Yay! It's finished

The Augustine Shawlette by Valdis Vrang is finished. I loved knitting this pattern but it did have its ups and downs along the way. I don't know why I picked 6mm needles to work this because they were a size and a bit too large but it looks passable given that the whole shawlette has a rustic charm. It is a simple and satisfying knit and I think it looks great worked in the beautiful colours of the Noro Kureyon Sock yarn. See for yourself.

The next picture is for you Katie. The mirror is an artwork that Jeff made in his studio art classes at school and as I went to crop the photo I knew that you would like to see the mirror. He made it all entirely from recycled materials and there was a lot of design work that went into the ideas for the embossing. Every square has something significant to Jeff. His theme for the year's art was 'Me, myself, I' and was represented by 3 separate artworks. The mirror was a take on a self portrait showing the reflected image of Jeff.  It is large and heavy and sits on the floor, propped against the wall. I particularly like art leaning against walls instead of hanging so this piece is a great addition to the small hallway that has become its home. 

 

Cheers,

Lynda

Augustine Update

Love this pattern but I'm not sure if I like my version. Of course I love the Noro colours. The Noro colourways are always beautiful. It is the wide bars that I am unsure of and I don't know if they will stretch out further with wear or if they will bunch up, which I would prefer, if I don't block it. Will I finish it, rip it or pick up the dropped stitches and continue it as a ribbed scarf?

 

Looks good with the bars squished up

Looks bad with the bars stretched out

What do you think?

Cheers,
Lynda

A special evening of Masquerade

The day after the big night out and Shan surprised us all and woke up early. The formal part of the evening was a huge success and fun was had by all the girls and their partners. It was followed by an after party at one of the girl's homes and all up finished around 4am. The evening was a formal masquerade event held at The Sebel in Albert Park. The girls especially enjoyed dressing up for the occasion and feeling extra special relaxing in the limo during the drive into the city.

 Shannon's boyfriend wore a black suit and red tie that complimented her silver grey dress and red and silver masquerade mask.

Cheers,
Lynda

Today I don't have to wash floors and I managed to send off a few messages and do the laundry at the same time so things are looking up :^)

One of the good things from yesterday is this -

and this

 

I'm particularly impressed to get the Stitch Nation Bamboo Ewe yarn and Alpaca Love yarn on a good special. The rainbow of colours is very enticing and inspired by my love of granny squares, Attic 24 and some other crocheted projects I think I will earmark this for a crochet throw (one day). You can always rely on Spotlight for a yarn bargain. You just have to wait for the right day!

There is a special night coming up for one of the kids and here is a sneak peak.

Some of the girls are wearing short formal dresses and some have chosen long dresses. This one is a long dress. There are not that many occasions where the young girls can wear the long dresses and I think it makes it feel even more special somehow. We hunted out the highest shoes that we could find to avoid taking the hem of the dress up but seems the highest shoes weren't high enough.

So with a snip and a cut a new hem was done and the dress is now hanging up waiting for the special evening. The dress had only one shoulder strap so I also added a thin strap to the other shoulder. I had planned on using ribbon but was lucky enough to be able to make it from the scrap of fabric that I cut off the bottom of the dress. Now it looks like it was always meant to be there.

Cheers,
Lynda

What a mess

I am officially stupid! I spent a lot of time this morning cleaning the house and washing the floors. I even did a wash over the cleaned floors with disinfectant just to make sure they were perfectly clean. Then I put on a load of laundry and went to write a message to Katie. I must have been so excited to write that message that I totally forgot that I left the plug in the sink in the laundry. Of course I flooded the laundry, the kitchen, and the family room. My clean floors littered with fluff and who knows exactly what from under the washing mashing and behind the cupboards.Now it is back to the laundry to wash the towels that I had to use to stop the flow of water.

That ain't no shiny floor!!

Message still coming Katie

Cheers,
Lynda

A rose is a rose is a rose

“I’ve dreamed of this a thousand times before
But in my dreams I couldn’t love you more
I will give you my heart
Until the end of time…
You’re all I need, my love, my Valentine”

Martina McBride, Valentine 

Cheers,

Lynda

News Flash

Remember the gorgeous flowers that Marnie received from a secret admirer. Well he is secret no more! In fact I think he is the new boyfriend. Romantic gestures still win hearts it seems.

Cheers,
Lynda

Love you Lachie

Ordinary days are the best sometimes. We spent today around the house doing not a lot of anything in particular. Lachie came for the day while his mum and dad had a day of fun elsewhere. He is changing each time I see him. His hair is a little darker, he is getting a little taller and boy oh boy can that boy talk! All day he was proud to tell us "I can do that, I can do that, I know how to do that" until it came time to pack up the toys and then it was "I don't know how to do that!" Typical! lol!

He's had a busy day playing with the toys, doing puzzles, watching a couple of his favourite DVDs, going for a walk, keeping the cat and dog on their toes - not to mention the rest of us as well and now he is getting very very sleepy! Yes, the best days are ordinary days.

Cheers,
Lynda

"Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet". Roger Miller

What a weekend! The floods came and went leaving behind a lot of mess to clean up. We are on a sloping block so not much chance of water building up inside but it did feel like we were in the middle of a fast flowing river. How can it rain that much?  Many of the roads around us were cut off and some of us had to search out alternative places to stay until the water subsided and the roads reopened. Crazy weather...and the forecast says more rain!

It was great to have some cool weather after the previous week where we tipped 40C. When it gets to 40C you know it is HOT! Not really knitting weather but inspired by Kaylee's Zhu Zhu pets' carrier I knitted up a bed/carrier for the wee gnome babies. It is knitted in DK cotton and has a moss stitch bottom and garter stitch sides.

I've also been continuing the knitting of the Augustine Shawlette and I'm pleased to say I have started the decreases for the second half. Because of the yarn and needles that I used it is long but the colours are looking lovely. Pictures of the finished project soon :)

Cheers,
Lynda

A bit of fragrance clings to the hand that gives flowers. Chinese Proverb

It seems Marnie is not the only one to receive flowers around here! I received beautiful potted lilies  from a friend yesterday and I can tell you I was smiling just as much as Marnie. It is wonderful to feel appreciated and although it took me by surprise I am very grateful for the kind thought. Thank you Mary. We will enjoy the delightful florist shop fragrance in the house for a bit longer. 

Cheers,
Lynda

Augustine Shawlette

Poor Queensland! Not yet recovered from the massive January floods that affected 75% of the state and last night they were again dealt a blow with Cyclone Yasi. This was a Category 5 severe tropical cyclone which is extremely dangerous with widespread destruction. A Category 5 cyclone's strongest winds are so destructive with typical gusts over open flat land of more than 280 km/h. These winds correspond to the highest category on the Beaufort scale, Beaufort 12 (Hurricane).

Despite large areas being completely flattened it seems no lives were lost which is remarkable. I think this is because more than 30,000 people where evacuated from the areas at most risk. The Aussie resilience is really being stretched to the limits up North.

Down South we have been sweltering in high temperatures around 40C but today the cool change has hit and it is a pleasant 25C with slight drizzle. Just the right weather to stay indoors and knit. So, what's on the needles? The Augustine Shawlette by Vladis Vrang is half way done. I am just deciding at which point to stop increasing and start the decreases for the last half. It is knitted in Noro Kureyon Sock yarn in colour S279. It is possible that I have used too large a needle for this yarn but I like the texture and effect and I would rather the Noro yarn knitted loosely so the knitted fabric is not too hard and stiff. The larger needles do add to the uneven texture when coupled with the variations in the yarn itself. Well here's the photos - I'll let you decide!

   
Cheers,
Lynda