Rainbow Child's Arty Endeavors

Raffle Winner!!!

2011-03-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

First of all i would like to say a huge thank you to all of you who bought tickets for my shawl raffle. Together we raised $140 for the Red Cross!!!!

I assigned each of the tickets a number and then let Random Org decide the winner!
Congratulations to Jo ( littlejo) you are the winner!!!! The shawl will be winging it way to you tomorrow

xxx

Love for Christchurch

2011-03-06T16:14:00.000-08:00

As most of you will know, 2 weeks ago tomorrow, on the 22nd of February, Christchurch city in my home country New Zealand, was hit with a devastating and fatal earthquake. With the city center in ruins and the lives of over 200 lost, it is love, support and strength that we all need to get through this.

While there is nothing most of us can physically to do help the thousands effected, the one thing we can do is donate to the relief fund. I don't have a lot of $$$ to give, but what i do have is time and supplies and blog followers to call out to.

As well as donating 20% of all proceeds from last weeks Red Riding Hood Yarn update, i have been busy knitting a shawl to raffle off and raise more money to Donate to the cause.

I present to you "Love for Christchurch"

Love For Christchurch, is a "Connie" shawl designed by Morag of Vintage Purls .
It is an exclusive yarn Club pattern so not available to purchase until next summer.

It is knit in deliciously soft Touch Yarns wool and works well as a scarf as well as a shawl.
It comes from a smoke and pet free home as is knitted with the utmost love.

I am going to raffle it off with 100% of the money raised going to the Red Cross earthquake appeal. I am happy to send anywhere in the world.

Tickets are $5 each and i will accept bank deposit and paypal payments.

my bank account # is 03 0195 0466088 001
Name H Gordon

If you would like to pay by paypal then leave me your email address and how many tickets and i will send you an invoice.

Please comment below with your name, how many tickets you have bought and a way to contact you if you win :)

I will draw the raffle at 1pm Monday the 14th, so you have a week to enter.

My first ever SOCK CLUB!!

2011-02-07T19:49:00.001-08:00

I had saved and saved over the Christmas period to be able to afford my first Vintage Purls Sock Club ( three months of yarn parcels containing exclusive sock yarn, exclusive patterns, and extra goodies). Then the week of sign ups came and the money was needed for other (less selfish) things ( like 5 year old boys birthday presents ;) ) so i was GUTTED!!!!!!!!

I tortured myself by going online during sign ups and left everyone know that yet again i wouldnt be able to participate. The a super dooper AMAZING woman came to my rescue and told me she had paid for my spot and i was in the club! I couldn't believe her generosity! Turns out she had had some awesome news that week herself and wanted to pass on the good will xxxxxxxxxxx

Soooooooooooooooo, last Monday the firs installment arrived and i am IN LOVE.

The pattern is GORGEOUS and the magnets super cute ( there was chocolate too but that is long gone lol) and the yarn OH THE YARN!

it is a gorgeous rich vibrant Burgundy, that will look great on ME hehe.

So all in all i am so so so happy to finally be a part of the special "club" hehe and cant wait for the next two installments!!

Baby knitting!

2011-01-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

There has been a bit of baby boom within my friends and family in the past few months. In fact a MAJOUR baby boom! Pretty much all my nearest and dearest are either getting pregnant or about to pop!

So i am delighted to get into some newborn knitting! It is something i haven't done before as i didn't catch the knitting bug until my youngest was already 1.

Oh my gosh there are some gorgeous things out there to make for little bubbas!

I have some very talented friends who have designed a bunch of fabulous patterns.

Julia over at Just One WIP and Kelly at Knit.so.quaint are two of these clever lady's :)

And for that extra special touch to your finished item? Tanja from Watermelish has embellishment charts and Nici from Buttons by Benji will sort you out with gorgeous handmade buttons!

So now, what have i been making??

First up two baby Milo's.
The first one i was in a hurry to wrap up for a last minute baby shower so didn't get pic's ( was a cute cream Owl cabled one) and this one doesn't have a home yet.

it is my first go at doing an embellishment and after a rocky start ( and a tantrum on my part along the lines of "its too hard waaaaa i cant do it, I'm never doing one again" woops!)i soldiered on and i LOVE the finished project!!!!!! i cant wait to try out a lot more designs now :)

Last night i also finished a "Young Einstein" cardy (designed by Julia) for a friend of mine due any day now!

Both are knit in glorious soft merino from Uruguay called 100purewool

will have more baby knits to come soon!!! casting on some longies to match the cardy tonight :D

Summer Holiday :)

2011-01-15T11:16:00.000-08:00

Poor ol Blog! Ive been busy busy busy as always and my blog little blog gets neglected :P

We me and my family had a gorgeous 10 day holiday starting on New Years eve. We heading up the Tauranga to see some family we hadn't seen in two years, and to spend some time with Robs grandparents. was really lovely and Tauranga really turned up the heat! phoar!!!!

Next we were back down to Taranaki to stay at a family Bach in Urenui for 5 days. The Bach there is the ULTIMATE old school kiwi Bach and we had a BLAST!!!! i had intended to get some knitting done but instead found myself reading 4 books! hahaha and sitting out on the porch watching the tide come onto the mudflats. Was magic.

view from the porch, in low tide all the water recedes and there is a massive mudflat out there.

The boys had such a great time, fishing, playing in their new tent, walking to the beach, swimming etc

The it was off to the family Bach in Kuratau ( south west side of lake Taupo) for 4 days!!! best Bach ever! Pizza oven, spa pool, huge deck, right at the river mouth and minute walk to the beach, BLISS

BEST SUMMER HOLIDAY EVER!
XXX

Christmas Crafting

2010-12-29T16:50:00.000-08:00

Have been so busy making stuff i haven't had time for blogging about it! hehe

Here are some of the decorations i made for other people this year, all embroidered with kids names on the back, except the angel :)

Christmas Giveaway Winner :)

2010-12-19T16:27:00.001-08:00

Have been super busy all weekend so haven't gotten around to drawing my giveaway till now but the winner is...............

Comment #48 "kerrykatiecakeskeb43" with her comment: Hmmm.... I think I'd have to choose Sherlock Holmes. Bet he'd be hard to live with though!

Thank you so much for entering!!!!!!!!!!! 246 comments is just insane!!!

I forgot to mention that the yarn is hand dyed by me in my little business "Red Riding Hood Yarns". my business blog can be found here and by facebook page here

I am unconvinced on the merits of the giveaway though, as even though i had 246 people visit and comment, i have only had 2 new followers. So while its great to win giveaways, its pretty obvious that the aim wasn't to discover news blogs now was it? ;)

Christmas Giveaway :)

2010-12-12T13:03:00.001-08:00

Well i was too late to join in the sewmamasew bloggers giveaway day, but thought i would have one anyway :)

Up for grabs, some delicious 10ply Luxury hand dyed yarn inspired by Ron Weasley ( my new fictional crush ;) hehehe)

To enter, just leave me a comment telling me who YOUR fictional crush is ;)
I will draw the giveaway on Friday morning (17th) and will happily ship internationally :)

Merry Christmas!!!!!

Bad bad Hanny

2010-12-07T17:42:00.000-08:00

yeah, so ive neglicted my blog quite alot lately :(
i am in a bit (!!) of a funk at the moment and not feeling very inspiring or crafty. have been making quite alot of felty christmas stuff, but just not having the energy to upload photos and put on a big festive grin. im just not feeling it. too much stress and crap.

hoping to be back to my usual self soon

Summer yarn Swap first arival!

2010-11-20T19:42:00.001-08:00

I was lucky enough to receive my summer yarn swap on Thursday!
Sorry Toshi, that it was taken me this long to post about it. Both me and Hubby have been super sick since Friday. Usually we get bugs one after each other so at least one of us is holding down the fort, but not this time! its amazing what can happen to your house when both adults are incapacitated for 3 days! lol

Here was my kitchen yesterday evening

Dishes (eeeek) yarn would ready to dye, knitting projects, mail, and my yarn swap!!
(No the wine bottles were not the result of self medication lol, they are a collection for a cousin of mines home brew wine)

Here is the gorgeous package Toshi sent me

Some Needlefood sock yarn ( super special as needle food is no longer in business), delicious apricot herbal tea ( my whole pantry smells like apricot when you open it now hehe) some delicious gluten free biscuits ( just like timtams) and some melting oil cubes :)

it was just the perfect package for me thanks so much!
There is still another couple of weeks untill sending, so i look forward to hearing and seeing the parcels as they arrive :)

mY CREATIVE sPACE

2010-11-17T17:06:00.000-08:00

I have been a busy little Beaver this week!! PHEW!!!
Amongst all the dyeing i have been crafting up a Christmas decoration storm!

i am taking part in a lot of swaps ( two JUST decoration swaps) this month in the prep for Christmas and here are some delicious strawberry's i have been whipping up

Also, not my creativity, but here is what my husband whipped up for dinner last night.
Barbecue steak, grilled courgettes and onion, sprinkled with Parmesan and balsamic vinegar, and yummy scrummy garden salad. With ice cold sparkling water and fresh lime. we topped it off with lemon sorbet and fresh mango for dessert once the kids were in bed hehehe

So nice to have a barbecue and sit outside in the sun for dinner!
And lovely to see the boys planing nicely together afterwards ;)

I LOVE SUMMER!

you know the drill, pop over to Kotoyoos place for some more creativity!

