The Purple People Eater and/or Hat

Photo time for that Purple Hat all Finished :-) and I still love this hat even after a very tedious time hand-stitching the ribbon round the edge. The Indian ribbon is pretty but uncooperative and stiff with the metallic thread.
Put loops of said ribbon flying away behind all the curves and ridges.

Green knitted jacket for my nephew

My sister's twins are about to turn 8 - so I've been furiously knitting, trying to get their pressies finished in time.

This one is done - a zip up jacket with cables and a hood. The yarn is from Bendigo Woolen Mills (12 ply in "Guava") the pattern is from a French pattern booklet bought in Paris last time I was there (I just HAD to say that darlings).

It is fun knitting from French patterns when you don't read French - but not really too hard because they give great schematics :-) maps of the garment with ALL the measurements and that makes it easy - sort of.

That Big Red Hat again etc

Carina asked for a bigger (in terms of pixel thingos) photo of that hat ...

The brim piece was only 14sts wide - but in the space of those 14 sts I had bobbles, eyelets, cables and short rowing :-)



In other news today:
One of my patchwork skirts (from up cycled fabrics) has been featured on the Mellow Tones Handmade Shopping Guide blog:

I have that skirt in my (now downsized) ArtFire shop but there are some others (in different colour-ways) in my Etsy shop :-)

Big Red Hat - knitting over wire frame

I’ve just realised that I never did post a photo of my red knitted (over wire-frame) hat fully finished. Sorry, here it is.

I went a bit crazy with the bobbles ;-)

There is lots of the sliver / roving (unspun wool) left so I'm spinning it up and will knit myself a jumper or dress to match this hat.

Spun Sky and a Purple Hat

Showing off my latest hand-spun - and the first completely spun on Kevin (my new Majacraft wheel).

Don't you think it looks like the sky - on a sunny day (in Sydney it is getting hard to remember what a sunny sky looks like!) Most of this is going to be a birthday pressie for my mother (it's OK she doesn't read blogs) but I'm keeping a little bit to make something - I don't know what yet.

I'm also showing off my latest millinery, even though it is unfinished because I just love this hat.

Why do I love it?

1. it is purple

2. it is felt and I love working in felt because you sculpt a felt hat over a wooden block and those blocks are often really old

3. it is all curves

4. I got to use one of my favourite old wooden hat blocks for the crown

5. and I've turned that crown back-the-front (I love being subversive)

6. I used another of my fabourite hat blocks for the brim

7. I'm going to use Indian ribbon for the trim, twinkle twinkle, (that's the ribbon draped about Linda's shoulders)

8. it is purple

Oh I do love my purple hat.

Tatting, Scanties. Spinning and drying the Sky

Pumpkin Hour on Sunday night means that it must be time to Blog about all the things I've been making. Also, I'm on a wireless connection - which means that late on a Sunday night is about the only time I can get good download time. So here goes.

The big news is that I have my very own spinning wheel - bought myself a Majacraft Pioneer from Virginia Wool Farm on Saturday, I'm calling the wheel Kevin because his purchase is thanks to Uncle Kev's stimulus package. The Pioneer is a lovely wheel to use - very smooth and easy with the double tredle and everything is central so no kinks in the spine :-) I've been spinning lots more of the red yarn as used for that wire-frame hat ... will be making a jumper or dress to match. Have also decided to spin some yarn as a gift for my mother - she knits too - so - my 1st attempt at dyeing roving. And it worked without turning into felt ! Here it is laid out to dry ... I think it looks like the sky - so here is some sky getting dry "Nothing but Blue Skies from now on ..."



In other news - I've been making little corsages in tatting and have listed 2 in my Etsy shop, this is the larger one, pinned on my favourite vintage jacket (which is NOT for sale). I've also listed a pair of silk scanties - ooo naughty? well, not really - they are so not scanty at all. I hate to think just how many pairs of modern things I could have sewn from the fabric it took to make this one pair of (not)scanties. Used a vintage (1940s) pattern, petal pink silk and a vintage motif that I've had in stash for at least 20yrs waiting for the perfect project - and it is perfect for the yoke of these "scanties".

The Little piece of Knitting with Everything

In the space of 14sts this knitting has
Cables, Eyelets, Bobbles (lots of bobbles) and Short Rowing

It is also made from lovely cherry red hand-spun yarn, me-spun :-) nice and chunky.




Ok you say, Enough already.
What is it ?

Is it a strange scarf? no
Is it a collar for a coat? no
Is it the tail of a toy dragon? no


it is the brim of a hat ... and here is the crown - in place on the wire frame.

Miraculously I did manage to get both those wire-frame hats finished in time for marking AND they are both on display at Ultimo TAFE (as part of Fashion Week).

Here is a decent photo of the black one






and a close-up of the trimmings ...
Bought the paper butterflies in Paris :-) - the lace is actually 2 antique hankies one is Maltese lace, the other is Bedfordshire.