Lou's Woollen Egg

Lou did a little bit of Easter craft this week. Easter has just snuck up on me.

We made a wet-felted egg. I have a plastic egg that I use as a template and I gently needle-felted some white wool around the egg to get the shape, then add the coloured wool.

Here is some mixed coloured wool that I got from Spotlight a few years ago. Lou picked this wool out from the wool stash.

I filled the sink with warm water and Lux soap flakes, and Lou did the fun bit of rubbing the egg for a while and playing in the bubbles until the wool had shrunk around the plastic egg.

Here is what it looked like finished. While it was still wet, I cut a zig-zag half way across the middle, took out the plastic egg, re-shaped the felted egg then let it dry in the sun. On Thursday, Lou took it to school filled with little chocolate Easter eggs as a present for his teacher (which I forgot to take a picture of).

She loved it!  :)

Lego Chess

My kids are never cease to amaze me.

This morning, Mr F asked me if  I could  get the chess set down off the cupboard for him and Lou because they wanted to play a game. I didn't think much of it. I gave them the board and got on with a few things. As I was passing by the room  I saw this ........ 

I had a giggle to my self. I thought it was so cute and imaginative that they had replaced the chess pieces with their Lego characters, and the boys made up rules on the go. I could hear them working together to work the game out between them.

I couldn't find my camera - it is somewhere in this house. So I used my phone instead. My camera is probably right under my nose and I'm not seeing it, but I've been doing that a lot lately. Luckily, I have my house keys on a piece of leather attached to my handbag otherwise I would never get out the house. But I have been going around in circles looking for my glasses (LOL..).

I'm not sure how the game ended. It was packed up by the time I got back in from hanging out the washing.

A Very Green Little Cardigan

My knitting needles have been busy for the last few weeks, getting unfinished items knitted up and starting new little items for the baby.

I'm enjoying the little projects - they are quick and satisfying when finished, knowing that the newest member to my little brood with be wearing something that I made (and these little items are great for my stash busting too).

Here is the latest item I have made. It is called Bluebell Cardigan (a freebie from Ravelry of course). I knitted this up quickly and no hassles with the pattern, unlike another raglan pattern that I started then frogged after 2 attempts.

I used Noro Retro that I got on sale from WEBS Yarn.com a year ago when they where having a closeout sale - it was $4.95 US per skein. I bought it for Katie because she loves green, but she thought is was too bright for her when the parcal arrived so I knitted her a scarf instead. I have quiet a few skeins left over so here's 2 skeins down.

It is bright but I like it. I love how its different shades of green are broken with a little bit of white - it works quite well. I sewed these little white shell buttons on but I'm still deciding; do I sew more buttons onto this cardigan to close the front up or leave it at 3 buttons?

Nutwood Farm

It was such a beautiful Autumn day last Sunday, so we packed a picnic lunch and drove to Mt Irvine (which is another part of the Blue Mountains) to Nutwood Farm  to pick some chestnuts.

We packed everything but I forgot our gloves. Luckily, Nutwood lends out gloves and tongs. Mr F is doing a monster interpretation with his tongs.

It is early in the season so there were plently of nuts on the ground. There weren't many people there. Last time we went chestnut gathering there were lots of people at the farm.

Having tongs made it so much easier to pick up the fallen nuts.

These spikes were even going through the gloves.

Here is some of what we picked. I love the colour. I could imagine some wool dyed this yummy warm brown colour.

Mr F and some of his stash.

We also found a walnut - it was huge.

Here's Katie with what she picked.

It was quite a warm day and after sitting in the sun under a walnut tree, the boys got very sleepy. Here they are having a little nap. It was so beautiful and quiet by this time as we were the only people there. We had the place to ourselves and the boys could just lie there and relax for a while and soak up the warmth of the Autumn morning sun.

After we paid for the chestnuts, we bought some waltnuts at the stall. We didn't pick any walnuts this time as the last time at another nut place, they were rotten inside. Hopefully they will be ok inside this time.

Next to the stall there was a big field. We asked the lady if we could have a picnic there. She was fine with it so the kids ran off, picked a spot right out in the sun, and then they flopped on the ground. I talked them into relocating under a tree where we were not going to get cooked. We had a picnic lunch and the kids ran around. Here, I'm trying not to fall asleep, but I did for a little while, hearing the kids running around laughing and having fun.

As we were laying back, we watched the clouds pass us by in the sky, seeing shapes and images in the clouds. This one made us laugh because it looked like a roast chicken.

When we got home, we lit a fire and got the pot stove going and roasted some of the chestnuts. 

  

Here they are cooking nicely. Once they were cooked and cooled down a bit, we peeled off the outer shell and ate them while they were still warm. They were so delicious :)

The House of Wool

Yesterday at the Knitter's Guild down in Blaxland, I did a workshop with Claire on lace blocking which was interesting and I got a lot out of it. Afterwards I drove back up the mountains to Blackheath to The House of Wool for a knitting evening from 5 to 7pm. I'm trying to get as much knitting done before the baby arrives. I have nearly finished a vest and a cardigan. It gets cold up here so the little one will need a few woollies to keep warm.

It was so lovely sitting on the comfy lounge, knitting without my kids trying to climb over and distract me.

And spoiled with tea and yummy chocolate slices, the lovely company of the ladies who where there, and surrounded by all this beautiful wool :)

Hopefully it will be a regular event I can get too.

Here is some more wool for my stash that came home with me. It's fine Merino cashmere from Lara Downs. I bought from The House of Wool. I love these colours.

Late Again!!!!!!!!

Oops.... I'm late again. I should have posted this last Thursday - I wonder how long I can used the excuse that I'm pregnant for being too tired to post in the evening. Goal for next month: post the day or so before.  Let's hope I don't forget ;)

So, I really didn't get any of my projects finished for this month....

But in fact, I got distracted with little projects that are quick to knit. I just got bored knitting the one colour and  garter st, so the Shalom just sat there. I still have to find the pattern to sew up and felt those slippers, but I did a few rows of Annabell.

Here is a hat I knitted for Katie from Tiny Owl knits. This wool is very stretchy and the hat is already starting to lose it shape. I haven't sewn the antlers on yet. I'm afraid that the wool is too floppy and the antlers are just going to droop like the ears are doing. So, I'm going to have to go get some other brown yarn when I go down the mountains next. Otherwise, Katie loved it. In the first photo she is holding the antlers in place. 

Here is my Annabell cardigan that I tried to finished. I only got a bit of one sleeve done.

But, I have been busy knitting two Pebble vests - one in yellow and this one in an off white. I love this pattern - it sooooo quick and easy and it is a freebie off Ravelry. I'm also knitting a baby Raglan cardigan but the pattern is driving me nuts. It looked easy but is not well written. I have frogged it once and am going to do it again - I think I might leave it. I'm also knitting another vest in the round, which is taking me longer on 3mm needles. Let's hope I get it finished before the baby comes ;)