Wardrobe Wednesday - ball edition

2010-11-16T20:08:00.000-08:00

First time Ive played this but with a theme like that i had to!
I spent my 5th and 6th form years in Lima Peru, and formal dances were HUGE! turning 15 for a Peruvian girl was a HUGE deal and 5 star events were held. i went to ALOT of them. proms also started young and i went to a fair few of those too! I don't have many photos from back then as a flood ruined almost all my photos last year :( but here is what i could salvage.

First formal dance i ever went to
2002, i was 15
with my gorgeous friend Jenni

First "Prom" 2002, i was 16
dress designed my me, modeled off a Shikira outfit hahaha
tie around bikini style, COMPLETELY risque for the company and time lol

6th Form Prom, 2003, i was 17
dress designed my me NO idea what i was thinking
with my gorgeous friend Cynthia

so there you have it! :)

man i wish i could get that body back! lol

pop over here for more blasts from the past

3rd Wedding Anniversary

2010-11-15T19:26:00.000-08:00

I know its almost a week late but last Wednesday (10th) was my 3rd wedding anniversary :)

It still seems surreal to me that her i am, just turned 24, with an amazing hubby of 3 years ( been together 6 though), two gorgeous children and a mortgage! haha

This is the first year we have ( been able to afford!) bought each other gifts and boy was i a lucky girl!

Rob handmade a card for me, with our fav wedding photo on it, our wedding colour font, quote from one of our wedding songs ( Bon Jovi baby lol) i was totally blown away! so much thought had gone into it xxxxx

For my gift he got the Annabel Langbein's new book "The Free Range Cook". i was been drooling over this book since it came out, and we watch her show every Saturday night that we can. Her recipes are EXACTLY the ind of food we love to cook and eat, and the photography is just sublime!

My gift to Rob is far too R18 rated to share in here sorry ;) so you will all have to take a guess ;)

i know i did this last year, but thought i would share some of our beautiful wedding photos.

THE Cardy

2010-11-08T17:24:00.000-08:00

Here is THE cardy.

5 weeks in the making.

First adult sized garment Ive ever made.

First lace project i have ever undertaken.

I ADORE it!!!

And then there were TWO!

2010-11-06T23:18:00.000-07:00

Two garden beds that is!!!
So exciting, the boys put in our second vege garden today. Now we have Tomatoes, basil, lettuces, corn, capsicums and zucchinis, and 2 or three different variety's of each :)

That will be all for this year but we will put in another two over winter for potatoes and pumpkins :D

We are going to put some stones over the weed mat too.
Trees got trimmed, two rhodos got cut out ( who plants a tree in the middle of a lawn? honestly?!!)

Man i love owning our own home!!!!!!!!

woops!

2010-11-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

Haven't blogged since blogtoberfest ended woops!!

Have been super busy with my cuz staying and making up lots of yarn orders and felt orders.
Here's a few snapshots of my week.

Delicious dessert Loren made us
pears poached in boysenberry wine, pistachio praline and almond ice cream

Felt finger puppets i made

my op-shop finds this week, merino top and Max skirt, for a total of $8 lol

and lots of custom dye jobs

Going to be busy this week too, with our 3 year wedding anniversary, robs birthday, my sisters end of uni fashion show and going down to welly Thursday night for the weekend.

PHEW!

Blogtoberfest Day 31- HAPPY BLOGTOBERFEST

2010-10-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 31

Today is the last day of Blogtoberfest.
I am so proud of myself that i managed to blog 32 times this month! I only missed two days but had 3 days with two posts so i more than made up for it :)

I have shared with you more about myself, my family, my craft and my business. I have made new friends and gotten to know old friends better.

Ive had fun entering giveaways and having one of my own.

Speaking of giveaways, here is the yarn that i have just dyed and re-hanked up for Joanne, winner of my Blogtoberfest Giveaway.
It is 100g 4ply sock yarn.

Joanne said she liked blues and greens but not necessarily together and this is what i came up with, I've named it "Blogtoberfest" for the occasion hehe.
There are also a couple of other goodies going in the parcel but that will be a surprise ;)

I hope you all had fun reading my posts this month!! it has definitely given me the motivation to blog much more regularly from now on :)

xxx

Blogtoberfest Day 30 - GARDEN!

2010-10-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest day 30

Here is what my boys have been up to all day

Our very own vege patch in our very own home!!! one of many to come :)
We planted lettuces, basil and tomatoes in this one :)

zucchinis, corn and capsicums go in next weekend!

Blogtoberfest Day 29 - BEST CUZ EVER

2010-10-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 29

In two days my best ever cuz will be home!!!

This is the best picture i could get ( yes Loren i raided your facebook lol, there was hardly anything to choose from!) hahaha but shows her personality perfectly ;)

Loren has been away overseas in Canada mostly for almost a year now. Before that she was gone for a whole other year in South America aswell with only a month or so back in NZ. I have missed her TERRIBLY!!!

We have been thick as thieves since the week we were born ( yup week, we are only 6 days apart in age)

I cant wait to have her back in my life for good!

Even though she will be starting Uni in Auckland in the new year, i will have her on tap for the next couple of months! lol

LOVE YOU CUZ!!!

man how cute were WE?!?!

Blogtoberfest Day 28 - My Creative Space

2010-10-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 28

My Creative Space

yarn gorgeous yarn

Pop over to Kootoyoo for some more ;)

Blogtoberfest Day 27 - DINNER

2010-10-26T23:45:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 27

Dinner

Gluten free pasta, pesto stirred through, with cherry toms, feta and fresh basil
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Thanks Ange for the inspiration!

Blogtoberfest Day 26- BOOKS

2010-10-26T15:55:00.001-07:00

Blogtoberfest day 26

I was Blog browsing this morning and came across Estelle's "Five books i wish I had never read, and five books i wish i had read instead" on her blog "Curbside Style"

i had a bit of a giggle because obviously her tastes are very different from mine! Three of the books she wished she hadn't read would rank right up at the top of my "love" list lol.

So i thought i would make a list of my own! not quite the same but here are my favs, and least favs.

Top 5 books

1. Harry Potter series: all of them. total TOTAL genius. I adore these books and have read them over and over and over.

2. Eat.Pray.Love: yes despite the hype i just adored this book. I LOVE true stories and this one had it all, the locations, the beauty, the food, the love story. Super dooper inspiring.

3. Southern Vampire Series AKA Sookie Stackhouse novels. I watched the first season of TRUE BLOOD before i started these books, but then i just devoured them, all 10 of them! absolute fan of the TV series too.

4. Wilbur Smith's Egypt series. i really really got into these a couple of years back, still need to read the last one though.

5. Twilight, Yup not afraid to say i LOVED it lol, have read the series 3 times from start to finish now. TEAM JACOB BITCH ;)

There is a bunch of book i read as a teenager that i cant for the life of me remember their names or the authors??? there was a time traveling series one that had three books i think? That went from modern time to a magical past and the chick could time travel? Her name might have been Tory?? Then there are the thriller ones by a guy author and one was called "The Island" i think? I used to hide them from my parents as they quite gory and had lots of sex in them lol. Then there was one called "Summer of Love" or something like that about two teenagers with cancer who fall in love while getting treatment together. If anyone knows the names of these books or the author i would love to know so i can look them up and read them again :)

So now those are my favs, I'm struggling to think of ones Ive read and haven't liked??? i tend to just not keep reading if I'm not enjoying something and not give it another thought. I think Ive picked up a couple of Robs John Grisham books and not read beyond a few chapters?

Might do a movie list tomorrow :)

Blogtoberfest Day 25 - JAR SWAP

2010-10-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 25

OK somehow i managed to loose a whole other day? So i have even more to catch up on!

Just before i left on Thursday i posted a gorgeous parcel out to a lovely friend of mine Tammy. it was my end of the bargain for the TNN "Jar Swap". I received her two kiddies to make for and here is what i came up with

For Cody a "message in a bottle" theme i used. I made him a felt treasure map with a treasure "pocket" at the end for hiding treasure in ( i filled it with treasure stickers) then i filled the rest of the jar up with extra stickers, buttons, iron-on patches and an eye patch and earring :)

heres a closeup of the map

For Ayla i made a "Picnic for two" in a jar :)

I hand stitched a picnic blanket and made an assortment of felt picnic food for her :)

They were received well and i have been told that both kids love them so yay! mission accomplished :)

Blogtoberfest Day 24 - WEEKEND

2010-10-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 24

OK so i didn't make it on yesterday, was waaaaaaaaaay to busy recovering from the weekend and spending time with my boys who i missed dreadfully ( so much in fact i drove home a day early as i was homesick lol)

I did have a wonderful time though. met a lot of people i have "known" for ages for the first time in real life and caught up with some old friends :)

here's some photos from the weekend

Armageddon Cocktail party

Me and Bill Farmer ( voice of Goofy and Pluto :)

Jerri Manthey ( survivor) and me

Me and Owen Black

Me and the girls with Will Hall

After hours of drinking and dancing, just before bed

Me, Jay, Kylie and Chelsea

I also managed to pick up a few pressies for myself at the expo

A gorgeous hand painted t-shirt, some guitar pick earrings, and True blood Season two on DVD. i also got some cool badges which the kids have already lost and a cool glow in the dark Toy Story poster.

