Why I've been neglecting K&R!

I've been neglecting my blog of late, as I've been drawn into new ways to spend my time.

One of my new loves is sewing; i just can't seem to drag myself away from my sewing machine as I am having so much fun creating in a new way.

One of the things I have made is this grocery bag from vintage fabric that I found at a local thrift/bazaar shop.  I can just imagine this fabric as kitchen curtains or maybe in a 60's caravan, tootling around the country.  Don't you think?!

I also just created this simple tote for a friend's birthday present.  It was a super easy pattern from 'Sew La Tea Do' and I also attempted the suggested embroidery! I'm completely new to embroidery but am pleased to report that it wasn't that tricky.  Hindsight would have me embroider the text in a colour that contrasts strongly against the fabric, but that's a lesson I'll take into my next project.  That's one of the things I love about crafting; you're always learning and improving your skills, which means that the subsequent projects are always bigger, better and even more special.

My other new project is a little organisation that I have started with a colleague - Big Fat Smile. For about 6 months I have been dreaming and planning for ways to become more integrated with my community and to make a difference in the lives of a few (or many). I think that Big Fat Smile is going to be the medium that allows me to achieve this vision. Stay tuned for more BFS updates over the months to come.

"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world'.
- Author Unknown

Reflections on a crafty year

Before Christmas I had a really fun time sewing presents for my girlfriends.  I turned out quite a few of these super cute grocery bags for my lovely friends and I really loved spending the time to make them.

In 2011 I really surprised myself with how much I enjoyed making and crafting.  I received such a huge amount of pleasure from making something with my own hands and most of the time, giving that special something to someone else.  Developing my skills and enjoying the making process is one of my 2011 highlights and is something that will continue for me in 2012.

I already have two 2012 projects on the go! I'm making a special something for a cheeky almost 1 year old and I've also cast on a second pair of fingerless gloves, like the ones below (as I've had a special request from the previous recipient's younger sister!)

I'm planning on making 2012 a year where I continue to make, give and learn, cos it's just so much darn fun ;)

They're in the mail!

Well, here they are, MIL and my contributions to the Softies for Mirabel 2011 campaign.

The little dolls are courtesy of MIL.

Stripy Ted was handmade by me . This was my first attempt at toy making, I'm pretty happy with the result! His face was really, really hard to get right, so while it's not perfect I'm hoping that the cuddliness of Ted will compensate for his facial features!

Give Handmade

Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon crocheting. It's been years since I last attempted a crochet project. I was inspired by this lovely blanket, which luckily for me has an awesome tutorial to get me started.

Courtesy of Meet me at Mike's; Larksfoot Blanket. Isn't it gorg!

There's a special occasion early next year for one of my friends and in the spirit of giving handmade, I thought she would love (and I would love to give) a handmade blanket.

Giving handmade is also going to be my theme for Christmas this year. Last year I went with a giving nothing theme as I was feeling a bit down about the excess of our Western lives when compared to how little others have.  I decided to donate some money to Oxfam and kept the actual presents to an absolute minimum. 

I'm keeping some of that theme this year and I've 'bought' a goat and a duck through Oxfam Unwrapped (goat = 'a gift that's gruff, tough and does heaps of good stuff'). For the other presents I'll be giving, they'll be courtesy of my sewing machine.

Giving handmade is great for a few reasons; I get pleasure from making, the recipient knows that I spent time and love making their present, it's a great way to recycle or reuse and it's less commercial, hopefully it means a bit more.

I encourage you to join me and give handmade this year.  If you're not into making stuff yourself, you can always pick up great handmade gifts at Etsy and Made It.

Softies for Mirabel

Courtesy of Meet Me at Mike's

Some of my creative energy over the last few weeks has been spent trying to finish my contribution to the Softies for Mirabel campaign.  I have a really bad habit of leaving projects until the 11th hour to complete them, and with submissions needing to be sent early next week, it's going to be a push to the finish line.

I've been making a stripy teddy bear and hopefully he'll keep a special little person in good company for the next few years.  He's been made with love and I hope that he brings love to his new owner. 

