3012

It's been a long break, but it feels like time to come back.

I will get a post up here soon about the wedding, but for now, let's focus on today. After a blustery, drizzly start (including a train that never arrived), I:

• Had a lovely brunch here.
• Visited this lovely shop space and gallery
• Saw Sarah Watt's beautiful exhibition of photo paintings from West Footscray, 3012

Arrived home feeling inspired, if a little windswept.

Wrapped in Love: 5 weeks to go

Hi there crafters, how is your knitting going?

My apologies, I imagined posting much more often throughout the past few months, but it just hasn't happened. We did have a lovely Sunday session at the Brunswick Green a couple of weeks ago, maybe you were there? I am humbled by the effort everyone is going to, and I can tell you this tree is going to look very spectacular.

The project was originally supposed to tie in with the Go North Arts Festival, but it seems that is no longer going to be possible this year. However, I am still planning to get an article in the local paper and hopefully the knitting can stay up for at least a few days (I am hoping up to a week), so that as many locals as possible get a chance to see it.

I have a growing pile of gorgeous warm flavoured finished pieces - how is yours going? I am hoping to collect everything over the next few weeks.

If you're in Melbourne and work in the city, maybe I can pick it up one lunchtime? Or I can call over and pick it up sometime on the weekend of the 18-19th September? Or, if you need to post it let me know if you need me to email you my address.

I hope it's been fun, and I really look forward to seeing the finished result. Already what is coming through with the pieces I've received is the personality of each piece - each person has their own style and it's so interesting to see what people come up with.

There's 5 weeks now until the wedding! Craig and I had a busy weekend in Swan Hill last weekend, it was our last trip up there until the week of the wedding. Meanwhile I have been sewing napkins, napkins and more napkins...

Wrapped in Love: next session Sun 15th Aug

An update on the next knitting crochet session: this will now be on this Sunday 15th Aug (NOT Sun 8th Aug as originally planned). Those details again...

Sunday 15th Aug
Brunswick Green, 313 Sydney Rd Brunswick
2 - 4pm

hope you can (still) make it!

My creative space: knitting my thoughts

A sneak peek at something I'm working on for the wedding. It's been a week of progress, the band is booked, mum's friend and colleague will take some snaps, and I successfully exchanged my dress. It's all coming together...

Running parallel to the knitting is lots of napkin making, and maybe some table runners if I get the chance. I'm eagerly awaiting my parcel from the vintage sheet swap - I'm sure some of the fat quarters I get will have a temporary life as napkins, before they become a quilt.

Lots and lots more creative spaces over at kootoyoo.

Wrapped in love: first arrivals and crochet hearts

Inside 12 weeks now!

In the past week I've started having that 'it's really happening' feeling. The wedding, of course, but also this project. Our invitations will go out (as soon as I can work out why the yellow printer head isn't working), and I've had a glimpse at what the tree will look like with the arrival of the first parcel. It's very exciting!

Here's a sample:


Now don't panic if you haven't started, there's plenty of time. But if you're starting to think timelines, I'll need all of your gorgeous creations by 17th September - that's 2 weeks before the wedding. Just something to keep in mind.

For some inspiration this week I've started exploring the love theme a bit more. I've thought about knitted hearts, about crocheted hearts, about poetry and quotes about love (and how to knit them). I'm working on something, but it's a bit of a secret...

In the meantime, what do you think of these pics I found?

Image from here

Image from here

Image from here

I even found these... there are actually a surprising number of knitted 'anatomical' hearts out there in cyberspace.

Image from here

Image from here

How's your knitting and crocheting going? Would you like to crochet a heart? I'm thinking lots and lots of hearts would look fantastic on the tree. In red or pink. There's a great tutorial here, but lots of others around too.

We could have a bit of a lesson at the next crafternoon - you should come! At the Brunswick Green again, on Sunday 8th Aug, at 2pm (edit: this session has been postponed until Sun 15th Aug, same time, same place).

swapsies

I signed up to sooz's usefulness swap, and my swap parcels arrived this week - it's always exciting to get a parcel, but a parcel filled with hand-made goodness is something else.

There's something a bit anxiety-provoking about a swap. There's the will I/won't I get it finished anxiety. But worse is the performance anxiety. Have I put enough work into this? Can you tell it took me hours or does it just look slapped together? What if the stuff I get back is better/has more work put into it than my stuff?).

And yes, (sorry sooz), I submitted late (well, after the friday deadline but before monday's mail, as luckily sooz lives nearby. So technically still late). That's one of my potholders - I didn't even get a chance to take photos of anything else.


But it all worked out and I got some gorgeous stuff back, including a gorgeous bookmark from Nikki, a sweet gift pouch from Kym (great idea!), a empty wheatbag from Ellen (ditto great idea), an appliqued bag from Mands and a lovely soft cotton washcloth from Dee. I hope my contributions cut the mustard...

Wrapped in Love: knitalong wrap-up

Just under 13 weeks to go...

My apologies it's taken so long to get this post up. Thanks to everyone who came along on the 20th, it was a fun afternoon at the Brunswick Green. Surprisingly (or not), knitting at the pub in the inner north of Melbourne is certainly not edgy (but who's trying to be edgy?!). Who knew barmen in Brunswick can knit socks? Without a pattern.

"I just follow the instructions my mum writes me".

Aside from knitting barmen we had granny squaring, crochet flowering, french knitting (or knitting nancy - it's amazing the look of recognition you get when you bring start explaining knitting nancy to anyone older than about 50), lots of garter stitch and some very determined unravelling of an op-shop jumper...



We might even have another session - on Sunday 8 August. I'll book the corner spot this time!