LOVE the earrings, wish if gotten some more!

So there you have it! one wonderful weekend over :)

Blogtoberfest Day 23 - 10 in 2010 update

2010-10-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest day 23

Way back in December last year i decided to set myself some knitting challenges for 2010. I signed up to knit 10 shawls and 10 pairs of socks and learn ten new techniques.

So far i have learnt:

cable cast on
toe up sock knitting
Provisional cast on
Crochet cast off
lace chart reading
2ply lace knitting
wrapping stitches
moss stitch

so only 2 left!! not sure what these will be yet

The ten pairs of socks are just not going to happen haha, think I've made 3 pairs? have at least one more planned before the end of the year ( for Dads Birthday) but no way am i going to make 7 more!

The shawls however i have been churning out and will definitely finish my challenge, so far i have made these:

Only 2 more to make and 2 months left!! ( last two will be for Christmas pressies ;) )

Blogtoberfest Day 22- Christmas Wishlist

2010-10-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 22

i highly doubt i will get any of this but thought i would put it out there anyway and try my luck ;)

Here is what i would LOVE to get for christmas this year

Season 2 and 3 of Trueblood on DVD
ANY/ALL of the stereophonics albums ( we only have a mixed up best of cd we made)

Some zauberball yarn from Vintage Purls in the "cranberry" colourway
A voucher for a massage and facial!
( i have never had either in my life, or a manicure/pedicure either!"
A bowtie necklace from KuTE KIWI
And a Crouton necklace from Rhiannon

so whats on your list?

Blogtoberfest Day 21 - Favs

2010-10-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 21

I thought i would share with you some of my absolute Fav blogs.

The crafty/mama blogs

First up is Rhiannons Blog "Toast and Life"
This chick has the most amazing style EVER and is completly gorgeous :) her "Wardrobe wednesday" posts are allways inspirational as are her opshop finds!!! She is a sewer and all round crafty type :)

Next up is Erins blog "BluebirdBaby"
Erins photography is just GORGEOUS!!!

Then we have Kims blog "KuTE KIWI"
I am completly lusting over her knitted bow necklaces and chains!

I also adore Cathy's blog "m.e"
her baking, and photography are mouth watering! Cathy i also a star at replyng to comments and leaving lots of encouraging ones of her own x

My gorgeous friend Carla has recently started a blog too "I Have Foot In Mouth Disease"
her posts are incredibly deep and soul bearing as well as being full of humour :)

I have also discovered some absolutely fabulous femminst/sexy/risque blogs of late and thought i would share a couple
( disclamier, r18 blogs, content may "offend")

Curvaceous Dee describes herself on her blog as "Curvaceous, vivacious, tenacious, bodacious. That's me! I'm also fat, poly, pansexual, civilly unioned, kinky, kiwi, and happy."

Amie over at "amieweexxx" has some very eye opening and "educational" posts ;)

Boganette is another great gutsy woman blogger

And last but not least Ally at "I am Offended because" is " An oft-offended lady in Wellington. Likes sex positive feminism, fat activism, collecting lipsticks, theatre and the active consumption of dessert wine.

So there you go!!!!

Blogtoberfest Day 20 - Off to Great Places

2010-10-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 20

"Today is the Day, I'm off to great places, I'm off and away"

I think i have that quote right, from Dr Seuss's "Oh The Places You'll Go". In about 20 minutes i am off on the first trip away by myself in 6 years! With no husband, and no children. Visiting lots of friends, some Ive never met in person before but feel Ive known forever. I get to party, go for gelato, dress up, sleep in and dance to the beat of my own drum!
i only got my license 2 months ago and yet i am driving 5 hours into Auckland city all by myself! i am terrified and excited at all the possibility's at the same time. I can have the music as loud as i want, stop to pee whenever i like lol and stop and eat whatever i want!!

I have been planning and looking forward to this for about 6 months and today is the day!

I have written blog posts for the 3 days i wont be here so they will auto publish and i will still keep up with Blogtoberfest

So im off! see you on monday evening :)

Blogtoberfest Day 19- Christmas Decoration Swap

2010-10-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 19

I have singed up for the third year in a row to this Handmade Christmas Ornament swap :)
i have LOVED the last to years swaps, checking the mail every single day and getting lots of cute little parcels full of Christmas cheer!

here are the ones i made the first year Christmas 08

and last years eaten gingerbread men

I have a great idea up my sleeve for this year too ;)
bet you cant guess what material i will be using hahahahaha

if you want to be a part of this awesome swap then head over to Sew Funky and sign up!

Blogtoberfest Day 19- PROGRESS

2010-10-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 19

I have been progress on my selfish knit in the past week!

I have finished the whole top, all the ribbing, and now i just have to knit down and increase every second row! easy? YES! But its going to be a bit tedious from now on i think, and the rows are just going to keep getting longer and longer........

I have tried it on through and it fits perfectly! i am so stoked, so that is egging me on to get it finished because i WANT TO WEAR IT!!! haha

The extra motivation is the Morag from Vintage Purls ( the yarn i am using and the Knit-along i am taking part in) is going to give away a prize to be drawn from everyone who completes their cardy by the end of November. I plan to finish long before that, I'm giving myself another 2 weeks as then i have Christmas knitting to do!

Blogtoberfest Day 18 - WOOPS

2010-10-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 18

well i guess it had to happen some time this month! i totally forgot to post yesterday WOOPS!!
But some awesome stuff did happen yesterday and i thought i would share some AMAZING pictures my son Ashton drew yesterday.

Here they are all together
Aren't they AMAZING?!?!?!
Ashton is four years old and has just discovered the art of drawing by copying an object/image and spend hours each day doing this.

He drew Pooh Bear from a soft toy we have of him

And eyeore, piglet, rabbit and tigger were all drawn from an old school Pooh book we own

Each character comes with the food they most like to eat ( according to our book) Pooh loves honey, eyeore loves thistles, piglet loves haycorns, rabbit carrots and tigger malt extract.

Notice the sun, blue sky, green grass and lots of trees?

And of course ( as all Ashton's pictures do at the moment) have his name written proudly along the bottom :) except tigger for some reason lol.

yup im pretty proud!

And the Winner is..............

2010-10-17T00:47:00.000-07:00

And the Winner is........

JOANNE!!!!!

Congratulations!!!

Email me at h_carni@hotmail.com and we can talk about what you would like for your prize ;)

Thank you all so much for participating!! hope you had as much fun as i did :)

Blogtoberfest Day 17 - Today is.....?

2010-10-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 17

Giveaway Time!!!!!!

So who has been following my blog this week and noting down the scavenger hunt words?
Hehe i had lots of fun tyring to fit the words into my posts and hope you guys had fun playing along!!

A reminder that the winner will get a custom dye job by me on a yarn base of their choice!

So what was the phrase i hid in my posts?

If you already answered in my last post or by email that is fine and you will still be counted :)

I am going to draw the winner at 8.30pm tonight (nz time) so you have the rest of the day to enter your answer :)

Blogtoberfest Day 16- MAIL!

2010-10-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 16

Well after my post yesterday about receiving yarny mail, i had another box of goodies on my doorstep this arvo!!

I have been taking part in a "Purple" themed swap on Ravelry and my end of the deal had arrive woppee!!!

Here is what i scored

A gorgeous hand knit shawl, some Knitsch sock yarn, some gluten free fudge ( so thoughtful) some soap, chocolate and a sponge puff!!!

Here is be wearing the beautiful shawl ( i JUST my colours)

I sent off my package across the ditch to Oz and here is what i put together

Some "Veyla" gloves in Vintage purls sock yarn, some 100purewool 4ply in deep rich purples and some flash kiwi dip sachets ( gift wrapped in shop so no pic sorry!)

Here's a better pic of the gloves

On a side note, i will be closing off the Summer Yarn swap Tomorrow and allocating partners. There are only 4 of us so far so i would love to make some people join up! Click the button on the top right of this page for info.

Also, today is the last day of the giveaway scavenger hunt! so take note of all the highlighted words over the past week and get ready to post the sentence tomorrow :) i will draw the winner at 8.30pm tomorrow night NZ time.

Blogtoberfest Day 15 - YARN!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-10-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 15

Today i have been busy organising yesterday's Red Riding Hood Yarn's update and writing out labels, getting courier bags etc.