I've also inspired my MIL to get involved and she's been beavering away knitting a few softies of her own.  Unfortunately MIL is a huge worrier; if there is something to be worried about, she seeks it out and worries on it for days.  On our recent road trip to Bendigo (to see The White Wedding Dress exhibition, which was totally wonderful...) she was talking to me about some of her worrying. I encouraged her to find a way to feel like she had some control over her worries and maybe finding a way to give to someone in need could help with this. As a result, we've both been crafting, making our softies and taking back control by finding a small way to make a difference.

I'll be sure to post a few pics of both hers and mine before they get sent on their merry way next week.

Phew

I've been working on this baby blanket since August, when one of my close friends had her first baby. 3 months later here were are... project finished!

It was a real chore to get through all of the moss stitch which makes up the body of the blanket; easy, but tiresome.  Knitting the lace border was much more interesting and was something that I hadn't attempted before.

I'm absolutely in love with the finished product; it's nearly as sweet as little baby V herself :)  

Family and the Holiday Season

Maybe the most dysfunctional Christmas family story!

This week I read this blog post from Gretchen Rubin of, The Happiness Project.  It provides some simple but really practical and sensible advice on dealing with difficult relatives over the holiday period. 

While she's thinking about Thanksgiving, which is approaching quickly, I thought the advice was pretty spot on for some family tension that often plays out for us over Christmas.

Check out her blog post for yourself, I'm sure that there's something that you can take away for your family this holiday season:
http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2011/11/9-tips-for-dealing-with-difficult-relatives-over-the-holidays.html

This year, we're spending the holidays in Adelaide with my family; all 3 of us... husband, M dog and me! Should be an interesting 8 hour toad trip with M dog in tow!

Knit, sew and ramble

Hold the press... I might have to change the name of my blog to Knit, Sew and Ramble, as I can now proudly call myself a sewer!

I've been wanting to continue to develop my love for making and giving and I felt that re-learning how to sew would be a great way to help me achieve this.  I've also set myself a new life goal of ensuring that I always create an atmosphere of growth; to keep learning, developing and growing as a person, both personally and professionally ('creating an atmosphere of growth' is something that really resonated with me from The Happiness Project). The first task that I set myself was to get back into sewing.

This weekend, I took steps one and two in this journey...

Step one looks like this:

My new Janome sewing machine! Yay!

Step two looks like this:




My first project; a small drawstring bag to house my sewing bits and pieces. I also think that I've found project number two here; apparently this is the world's easiest skirt... sounds like a good place to start to me! So now to find some funky fabric to make this super easy (fingers crossed!) skirt.

More updates to come!!

Giving

Giving:  the transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return...

I really love this sweet little pair of fingerless gloves and I hope that a certain 6 year old will too!

While the weather is probably starting to get a little too warm for gloves, hopefully there will still be a few cold mornings when they can be worn on the walk to school.

I know I've said it before, but I get a real kick out of giving handmade presents; I think it just means that little bit more when the recipient (or in this case, the recipient's Mum!) knows that I have spent time and effort crafting away and creating something lovely just for them!

In other knitting updates... I'm still working on the purple moss stitch baby blanket that I posted a photo of a few weeks ago. I've finished the body of the blanket and am just finishing the edging. I've also started knitting a teddy bear to donate to the Softies for Mirabel campaign; if you're able to make a toy of any sort then you should jump on board as well. You could knit, sew or crochet, anything would be OK, as long as you can do one of these things then I think you should join in! Go on!

Knit and Sew

Last week I roped in a few of my lovely colleagues to spend the day volunteering with me at Save the Children.

We worked our little fingers to the bone, as we stitched knitted squares into blankets. I had also knitted a few squares to donate to the cause and while I didn't have enough for a whole blanket, they got included with some other dontated squares to make up a blanket.

The finished blankets will be sent to India, Cambodia and Laos to help children keep warm in the hope of preventing pneumonia; one of the biggest killers in children under five in the developing world.

Volunteering is one of those things that I've always wanted to do more of, but to be honest I've never prioritised it or really worked at making it happen and that's about to change... as of now. I want to find a regular avenue to volunteer and to give service to the local or global community. I believe that having a more active service role in my life will help me to 'feel right' (one of my recently crafted personal commandments). Being involved in the Born to Knit campaign has been right up my alley; a fantastic combination of my craft and my interest in volunteering.

Now to get knitting for next years Save the Children campaign!