Loop-de-loop

Here we go loop de loop, here we go loop de li.........all on a Saturday night!! Well actually, it has been most nights that I have been sitting in front of the fire (yes it is a wee bit chilly), knitting a merry tune of pattern, texture and prismatic, rainbow-filled colour. Yes indeedy, loop by loop, stitch by stitch, row by row, pattern by pattern.....my playful jumper of many colours is slowly knitting up to what seems to be a medley of luscious pattern and chromaticity.

 

I have been merrily knitting, loop-de-loopying  the sleeves of my whimsical jumper.......BUT.........there has been a li'l unravelling. Deary, deary me, I just keep making boo boos.

But not to be deterred, I have continued to knit my sleeves. One sleeve is finished using a potpourri of colours and patterns.

 

I have knitted a slew of stitch patterns.....basket weave, cable, garter stitch, moss slip stitch and slip stitch pinstripes.

 

With one sleeve knitted, the second sleeve (with a li'l fixer-uppering of my li'l boo boo) is shimmying along in a rhythmical dance. Again, I wanted to introduce a li'l zest of colour, a little 'get-up-and-go'. I cannot think of a zestier colour than the colour orange. Yes indeedy, I do believe with the bringing together of orange and pink, my sleeve now has a vibrant piquancy. WHAMMO!! I love it. Now I am not a gal who goes stark raving mad for the colour orange but I must admit that the marrying of pink and orange is a match made in heaven.

 

Now, are not these photos just filled with a colouration of luscious zing; a dash of pep and a whole lot of oomph!! Yes indeedy........love, love, LOVE, and this is from a gal whom is rather ho hum about the hue orange. I am now sitting rather comfortably on that peachy, tangerine bandwagon!!

 

The stitches knitted in the second sleeve are a 2 colour zig zag slip stitch, a 2 colour loop and a cable pattern.

 

 

Deary, deary me, this jumper is not one for chromophobes. Not to worry, as a colour saturated kinda gal, I am off to loop-de-loop some more!!

 

Happy Loop-de-Loopying!!

 

Linking up with Janine at Rainbow Hare - Wool on Sundays

  

A blessed Easter to you !!

From our li’l ole abode to yours,

May your Easter be a

blessed, safe and happy one!!

 

 

 

There's fun to be had.....

....at our li'l house on the hill. Each afternoon the school bus hurtles along our country road, screeches to a sudden stop at our front gate, ejects excited li'l earthlings, who burst through the bright pink door in readiness for a fun afternoon; getting lost in a plethora of all things creative.

Yes indeedy, each afternoon I teach kiddos in all matters 'creatin'...machine stitching, hand sewing, knitting, beading and oh so many, many more fun things pertaining to the subject of  'craft'!

I have been looking through photos recently and am amazed at the projects that the kiddos have created. The kiddos have made so, so many wonderful projects; from denim bags, denim wall hangings, denim quilts, denim pencil cases, patchwork quilts, softies....scottie dogs, owls, dolls, bears, monsters etc.....cushions, Christmas stockings, Christmas Advent calendars and some are now beginning to sew clothes......the list just goes on and on and on.

It seems that denim is a favourite choice of  them all.

The girls and some boys have made quilts from big patches cut from recycled jeans.

Some funky bags....ooh-la-la!! The girls have made a couple of original bags, designed by themselves, to sling on their shoulders when out and about town. A pair of jeans goes such a loooooong way! All the kiddos have made a wall hanging from hessian with denim pockets so that they can stash  their bits and bobs. This wall hanging is the first project they make as it is a fairly easy project on which to learn the basics of straight and zig zag stitches. A fun and easy project to take home with them on the first or second lesson.

One of my girl's (Holly) mum sent me this photo of her bedroom, showcasing a few of the projects that she has stitched.......a denim quilt, a personalised hessian cushion,where I photographed Holly's face, transferred it onto fabric and Holly designed herself within the scene, and appliqued and free-hand machine stitched to fill in the details. Amazing as she was only 8 years old when she stitched this! A lot of my kiddos have attempted free-hand machine stitching, sketching what they will, with no fear! Also there is a cute, cute owl, a hessian & denim pocket wall hanging...AND...have a bo-peep at the Babushka doll bag, complete with a hand beaded wire handle! Our Holly is one very clever li'l girl!!

 

 A personalised denim pencil case in the making.

This school term, more denim quilts are being stitched. It seems that every kiddo who visits my li'l ole abode wants to make a denim quilt. A few of the boys have made a simple patched quilt with no embellishments; whilst the girls always seem to want to make one with flowers and butterflies weaving their way in and out of the denim pockets.
 

A baby quilt for a new little baby sister and a table-top quilt for a mum for Mother's Day.