Here is some if it waiting to be packaged up

But amongst all that i received a courier package with yarn FOR ME!!!
Now since i started Red Riding Hood Yarns i haven't been buying any yarn for me and i have really missed it :( So i thought i would treat myself in the latest 100purewool co-op on a forum i am part of. I have bought from them before and just adore the softness of the yarn. You never know exactly how the colourways will turn out that so its a bit of a gamble. I should never have feared though as here is the two skeins on "Sahasen" fingering i bought

nom nom nom. it was destined to become a shawl for me but i am trying to score 1 more skein to make a cardy of some description ;)

I also bought 3 more skeins of undyed worsted ply to dye up and make something for me too :) Its about time i made some stuff for myself and summer is ME time.

Blogtoberfest Day 14- STIFF

2010-10-14T02:12:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 14

Stiff

That was the name of the production i went to see tonight ;) It was a story about a bunch of old prostitutes ( including a transvestite and a dominatrix lol) who inherit a funeral parlour and try to run it as an undercover whore house. Its a kiwi written play too! HILARIOUS like wet your pants hilarious, i haven't laughed that hard in a LONG time.

I LOVE the theatre, and i mean LOVE. Always have and always will, its in my blood i think.
i actually auditioned for this production but didn't get the part, but i still loved going along and being a part of the audience.

The theatre group in little ol Stratford has always been such an awesome group of people, i was in a couple of shows when i was a young teenager when i used to live here growing up, and i cant wait to be on stage again! ( so will be trying out next auditions too!)

I also love just being in the old theatre, the stage i have danced on, modelled on and performed on many times over the years. it is such a beautiful theatre, the first in the southern hemisphere to play movies with sound! and still just as beautiful.

Is there a place that has such special memores for you? id love to hear about it :)

Blogtoberfest Day 13- Afternoon tea?

2010-10-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 13

Afternoon tea anyone?

will have something more interesting to say tomorrow lol

Blogtoberfest Day 12 Gluten Free

2010-10-11T21:38:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 12

Since having Flynn just over two years ago my body hasn't been acting the way it used to. Through trial and error i have discovered that i am allergic to culture ( yogurt, sour cream etc) and Gluten.
No this was a huge blow for me as i ADORE all the yummy gluten full goodies that are bread, baked goods, pasta etc etc. It has taken months and months of being half arsed and "cheating" but i have come to the realisation that its just not worth it, The repercussions are just soooo not worth it ( hugely uncomfortable, bloated ( like 6 months pregnant bloated) and all the lovely "down below" extras.

So i have come to accept my plight and me and my husband have been experimenting a bit with different gluten free alternatives.

Here was Sundays night dinner:

Chicken breast stuffed with pesto and cream cheese on a tomato and garlic bed, with vege/brown rice pasta with pesto and Parmesan, and fresh basil all over the top .

OMG YUM!!!!!!!!!

Now that i have tried Gluten free pasta i would never go back to normal stuff, it is DELICIOUS and i no longer get the horrible full sore tummy feeling afterwards :)

Oh and one more reminder of the Summer Yarn swap i have set up, check out the button at the top right courner of this blog for details ;)

Blogtoberfest Day 11 DRESS UP TIME!!

2010-10-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 11

In two weeks i am heading along to the Auckland Armageddon expo :)
One of the reasons i was going was to meet Daniel Cudmore, one of the volturi actors from the Twilight series Movies, but he cancelled last week and i got all my money back from my ridiculously expense Twilight pass.

The main reason i was going though was to meet up with some friends of mine and have an awesome long weekend with them. Chelsea in particular i am SOOOO freaking excited to meet!! We have been best friends for about a year now online, talking to each other every day etc and we will finally get to meet and hang out, i cant wait!!

We have decided to dress up for the expo itself and i hummed and harred about who to dress up as and i have decided on Jessica from TrueBlood, Bills protege.

I bought most of my costume on the weekend and now just have to get some fangs ordered and an apron :)

Here's what it looks like so far

I still need to iron on the Merlotte's Patch too, a birthday gift from Chelsea ( how cool is THAT!?!)

11 days and counting!!! squeeeeee

Blogtoberfest Day 10 GIVEAWAY!

2010-10-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 10

Time for a giveaway!!!! I've spent today thinking about a fun way to do a giveaway and have come up with a good idea!

For the next 7 days i am going to highlight one word in my daily blog post and next Saturday ( 16th) those who can tell me the whole sentence will go in the draw to win!!! ( if it makes it easier to remember then you can comment on each days post with the word then comeback and read them on sat)

What will you win?

A custom dye job from me :) You can choose your yarn base ( 4ply, sock yarn, lace, 10ply, 8ply) and your fav colours and then i will do the rest!!! i will also add in some chocolate ( of course) and maybe some extra goodies too ;)

Here are some examples of my work ( and pop over to my yarn blog Red Riding Hood Yarns to see more)

Good Luck!

Blogtoberfest Day 9 Hansel and Gretel

2010-10-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 9

WOW the days are flying past!!! and I'm super impressed i haven't been stuck for a blog topic so far :)

I am concocting up a giveaway at the moment which will be lots of fun so stay tuned for that tomorrow!!!

Today however is all about Hansel and Gretel! That was the theme of the fairy tale yarn swap i put together this week.

here is the delicious "Sweets and Sprinkles" sock yarn i dyed

And here is everything together
Some cupcake candles, gingerbread stitch markers and a big box of gingerbread men cookies !!!!!

Here's a closeup of the stitch markers

They were made my a very talented friend of mine Tammy and i am going to be working with her on a special project in a few weeks ;)

And all wrapped up!

Remember if you want to join in the fun of a yarn swap then sign up to my Bloggers Summer Yarn Swap !! It will be lots of fun :)

Blogtoberfest Day 8 Friends :)

2010-10-07T21:35:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 8

The best type of friends are those who will surprise you with their caring and friendship.
I have had a really hard couple of weeks ( and months) and had a bit of a breakdown at the start of the week.

With less than 24 hours notice my lovely friend Kate was on my doorstep, car loaded up with her two preschoolers and bags of knitting, ready to stay for the week and give me her support.
No she hadn't come form just down the road, she had driven form Auckland to Taranaki! 400km down the road!!!

I am completely blown away with how wonderful Kate is that she would see me suffering and not think twice about packing up her family for a week and coming down to see me. It means more than i can express in words.

Here are some photos taken during the week of our broods:

Morning tea at the park

Ash pushing Mother Dog on the swing

Dancing time!

The goose looking after all the ducklings

I'm gutted we didn't get a photo of me and Kate together!!!
Check out Kates Blog for some more photos of the week :)

Blogtoberfest Day 7 SUMMER YARN SWAP

2010-10-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 7
My Creative Space

I always seem to get alot of interest in the yarn swaps i do when i blog about then so i thought "Hey why not make up a blog one?"
So here it is :)

The aim of the Game?
To create a swap package containing hand dyed yarn, a small gift, and a treat!
That's all, very simple, and a wonderful way to share some love around this time of year.
I though that Summer would be a great theme as it lends itself to fresh, happy colours and fun.

Want to be in?
To join in this swap you have to be in either NZ or OZ and have a blog.
I need to know your name and address, blog address, likes and dislikes and any allergy's in your household. Let me know which type of yarn you would prefer too ( sock yarn, 8ply etc) so you don't get something you wont use.
Send your details to h_carni at hotmail dot com with the subject line "Summer Yarn Swap 2010"

I will leave sign up till next Friday 15th October and mail out will be Dec 1st :) so please only sign up if you are going to be able to honour the deadline, and also make sure to let me know if you are happy to post over the ditch. I would prefer to mix people up so we get to try new yarns etc.

So let the fun begin!

Blogtoberfest Day 6 YARN

2010-10-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 6

I have been participating in a local yarn swap and i got my gorgeous package this afternoon :)
We had to choose a fairytale of our own choice to give to your swapper to base our swap on and i choose "Alice in Wonderland"

here is my fabulous Swap

100g "vintage purls" birthday suit yarn dyed in "Hatters Purple" some T shop tea "Grandpas Orchard" a teapot tea difusser, some beautiful key stitch markers, and a floral mug i ADORE everthing, it is just perfect. The yarn i am going to use to make some Daphne socks for me

I havent delivered my one yet but will post photos once it have been recieved on Friday :)

Blogtoberfest Day 5 CAKE!!!

2010-10-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

Blogtoberfest Day 5!!!

It was my birthday last week and i thought i would post a picture of the deliciously scrummy gluten free mud cake my son made me and decorated all by himself

isn't it gorgeous?? Its me! hehehehehehehe

Here's it all lite up

After dinner my hubby Rob took me out for a surprise evening at we ended up at our local Arthouse Cinema to see part of the Italian film festival. I got to wear my new Annah S wrap dress for the first time!

I Don Giovanni was the film we saw, lots of beautiful opera, comedy and of course everything sounds better in Italian ;)

Blogtoberfest Day 4 RRHY

2010-10-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

Thought i would give a little update on my new business venture.

A few months ago i decided to take my love and talent of dyeing yarn to new heights and actually start selling it. I had been asked to dye yarn for lots of friends privately but thought i would take the plunge and do it properly. I had a logo designed, business cards and labels etc printed and away i went!

And so Red Riding Hood Yarns was born.

Things have been going to well! i have had 4 stockings so far and will have #5 tomorrow. I have been selling around 60%- 70% each week with selling out one week within 24 hours!!! I guess in time thins will only get better and better as more people hear about me etc :) I have been using my facebook fan page as my first point of call and it is working out great!

