a bit easier if I miss a week's post!)

You will have noticed that the project is now called Wrapped in Love: a journey through (guerilla) knitting. However, I've since found out there is a very special knitting project run through Arts & Crafts NSW, called 'Wrap with Love', which is all about volunteers knitting squares that are turned into blankets and sent to disadvantaged communities all around the world, including Australia. Since it began in 1992, the Wrap with Love project has sent more than 220,000 blankets to people in over 75 countries. Isn't that incredible?!

(Image source: Wrap with Love Inc.)

Since our project was born, I have been thinking about what happens to the knitting after the installation is taken down. There are a few options:

• knitters can nominate to have their pieces returned
• as long as they are not damaged, pieces can be turned into blankets, scarves or other items and donated to an organisation such as Wrap with Love
• some combination of the above.
  

If there's a piece you'd really like back, you shouldn't feel any obligation to donate it. But if there is another you would like to donate then fantastic. There will be a bit of work involved in joining all the pieces together - and a workshop afternoon a month or so after the wedding will be a perfect opportunity to come together, have a bit of a celebration and prepare the knitting for it's next life. A mini reunion, if you will.

So if you are wondering "what happens to my knitting afterward?", now you know!

p.s. that reminds me, as you are knitting for the Wrapped in Love project, please affix a label to your pieces with your name - it is an important part of the installation that we fully recognize your hard work!

Wrapped in Love: Week 2

Hi knitters,
Welcome to week 2!
I hope you are as excited as I am - what stared out as a bit of a crazy idea is actually going to happen. - how about that? Some people have even started knitting! Hooray.

Last week I put the word out for a new project name, and luckily had one enthusiastic response (thanks Rathi!). So, drumroll, our project is now officially called:

Wrapped in love:
a journey through (guerilla) knitting

I like it. It feels warm and cosy and a bit romantic. Like we're creating all these woolly hugs for the tree.

So what kind of woolly hug would you like to create?
Something bright? Or maybe something white?
Something stripy? Or maybe something lacy?
You could knit in garter stitch, or maybe a rib stitch. Or maybe you're more into crochet, and you are a big fan of granny squares? Maybe crochet flowers is more your thing?
Or maybe you'll be picking up the hook or needle for the very first time, or for the first time in a long time. Which is one of the most exciting things about this project for me.

If you've made a start, I'd love to see any pics of your work in progress (WIP), and if you don't mind maybe I could even post them up here as inspiration? Only if you don't mind.

Here is what I've been working on:

a garter stitch piece, and also a bit of crochet:

I quite like the idea of crocheting some text into one of my pieces. I've never done it before.

If you're in Melbourne, let's have a get-together on Sunday, 20th June, 2-4pm at the Brunswick Green. It's still a few weeks away, so I'll send out a reminder and an RSVP request a bit closer to the date, but pencil it in your calendar!

(and if you're around this Sunday 23rd, live in the northern suburbs of Melbs and would like to join a craft group, the Preston Brown Owls are meeting from 2-4pm. This is only the second time we've met, so it's a great time to join in. The Brown Owls blog has more info)

Happy knitting! And if you have any questions / ideas / comments, I'd really love to hear them. Just leave a comment on the post or send me an email.

Nycole xx

ps, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can read the original project intro and instructions here (you can also find the link in the sidebar, just over there -----> ;-)
Thanks for visiting!

The miracle of Sister Florence

Well, she's really just called Florence, but now there's been a miracle Sister Florence seems to fit the bill. Only two more to qualify for sainthood.

Craig was up first on Wednesday morning. That's a pretty ugly keyring, sitting there on the bench, he thought to himself.

Poor Florence. Obama had had enough. This tank's not big enough for the both of us. Out you go. And that, was that. Or so we thought.

She was lying flat on her side when Craig found her, millimetres away from the edge of the bench. Looking like a cheap plastic keyring, evidently. I think he only put her in a bowl of water to show me she was dead (does that even make sense?), but her gills started moving.

Apparently, goldfish can survive for (potentially) hours out of water.* Who knew?

p.s. the tank really was too small for the both of them, as when I put her back in Obama immediately tried to flip her out again. So with a bit of effort, including getting a taxi back from the aquarium, we've upgraded to a new tank, twice the size, with a cover! With more room to move Obama now seems incredibly calm. And they're getting along, if not famously, then at least amicably. Best possible outcome, I reckon.

*probably best not to try this at home...