 

More Mother's Day presents for grandmothers. Some of the girls designed a picture, traced them on to canvases and long stitched and back stitched the design with tapestry wool. With the embroidery finished, they then coloured in the background with watercolour pencils, then added water with a brush to resemble a watercolour picture. When the canvases are dry, buttons will be added to some of the flowers. Instead of the girls embroidering on fabric inside a hoop, I came up with the idea of using canvases instead. The girls have had so much fun creating these priceless works of art. Quite the 'artistes', aren't they!! I think they look very, very cool!!

So, all in all it has been a very busy school term. A lot of time has been spent preparing and organising each day's projects so that when the kiddos arrive everything is organised and ready to go. I must say that I do enjoy teaching the kiddos. They keep me in the loop of all things children. I am continually amazed at their imaginations and what they dream up. I always find it fascinating when the kiddos come for their first lesson, they are tentative in all things stitching, but with each week their confidence grows; seeing in the eyes and demeanor their amazement at the projects they create. "Did I really make that!!" Yes indeedy, in no time at all they are whirring away on the sewing machines as if they have been sewing all their young lives.

But....I am very thankful that here in Australia there are 10 week school terms with two week holidays in between. I find that I need this time to recharge the battery, clear out the cobwebs from the brain pan, dream up new ideas; perhaps stitch a li'l stitching for li'l ole me.....and just be.

One more week then it's...... holiday time !!

A li'l more knitting

Having finished knitting the front of my colourful jumper I have decided to knit the sleeves before I attempt the front. My thoughts are that the sleeves will be quicker to knit up. Besides, it will be easier to decide which patterns to use for the front if I have a visual of the patterned sleeves in front of me. And....the sleeves should be quicker and easier....right?

But...looking at the back all week, I feel that my jumper is in need of a li'l pick-me-up. No, I am not going to unravel what I have knitted, I have already unravelled and knitted what seems a jumper, twice over. I feel that the jumper is in need of a few more colours to give the front and sleeves a li'l zing. MORE!! I hear you all shouting at me. Yes, more.

So I popped out to the wool shop yesterday, to search for just the right shades. Ignoring the sales assistant's murderous glint in her eyes, I pulled ball after ball of wool out, endeavouring to find suitable colours. Oh, I quite understand her attitude, I mean, I probably would want to wring my scrawny neck as well, for upsetting the perfectly aligned packets of wool on all those neatly stacked shelves.

Have you ever tried to get the exact shade of wool, only to find that the one you really, really must have is at the very top of a towering, woolly, high rise, and when you ever so carefully pull out the chosen ball of wool, there is the rumble of a woolly avalanche from up high, toppling down, burying everyone!! Oh dear...but it was a tad humorous!! 'Tis a pity that the sales assistant didn't see the funny side of things....but then I have a very heightened sense of the ridiculous!! A little too heightened at times!

Now this lady enquired several times if she could be of help, but after her comment; upon eyeing my jumper of many colours, "mmm...well....that's very interesting", I politely declined her expert help with the thought that the colours she would point me to, would make my jumper even more interesting!! Such a dour and stringent kinda word, is interesting, when attached to a 'compliment'. (Was it a compliment...or was it not...don't rightly know.)

I wanted to sit down on the rather comfy sofa and have a li'l powwow to enlighten her on so many, many more fitting words that could be expressed. But, I decided that it was not the time to elucidate her of the "Kim Sharman words of the day", in relation to all things complimentary. I was more concerned with my mission of finding the perfect shades of wool and high tailing out of there as expeditiously as humanly possible, before she strangled my scrawny neck with some very thick yarn.
 

Enough of  "The Perils of Kim's Visit to the Wool Shop"; let us have a bo-peep at the sleeve.
 

I have used three of the new colours that I purchased yesterday. A green, a pink and a mauve, all still in the muted vein but just a little brighter to make the jumper pop.

The two patterns that I have incorporated are a two colour brick pattern and a  medallion moss cable which in essence is a simple cable with moss stitch in the centre. Easy!

I must say that I am loving these colours and when mingled with the back of my jumper, I am really, really loving them.

With my colour choices all sorted, and my knitting needles rythmically knitting into a groove, I envisage that the rest of the sleeve will be child's play. Have I spoken a li'l too soon? Perhaps I will have the other sleeve to chat about next week.....wonders will never cease. But for now........

Happy Knitting

Linking to Janine's lovely blog 'Rainbow Hare' for Wool on Sundays.
 

The final act of a glorious show!!

It is always a li'l sad when the glorious show of the flower kingdom is nearing the end. One sits transfixed, through act after act of gloriously coloured flowers; each spending their time dancing in the sun and then delicately sashaying to the wings so that the next group of the floral troupe can take centre stage. Then the curtain call. One last resounding applause in acknowledgement of the  players who have displayed their pretty best. All performing on cue; giving all and sundry much delight, then departing  to rest, recoup and slumber for a while; in readiness for an even better and grander  floral show next year.