You can find the RRHY blog at www.redridinghoodyarns.blogspot.com and head over to the "Whats in the Picnic Basket this week" tab to see what is for sale :)

I would love to set up a proper website and shop next year so that is definitely on the cards. I would also love to get into the Yarn Club business, so hopefully early next year too :)

Blogtoberfest Day 3 Something for ME!

2010-10-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

I never EVER knit for myself. I have only ever made myself 2 headbands and 1 shawl, although i knit things for others all the time. I thought it was time for something for me!!!!

Over on the Vintage Purls group on Ravelry, we all decided to take part in a VP Lace knit-a-long (KAL) and i decided to knit a "Wispy" Cardigan.

This is what it will look like when its finished

And here is what mine looks like at the moment.
I'm using the "Bluebottle" colourway and it is just gorgeous.

Ive never knitted with 2ply lace before so it is slow going but is going to be totally worth it when it is done :)

Blogtoberfest Day 2 slippers!!!

2010-10-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

Its Been a while since i shared some knitting with you so here is one of my latest projects!

A good friend of my husbands was turning 30 last weekend and we went down to welly for a big surprise party weekend. Last time we had seen him he had shown us his man sized "Onesie"( think polar fleece zip up jumpsuit lol) complete with baby blue and yellow duckies on it hahahahahaha.
he mentioned he would love some slippers to match and so this is what i came up with!

He LOVED them.
The Pattern is "Aunt Maggie's" and is super dooper easy and fast to make.

I even managed to find two little duckie buttons to add the finishing touch!

Happy Blogtoberfest!!!!!

2010-09-30T12:43:00.001-07:00

Blogtoberfest is EXACTLY the push i need to get back into this blog.
I have been so busy with my new business Red Riding Hood Yarns that i haven't had time for this baby! But i promise to blog everyday this month and show the love.
I have quite a few crafty projects to post and show you all, im joing in the "Ravelwelth Games" ( knitting forum/commnunitys kniting games) plus i will have a giveaway at some point, and let you all know i bit more about me :)

It is going to be lots of fun :)

My Creative Space - yarn galore

2010-09-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

I have been super dooper busy this week.
Firstly with the launch of my my new business Red Riding Hood Yarns and with two birthday to knit for over here .

Yesterday however i was back in the kitchen with my dye pot and whipping up a storm, here is what my fireplace looks like:

head over to Kirsty's for some more creative spaces!

And for my 200th post!!!!!!!!!!

2010-09-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

Happy 200 posts to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And on this special occasion I am very excited to present my new business venture!!!

Red Riding Hood Yarns in a hand dyed yarn boutique i will be operating over here .
I also have a facebook fan page that INCREDIBLY attracted over 120 fans yesterday alone!!!

My first stocking will be live this afternoon between 1-3 so pop over and have a look!

Two pairs of Gloves for two Birthdays

2010-09-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend marked both my little sisters 22nd birthday and my sister in laws 24th!

i thought i would make them both some pretty gloves and i have been in love with the "Veyla" pattern for ages but never knit them.

Here are the ones i made my sister

And the ones for my sister in law

Small Round up

2010-09-02T14:27:00.001-07:00

I have not been feeling to flash the last few days ( cold :( ) so have not made it through nearly as many blogs as usual so here is just a small selection of fabulous things i found this week.

Hand Painted fathers day mugs at "a little vintage"

Stunning mandalas at "crochet with raymond"

RAINBOW cake at "big and little"

Super cute ami bears at "teddy bears wednesday"

This sweet necklace from "Little ted canvas"

Ashtons Creative Space

2010-09-01T14:00:00.001-07:00

This week i thought i would share with you all, some of the creations my eldest son has come up with this past week.

Yesterday he came home from Kindy with a handmade COMPUTER! Complete with swivel screen, plug jack point ( on the right) and buttons!

Earlier in the week he had made these little guys, (also at kindy)

But my favourite of the week would have to be this drawing of Theodore, Alvin and Simon from "Alvin and the Chipmunks" they even have colour coded jerseys!

What have you been up to this week? Pop over to Kristy's for more inspiration

Hotshot is finished!!!

2010-08-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

i finally cast off Ashton's Hotshot jersey/vest on Sunday night. It took a whole 6 days of hardcore knitting which for me is AGES. The end result is totally worth it though.

Now to make one for Flynn!

Worse for wear?

2010-08-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

I dont think our Pizza page in our Edmonds cookbook is going to last many more meals.............

Creative Space round-up :)

2010-08-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

Another week, another heap of gorgeous blogs to look at!!!
here are my picks of the week:

This woven pin cushion from "one flew over"

This sweet embroidery at "Rolling in Fabric"

This playhouse at "Raglan Guld"

This knitted unicorn at "chicken willow"

This fabric storage bin (plus giveaway) at "Piou Piou"

These incredibly funky chair and stool covers at "Joyce lives here"

this paper doll set at "dolls and daydreams"

This Fly embroidery at "Myrtle and Eunice"

And lastly this beautiful daffodil hair tie from "Cat Taylor Designs" especially for daffodil day today

My Creative Space - Hotshot

2010-08-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

I had 4 days without picking up my needles this week EEEEEEEEEK. But when i picked them up again i decided to cast on a Hotshot - a gorgeous new pattern by my friend Julia over at Just One WIP

This pattern is one in a series of 3 unisex patterns designed by Julia, to be knit in the round and to fit from newborns up to size 10 !!! now that's versatile! As well as this veste there are full length jersey and cardigan options with hoods, collars, contrasting edging and more! To purchase these beautiful patterns, go here.

I am making the 4 year old size for Ash, but using 10ply 100purewool instead of 8ply so hopefully it will come out a bit bigger :) I hand dyed the yarn for this project and it is just Divine to knit with!

head over to Kristys for some more creative spaces!

Creative Space round-up :)

2010-08-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

Wow!

This weeks creative spaces were AMAZING!!! i could fill pages featuring the amazing creations i have seen this week but have narrowed it down to my absolute favourites.

This gift bag from TEEK

These ADORABLE Maori dolls form " A little vintage"

Homemade lemonade from becky et al

This beautiful cushion from "A tranquil townhouse"

This amazing animated mural from "Anna Bartlett"

This was not technically a "creative space" post but still truly amazing! From "Lebenskuenstler"

These cute little guys at "Homegrown insanity"

These funky cards at "Starashan"

And lastly these adorable napkins from "Pencils and pins"

So many beautiful BEAUTIFUL things!!!

My Creative Space - spreading the love

2010-08-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

I have been a busy little beaver this week.
I have been having a pretty shit time the past few weeks and what makes me feel better when I'm feeling low?

GIVING!

Giving gifts, and creating things to brighten someones else's day are my drugs of choice ;) I like to think that my spreading love and goodwill, i will accumulate some good karma to help out in my own life too :)

I have put together 4 packages this week and I'm heading out to the post office this afternoon to send them <3

Here is a sneak peak at i THINK my most favourite shawl i have EVER made

What random acts of kindness have YOU done lately? head on over to Kootooyo for some creative inspiration.

Sock Lovers Swap V2

2010-08-14T12:57:00.000-07:00

I have bene having a bit of a break form swaps at the moment as i felt they were taking up too much fo my time and energy and i wasnt having enough left for my own crafting mojo. Whent he second Sock Lovers Swap opened up though i could say no!!!

I chose the theme "kakariki" ( green in Maori) as my inspiration and we had to create yarn that our hubbys would like to wear.

I dyed up 100g paytonyle sock yarn in the colours of our native NZ bush:

Then i chose some other kakariki inspired gifts, watermelon seeds, dark peppermint NZ chocolate, and some peppermint tea.

I added in a pattern called "No green Socks" and sent it on its merry way! My swappee has allready knit up and finished her socks and they look awsome :)

I received the most amazing swap package in return! In my signup sheet i mentioned that my hubby loves music so thats waht theme my swapper went with!

I received 100g paytonyle dyed in "Rock" inspired colours= silver, red and hints of purple:

I also received two rock themed mens sock patterns and this awsome guitar fabric bag!

Knitting the yarn up into socks for Rob will have to go on the back burner for a while after my last mammoth sock knitting mission for him, but i have decided to use the Jay Walker pattern when i get around to it!

Creative Space round-up

2010-08-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

This week was overwhelmed with CROCHET!
Now i do not crochet , nor do i particulary like it so here ( ducks and hides) are my NON crochet pics ( well apart from the first one ;) )

This quirky pillow fro, "bugalugs"

This inspirational pillow from "chunky chooky"

This beautiful wedding quilt from "from little things"

This playtent from "fly and nest"

And these cute flannel cupcakes ( with tutorial) from "redtedart"

My Creative Space - MAN socks

2010-08-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

My week has been full of knit knit knitting my husband his first hand knitted socks!
i (and HE) thought it was about time he should reap some of the rewards of my addiction so VOILA!

They are "Globe Trotter" socks knit in the Vintage Purls colourway "The Flying Dutchman". I am very jealous the Hubby gets to have socks in this gorgeous colourway!!

This week i have also been brewing up a whole lot of RAOK so stay tuned next week for these!

Pop over to Kristys for some more creative inspiration

Round-up Time!

2010-08-05T19:00:00.001-07:00

For the third week in a row i have been blown away by the talent of the chicks participating in "My creative Space" over on Kristy's Blog, and i mean BLOWN AWAY!

I have only manged to look at the first half of the blogs so far this week but i have more than enough to blog about!

This gorgeous nature corner over at Triskele Threads

This unbelievable beehive pinata over at M.E

This insanely awesome necklace and photograph at *Dolls and Daydreams*

These beautifully made elephant curtains at Julip

This adorable hand embroidered book bag at Chunky Chooky

This felt finishing set at Melindas's Creative Wishes

These stunning handcrafted bare feet sandals at Edera Jewelry

Beautiful recycled storybook bunting at Cotton Kiwi

This funky screen printed t-shirt at Kylie 3 Sheets ( and a great blog soundtrack ;) )

Beautiful hand painted dolls at A Little Vintage

There are also a few giveaways going on at Little Cooties , Becky Et Al and the pattern to this stunning dolls house/barn at Dolls and Daydreams

Have a look around!! xxx

My creative space- a hell of alot of felt!

2010-08-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Well i finally finished my mountain of Christmas decorations last night. The personal order was for 33 felt decorations: some christmasy, some not, and some extremely girly, so that's what i created!

These little beauties have seriously depleted my felt stash hahahaha, but to know that someones Christmas tree is going to be almost exclusively covered in MY creations, is pretty bloody awesome :)

Kiwiana inspired Christmas themed ones ( i made two sets of these)

Cars (middle one embroidered with the buyers daughters name)

Boats

Rainbow clouds

Robots

Flowers

Embroidered Angels

Butterflies ( with names embriodered on the back)

Gingerbread men

As well as all the detail on the front, most on them have patterned felt on the back too :)

right, so now that that's over i can get back to my knitting! haha

check out some other creative chicks over at Kootoyoo

My Creative Space, and giveaway winners!!

2010-07-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

Well i did it!!!!!!! and with 12 to spare! i cannot believe i have had an extra 32 followers since this time last week, you guys are AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!

Julia over at Just One WIP generated 7 of those all by herself by pimping me out on Ravelry and her Facebook and Julia it paid off!!! You are one of the winners!!! I drew your name first too (thanks to random.org) so you get to choose which skein you would like first.

Rachel (xmasangels) was the second winner so congratulations to both of you!!!!!! Rachel and Julia could you either PM me ( on TNN) or send me an email with your details please and i will get these beauty's into the mail!

I thought it was hilarious that you are both TNN ( thenappynetwork for those who have no idea what i am talking about haha) members, and i even drew two more names after yours just to see and yup, two more TNNers haha, lovely to see so many of you supporting me :)

right onto the yarn!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man oh man was it hard to dye this yarn!!! it took AGES for the yarn to absorb the dye and then when it did it just sucked it all up and it hardly made a difference. i had to use ALOT of dye and still the colours are quite "dull" and not nearly as vivid as i was going for. They still look great mind you, just not quite what i was trying to do.

I went with blues and purples, and pinks and greys in the end :) Both would make beautiful shawls i think, but then again I'm a bit biased don't you think? haha

hmmmm that last pic doesnt look right, there is no green, just rich blues and purples
Pop on over to kootoyoo for more creative spaces

5 more to go! What colour shall i dye?

2010-07-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

So i am 5 followers away from my goal!!!!! i am going to remain confident that i can make it to 100 by the end of Thursday so i am going to prep the yarn!!

I am going to dye up 200grams of 4ply 100purewool which is the softest and snuggliest yarn you will EVER touch.

So what theme shall i go with? What do you want? earthy colours? brights? pastels? 200grams of the same colourway? 2 separate colourways? ( i have two 100gram skeins) I could also so two winners of 100grams each...............(so double your chances to win ;) )

Thank you to all my friends who have pimped me out on their facebooks!!! i have a new follower thanks to Kate and 2 thanks to Julia!

So, tell me what you want, what you really really want!!!

Mabel Barbara

2010-07-24T23:30:00.001-07:00

My husbands grandmother turns 75 next week and i wanted to make her something beautiful and special.

Morag put up some gorgeous deep red sock yarn on her site Vintage Purls the other week and it was a perfect fit for Barbara. I wanted a pattern to could churn out quickly so went with my old faithful Ishbel pattern, this time trying a little different construction.

I used the small stocking stitch section and the large lace pattern, as i had seen other projects on Ravelry who had manged to get that size out of a single skein of sock yarn. I didn't unfortunately and had to cut out the last 4 rows in section D to make sure i had enough yarn for the cast off. i had JUST enough so lucky i didn't just keep going! I think it still looks beautiful and you can hardly tell :)

This is shawl #7 for my 10 in 2010 challenge!!!!! i am so proud i have made this many so far and i know i have many more than 3 left up my sleeve.

Creative Space round-up

2010-07-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

Thought i would do this for the second week in a row as i have spent a bit of time looking at such gorgeous blogs!!

I admit i haven't looked at all of them this week, but a fair few, and here are some of my favs........

These gorgeous birthday invitations over at Frog, Goose and Bear

These awesome felt owls at Plushkacraft

This felt bunny bunting at Voodoo Rabit

Cathie's gorgeous photography at m.e

These adorable booties at midge and judy

Delicious kiwifruit jam at swirly arts

and finally, although this wasn't a creative space post i found it on dash robins blog beautiful vintage apron curtains!

so what did you find?

Also i am only 8 followers away from goal!!!!!! so that you for all your referring yesterday, it really did work!
xxx

My Creative Space - and a giveaway.

2010-07-21T13:19:00.000-07:00

My creative space this week has been a little quiet.

I started and finished another shawl, #7 to be exact! It is for my husbands grandmothers 75th birthday next month but i haven't taken photos of it yet.

We have been away for a few days at my own grandmothers funeral, so i haven't had any more time for crafting.

HOWEVER! I am 20 followers away from 100, after last weeks mammoth blog visiting expedition and i wonder if i can make it up to 100 by next Thursday??? If i CAN then my creative space next week will be a giveaway of some lovely hand dyed yarn by me, drawn from my followers.

So tell your friends, and if you refer someone here and they follow me, get them to leave a comment saying so and i will give you another entry in the draw :)

here are some examples of my dyeing

I have some gorgeous and soft 100purewool waiting to be dyed!

Head on over to Kootoyoo for more creative inspiration

Shawl #6!!!

2010-07-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

Well i am past the half way mark now for my "10 shawls in 2010" goal!!!
I finished shawl #6 2 weeks ago but have only just gotten around to blocking and taking photos of it.

It is my second "Traveling Woman" shawl and i modified it a little to end up with a central point as well.

The yarn is Jolly Jumbuck, not sure which base and not sure which colour lol but it was a vibrant reddy/orange with hints of purple throughout.

The recipient of this shawl will be a surprise as it is going into a swap box so i will have to wait and see who picks it out!

Shawl #7 is in progress at the moment and should be finished tomorrow!! i Think i am going to get alot more than 10 done this year :)I still only have one myself and it is a small shawlette version and i would love a large one.

Creative Inspirational Spaces

2010-07-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

WOW!

After participating in "My creative Space" yesterday i had a record amount of comments left on my blog: 21 in fact!!!

After seeing so much support i decided to set myself a little challenge and visit every blog on the list (all 154 of them!) and this morning i finished!

WOW there is a lot of amazing and inspiring crafters out there!

Crochet seems to be a massive trend this week, as well as quilting.

My following list has now doubled and i thought i would share with you some of my favs from yesterday.

First up Kute Kiwi
Look at her GORGEOUS knitted jewelery

I have GOT to get one of the little bow necklaces.

Next up is Dolls and Daydreams
her handpainted/drawn dolls are just stunning

Then we have Fruitful Fusion
And her funky uncycled glasses

next is STAR OF THE EAST blog
and their amazing hand drawn bag!

And last but certainly not least is OOTY
and her beautiful rag quilt!

And that is just a taste of the amazing talent on offer!

Cant wait to participate next week :)

My Creative Space

2010-07-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

My creative space............................

...........is looking rather festive if i do say so myself!!!
I have had an order for a WHOLE BUNCH of christmas ornaments so i will be busy for the next few nights whipping up some felty christmas magic ***

Im a bit early in the game but will link to koyotos post when its up :)

And its up! pop on over to Kootoyoo and join the fun

Knit Knit knitting

2010-07-13T16:05:00.001-07:00

I have been reasonably busy while Ive been absent from blog land. Living on a mountain means everyone needs woollies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In the last couple of weeks i have made each of the boys a Milo vest:

(excuse the sour face :P )

And last night i finished some Looking Glass Longies for Flynn!

I'm in love with how these turned out and RELIEVED as it is the first luxury yarn i have every bought and these longies work out to have around $50 worth of yarn used in them!!! They yarn is by Family Roots and the colourway is First Beach

5 weeks later...............