Though the curtain call is not far off, the Autumn act is still performing it's rhythmic dance. Autumn in our garden is still producing masses of gorgeous flowers for all to enjoy, for just a little while longer. The Autumnal days have been ones filled with sunny warmth, but the early mornings and evenings are beginning to get just a wee bit chilly. It won't be long till Jack Frost finds his way to our neck of the woods and sends the flowers scurrying to their garden beds beneath the earth.

Autumn is a lovely time of the year here in Tassie. It reminds me of the end of the beginning. The final act of a glorious stage production. Spring is the awakening of new floral life after an icy sheathed, Winter garden. It is the season where you see everything come to life after the malaise of Winter. Then Summer arrives, bringing much activity and thriving growth which gradually moves into Autumn, where the trees gather from the wardrobe department, the most glorious leaf-inspired dresses of burnished yellows, ochreous oranges, gorgeous reds; all gently falling intermittently to the soft ground creating a crunching, crinkled carpet of variegated loveliness.

Autumn/Winter trees provide a visual feast of wonderful bare sculptures and silhouettes against our country landscape;  waiting for the spring so they can come back to life. I love this cycle of  the seasons.
 

 My favourite, Hydrangeas, are still gifting me pretty blue mop head flowers, but they are gradually turning into gorgeous autumnal shades.

The gorgeous dance of the Cosmos has been spectacular. The best we have seen thus far. They have provided months of saturated, delicious, pink (and every variation in between) colour, stretching up to the blue, blue sky. For just a couple of packets of seeds, they having given oodles of delight for months on end. The Cosmos have grown to a height of over 2 metres!! Unbelievable!!

  

 Oh goody goody gum drops.....the woodcutter has been working hard (gosh he labours tirelessly) ....this wood will be needed sooner rather than later.

 

Sweet smelling, sweat peas, trailing up to the heavens; dosey doe-ing with the Cosmos. I have been filling our humble li'l ole abode with small posies of sweet peas for months. Incredible!

Pretty, pretty Anemones.

Huge delicious, pink Liliums. These seem to grow like 'Jack in the Beanstalk' up to the heavens.

 

 

The beautiful, red Poppies have finished their dance, retiring to the wings, dropping seed for Spring/Summer.

 

 

 

 

Zinnias come into their own in Autumn.

 

 Sprawling Dahlias are still dancing ever so elegantly.

 

The last flush of Roses. Goodness me, Miss Maisie again.....always a willing model for these photo shoots!!

 

 Dainty, orchid-like impatiens pop up everywhere creating a beautiful floral carpet.

 

The Strawberry patch has continually produced bowl after bowl of delicious strawberries for months.

 

 

Miss Maisie, (again) my shadow, investigating the raspberries.

 

Our seasonal garden provides much delight. It is the gift that keeps giving. Living here in this rural outpost one can't just pop out to the local florist to buy a floral-filled bouquet to perk oneself up. Aaah such is life......but.....each morning I wander around the garden and pick flowers to decorate rooms within our humble abode, or indeed to give a splendiforous bunch of flowers to a friend for their birthday or perhaps, to gift someone who is having a bad day. A bunch of flowers is perfect for putting a smile on someone's dial. Such a small gift speaking many a heart felt sentiment. This container of happiness has morphed into quite a few bunches of floral deliciousness.

  

Isn't this vase of Dahlias just beautiful!! They are off to cheer up a teacher at Pete's school who is feeling a li'l "how's your mother", after dealing with some kiddos who have been a pain in the right royal unmentionable!!

 

I use a plethora of receptacles for vases. Here I have popped single stem Cosmos into an assortment of  the palest of blue wine bottles. Lovely in their simplicity!

For the past few months my husband and I have been 'playing convicts', arduously fossicking rocks from a nearby rocky outcrop (with the blessing of our farmer neighbours....you really didn't think that we would pilfer them....did you) and lugging them home to line the pond's walls, which my husband has been tirelessly working on. He has been slaving for yonks, unearthing trailer load after trailer load of  buried junk; car parts, rusty steel, concrete et cetera.


The previous owner seemed to have a penchant for concrete. It seems that he lurved to plant concrete everywhere......yukkity yuk!! No glorious green as green trees, sucking up all that yukky carbon dioxide to replace with good clean oxygen, so that we might breath a li'l easier!! No siree....it was a concrete jungle for him!

This area was an eyesore. Hasn't my li'l garden gnome done the most stellar job building 'his' pond and creating a beautiful oasis filling it with floral life!! It will be a picture come next Spring!!

 

 

I sit in this swinging seat, overlooking the pond enjoying many an hour or two, knitting, stitching or reading a good book. A friend commented to me the other day......"As I drove by the other day, I saw you sitting in the swing with a lace tablecloth overhead......only you would think of doing this in this rural outpost!!" Indeedy yes, what else would I possibly use a lace tablecloth for!!

A tea cup filled with the sweetest of fragrances, sweet peas to cheer your day. I am off to enjoy a quiet interlude beside the pond, knitting awhile in my garden seat. Wishing you all the most wonderful day!!