2010-07-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

Yes it has been 5 weeks! I'm so sorry i haven't been blogging. I've had ALOT of stuff going on personally but am ready to get back int he blogging saddle ;)

So 5 weeks ago we moved into our first owned HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The boys have settled in instantly to their new neighbourhood and i have to say it felt like home form day one. From the visits from all the neighbours bearing baking, to the friendly smiles whenever we go out. Ashton's new Kindy is just BRILLIANT for him and he is now going 5 mornings a week.

The cold has taken a bit of getting used to but now we have our fire roaring every morning until we go to bed we can appreciate this glorious sight outside our window:

I have been busy knitting away so will have some things to share very soon!

Winter Rose

2010-06-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy getting organised for our big move tomorrow that i haven't had much knitting time. I managed to finish off my gorgeous Blackrose socks last night though!!

This yarn was given to me in the TNN sock lovers swap and i had cast on the day it arrived!!! Its taken me three weeks to get them finished but finally they are done, ready to warm my cold little feet.

Now they match the gloves i got in the swap too!

Socks #3 in my 10 in 2010 challenge :)

Robots Win!!!

2010-06-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

I was so stoked last night to find out that my Robot gloves won Sam's competition!!! whoopee!!! they made the top 5 and then were chosen by random org to be the winner :)

Sam stopped in this morning with my goodies and here is what i scored

Some "Birthday Suit" vintage purls sock yarn to dye up, a set of stitch markers in a stitch marker case ( Sam's new design) and my fav raspberry liquorice and chocolate logs!!! mmmmmmmmmmm ( which may or may not have disappeared already shhhhh )

Dolce

2010-05-31T20:22:00.000-07:00

While our Internet was down I finally finished off sock #2 of my Dolce socks! Just in time for mothers day.

Both the pattern and the hand dyed yarn come from my lovely friend Sheryl over at Shortly Stitches.

I made them super long as i find there is often enough yarn left in a skein to make long ones and the lace looks gorgeous in big long columns.

Mum loved them!

These were pair number 2 for my 10 socks in 2010 challenge but never fear, i have two more pairs on the needles at the moment so i will complete my goal in time!

Long time no post!

2010-05-31T20:12:00.000-07:00

Its been a whole month since my last post WOW!!!

Our modem crapped itself and took three weeks to sort out but now i am back online :)
We just bought our first house and are moving next weekend so who knows what kind of Internet issues that will cause too haha.

I haven't been up to that much crafting really as we have been busy with all the house stuff but i have a few things to share with you.

First up some gorgeous little hand warmers Ive made for the boys.

Flynn's "Hoot's"

and Ashton's "Robot's"

Sam over at Sam's Snippets has been having a little comp for her new knitting pattern so these are my two entries. Judging is tomorrow so fingers crossed!

Emily Rose

2010-05-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

It was Emily rose's 21st over the weekend and as she is a dear friend of the family ( and my little sisters best friend) i wanted to make her something very special.
I used some beautiful hand dyed yarn i received a few weeks ago in a shawl swap to make a "Damson" for her. She adored it and wore it for the rest of the day as it suited her dress perfectly!

I had given myself 4 days o knit it up which turned out to be not quite enough time! i was knitting in the car on the way down to wellington, then knitting first thing on Saturday morning to finish it, then had my mum blow drying it after pinning it out to block, up until the minute we had to leave for the party! haha next time i will give myself more time!

This was shawl number 5 for the year! so i am halfway through my 10 Shawls in 2010 goal and it is only the start of may! have only done 1 and a half pairs of socks though so need to get onto those!

I have noticed my followers list climbing over the past few weeks too which is so exciting! once i hit 100 followers i will have another giveaway so tell your friends ;)

My Creative Space.....

2010-04-28T17:56:00.000-07:00

...needs tidying.

seriously. But i would rather be knitting, which is what I'm doing haha.

Current project: a gorgeous deep blue damson Shawl for a gift. I had a three Day timeline to get this made form start to finish so i need to get cracking to get it done tonight, ready to block tomorrow!

Pop on over to kootoyoo for some more inspiring creativeness

RED

2010-04-27T18:36:00.001-07:00

Thought i would enter this little comp

Take a photo of something RED

Yes i know you have seen this photo before but i LOVE it, and what better red than hand knitted deliciousness. "Black rose" socks and fingerless gloves knitted with "fresh lava" vintage purls sock yarn. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

haleluja!

2010-04-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

It is finished!!!
5 days of constant hard core knitting and it is DONE!

I TOTALLY love how this looks, and as this one is a gift i really want one myself!!! but i don't know if i can put myself through the torture again............hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

knit..knit..knit..knit..knit..knit........................

2010-04-25T23:47:00.001-07:00

Next time you hear me say " wow, wouldn't a slouchy hat in 4ply looks really cool?" please tell me NO!!!!!!!!!

Its looking gorgeous but MAN ALIVE 100grams of stocking stitch in the round? NOT FUN!
At least it is in pretty yarn though ;)

hand dyed by me:

Formspring Friday

2010-04-22T13:53:00.000-07:00

Well guys, i haven't done this for two weeks but there is still only three questions for me to answer! Please fire away in the box on the right :)

Which 'label' did you fit into to at high school? Were you a goody-two-shoes or a alternative arty type, or were you a rebel with a cause?

I was always the "different" one haha. I loved dressing different to my peers, dyeing my hair bright red ( i am already a redhead by nature but i mean fire engine red!) wearing makeup to school when it was forbidden etc. I was addicted to the stage so was always known as the drama/singing chick :) I was bullied at every school i went to ( 7 schools) for being "different".

What is your biggest phobia?
Rejection, plain and simple. i want everyone to like me ( yeah yeah lame i know haha)

You have beautiful skin. What is your beauty regime like?
does my skin come across well in photos? its really not i real life :( i still have as much trouble with my skin now at 23 as i did as a teenager grrrrrrrrrrrr. wash and moisturise morning and night but that's about all! Ive been using "Lush" porridge soap at the moment and it is awesome!

My creative space

2010-04-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

Second time ever i have played this, really need to remember each week hehe

Most of my creating latey has been in the kitchen over the dye pot. I am completly and irevocably in love with dyeing yarn!!!!!!

here are some of my latest offerings, all sock yarn:

For more creative spaces head on over here!

Flynns Toasty Roasty's

2010-04-20T23:47:00.001-07:00

Last year i made Ash some slippers which he named his "Toasty Roasty's" and last week it was Flynn's turn!

Made with The Wool Company's "Blues" and some hand dyed red, i whipped them up in a couple of hours. He loves them and wont take them off all day! hehe

1 year Aniversary

2010-04-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

This week marks my 1 year anniversary since i started knitting.
A year ago yesterday i went to my very first Naki Knitting night and was introduced to a whole new world of yarn!
I am proud to say i have come a very long way from this:

My very first project, the wonky holey "Idiots dishcloth" hehe.

My project list now consists of over 40 different items including, 5 1/2 pairs of socks, 8 shawls, 3 pairs of longies, 3 hats, 10 dishcloths, 4 vests, 1 jersey, 6 pairs of gloves, 8 pairs of slippers, 3 headbands and a cowl. Phew!!!

Here are a few of my fav projects:

I have well and truly got the bug and i kick myself that i didn't start knitting sooner ( then i would have had more time to knit my humongous list of projects haha)

I love Shawls

2010-04-20T20:19:00.001-07:00

I love shawls. So much infact that i participated in a specific "Shawl" yanr swap.

We eahc gave a list of shalws we liked and intended to knit to give our swapper somethign to go off. My swappee loved the "Land of Oz" shawl and i thought i would play with the wizard of oz theme for her swap and created a "Good witch or bad witch?" swap.

I dyed up the yarn (100grams each baby merino)in shades of the wicked witch of the north ( blanks and greens) and Glinda, The good witch of the north ( pinks and whites)

I also made up some Oz themed felt hairclips (she has two little girls) with a crown, toto, ruby slipper(yes it really glitters!), emerald city and a rainbow.

I gifted a copy of the pattern too and she LOVED IT! Turns out she played the Wicked Witch in High School as has a great fondness of the story :)

In return i got some AMAZING blue 4ply yarn to make a "Hibiscus" with some delicious lindt choclate and the copy of the pattern :)

I am in love wiht this yarn but i have a special project ready for it in the next week or so so keep your eyes pealed ;)

Travelling Woman

2010-04-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

Nope not me ( i wish!), but it is the name of the latest shawl pattern i have tackled. I FINALLY decided ( and had the time) to make a shawl for MYSELF! i Used some gorgeous yarn i had received from a co-op from Uruguay.

This is my 4th shawl of the year an it is only the beginning of April so i am well on my way to to 10 Shawls in 2010 goal! next one on the list is a special 21st present ;)

Formspring Friday

2010-04-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

He he yes title totally stole from Rhiannons Blog. But i think answering once a week is a good plan.

right so here goes!

What does your ideal outfit look like?
Long gypo maxi dress, flat sandles, headscarf and gold jewelry :)

What is the strangest/most exotic thing you have ever eaten?I couldnt even tell you what it was but i spent a week at an eco lodge in the Amazon Rainforest and we ate local food for the whole week :)

Do you believe in fairies?
Of course! doesnt everyone? ;)

what time is it?
Homemade herb/garlic/cheese bread oclock! haha it is lunchtime on good friday.

what colour m&m would you be?
RED of course!

What is your fave television programme at the moment?
I am ddicted to Americas Next Top Model hahaha

Where'd you find out about formspring.me?
Rhiannons Blog
What do you think is the best way to defeat terrorism?
Hugs

If you had the opportunity to live one year of your life over again, which year would you choose?
This is a very tough question!! I would probably have to say the year from my 17th bithday till my 18th Birthday. I was still living in Peru when i turned 17th, right at the end of 6th form, havign the time of my life wiht wonderful frieds. Then three months later i moved home to NZ without my family and did 6 months of 7th form before leaving and starting work. I discovered so much about myself during that first half of the year. Then i went through two jobs and met Rob a couple of weeks before my 18th Birthday and "got together" ( if you know what you mean ;) ) on my 18th Birthday :) So many differnt expericences and lessons.

Please keep asking me questions!

A shawl for an Alpha

2010-03-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

Alpha wolf that is!!!!
I was honoured to be asked to knit Chaske Spencer a scarf as a token of the NZ Be the Shift movement.

Chaske (who plays Sam Uley in the Twilight Saga) is the founder and US "ambassador" of the cause and is in New Zealand this weekend at the Wellington Armageddon expo. A bunch of my lovely Twilight girls are heading down and will be meeting him on Saturday and will be giving his this shawl that i made for him!
(Hubby is modeling it too to show that it is unisex ;) )

The pattern in "Herbivore" By Stephen West, and was knit in gorgeous hand dyed yarn in the colours of the Twilight woods, so was perfect yarn to choose!

"Be the Shift" was set up to shine the light on the struggle of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

From the shift website:

MISSION STATEMENT

To Empower people to create sustainable, lasting change in their communities and countries through:

■Creating Awareness of the current issues and conditions
■Creating Alternatives that promote Dignity, Justice, Unity, and Accountability
■Taking Action that supports the creation of these alternatives
Saturday
20Feb2010
AWARENESS

WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW:

South Dakota's Lakota Sioux- Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe 2010 Crisis

■February 1st, 2010 Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe has declared state of emergency after severe ice storm devastates reservation
■Storm topples more than 3000 power poles
■13,000 people without power, heat and water

Pop over to www.shiftthepowertothepeople.org to read more.

A good friend of mine has set up a "knitting for the nation" program to send scarves over from NZ, which i will be contributing to greatly and this shawl is the first one!!! Pop over to our facebook page if you wish to be involved!

Ask me anything!

2010-03-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

I noticed this nifty little gadget over on Rhiannon's blog and thought i would give it a whirl!!!
have a look up in the top right hand courner of my sidebar.
I means that you can ask me anything in the world, either anonymously or with your blog Id and i promise to answer! :)
So go on... what do you want to know?

Plugs

2010-03-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

I thought i would blog today about some of the wonderful products and services my friends make/design.

First Up Vivianne
A few weeks ago i blogged about the shawl i made for her as part of a private swap we were doing. In exchange i recieved some GORGEOUS cloth tablewear. Int he set were 6 quilted placemats, 6 quilted coasters and 6 cloth napkins.

Closeup of spiral quilting detail

I am so stoked with the quality of the work and just how pretty they are! i Cant wai tto have people over for dinner so i can give them a whirl :)
Vivianne is an amazing quilter and runs the label "Sew Vivid".

Next is Sam
I was lucky enough to score one of her swift sacks form a blog giveaway she was making and man what a gennious little tool!
From this

To this!

Sheryl is next on the list!
I am in the middle of knitting some socks from Sheryls new pattern "Dolce"

In fact Sheryl dyed this yarn too in our last Naki swap! I have 1 sock down and one to go but it is hibernating while i am manically kniting a super excting secret project for the next couple of days ;)
Dolce is the big sister verion to the Toddler socks version.

Jo is last but CERTAINLY not least
I was lucky enough to be gifted one of Jos beautiful interchangeable needle cases
and stitchmarker holders.

These cases are a knitters best friend!! wiht room for all your tips, cables, pockets for stitch markers or measuring tapes, scissors etc.

Sweet as pie!!

2010-03-23T22:47:00.000-07:00

Just a sweet little post with some hairclips i made the other day
All made of felt :)

i have a million knitting projects on the go at the moment and three swaps due next week!!! so i am super dooper busy btu will have LOTS to blog about next week ;)

Fashion Festival!!!

2010-03-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

Wow what an awesome week it has been!!!!
me and Rob drove up to Hamilton on Monday night so we wouldn't have far to drive on Tuesday morning into Auckland but we couldn't have been more wrong and 3 HOURS of driving Tuesday morning and we were in Auckland ready to start the adventure! We got lost twice, walked km after km after km, bussed from suburb to suburb, ate on the run, got 3 kinds of blisters, makeover here, designer dress there, 5 star dinner over there, front row seats to the fashion show here!!!! It was the most full on two days of my life, but SO.MUCH,FUN!!!!!!!!!!! My two favourite parts would have to be getting my hair done at Dharma Hair in Mt Eden by Natalie, and having dinner at Q restaurant (part of the Westin Hotel. I was soo busy i didn't get to take many photos but here are a few....

Bounty

2010-03-09T00:58:00.000-08:00

Well, today i FINALLY saw the effort of the months i have spent trying to get our vege garden up and running!!!

Two heads of broccoli, a heap of carrots and two ripe tomatoes!!! wohoo!!! haha Compared to all of my friends gardens this is pitiful but i am so damn proud :)

Check out this bad boy!

Our zucchini plants are in full bloom with dozens of flowers so we should be seeing some fruit form them in a few weeks too and more and more tomatoes are ripening each day.

Along came a Fairy..........

2010-03-08T15:36:00.000-08:00

A TOOTH Fairy that is :)
I had a personal order this week for a tooth Fairy Pouch and at the lats minute i decided to make a cute little fairy to go with it :) The Pouch buttons at the back.

Here is the Tooth fairy in her natural habitat

I also have 3 very exciting pieces of information to share with you!!!

1. My mothers best friend has opened an arty/crafty gallery and would like to stock some of my felt stuff so i am going to be on a mad sewing mission once i have finished my to do list! I am going to make up a range of dolls for the shop :)

2. I am lookin to relaunch wiht a new brand name and some more products so keeo your eyes peeled!

3. I was lucky enough to win a massive prize on friday on the "Good Morning" show and next week will be heaing up to Auckland with hubby to attend the first annual NZ Fashion Festival, wiht dinner out and accomodation, as well as take home thousands in clothes, haircare, makeover, jewelery etc etc!! I am SOOOOOOOOOO excited and now we are sorted for childcare etc i can relax and just look forward to it!!

long time no post

2010-03-01T16:22:00.000-08:00

Yeah yeah i know I'm a slack ass :P
Busy as usual with life etc and have neglected to post for a while!
I still have been busy crafting this that and the other with more swaps rolling out the door and into the letterbox, knitting flying off the needles and felt food etc being made. I thought i would make this post a catchup post and then i will set myself some blogging goals!

First up the RED swap i participated in on Ravelry. here is the wonderful bag i received from "Redrel" over in Oz:

it came filled with chocolate, tea and cookie cutters ( all in red of course ;) )

The package i sent over the ditch is still in transit ( NEVER send my economy post) but I'm pretty sure my person would never make her way over to my blog so here is the package i put together for her:

he collects old books and i found a 1960 copy of the NZ Scout Annual in an op shop, some fair trade tea, some homemade "straw-barb" jam ( strawberry and rhubarb) and then some Blackrose socks and gloves!

i have also been busy filling a few felt food and finger puppet orders. here are some new designs i made up:

I LOVE the safari animals so think i might make a whole set of these

I also finished my Vamp swap ( 1st time Ive ever been late woops!)
I was in such a hurry to get it in the Post after i made it that i didn't have time to take good photos but here is the package all together:

A "Volturi" style hooded scarf, Volturi thirst quenchers (ingredients: unsuspecting visitors to Italy) and some blood splattered stationary i made. The scarf used over 300 grams of wool and it knit all in seed stitch so ALOT of work went into this. closeup of detail:

Here is what the pattern looks like ( care of Ysoldas photo (the designer)

I am going to try and thin of some ways to keep up with blogging so i will let you know when i decide!!! Once a day is a bit too much at the moment but maybe 2-3 times a week, will keep you posted.

Naki Swap #3!!!!

2010-02-17T10:48:00.000-08:00

So unfortunately i forgot to take my camera to knitting on tuesday DOH!!! so instead of borrowing photos etc i thought i would just direct you over to my lovely friend Sheryls blog and you can read all about it over there :)

here is the package i put together, themed "Zen Garden"

The three words i oulled out of the hat were "Pray" "Rock Pool" and "Handcrafted" so i chose to use both "Pray" and "Rock Pool" to come up with my theme :)