Gluten free Pear Muffins

I bought a great new cookbook... "Ready, Steady, Lunchbox.." full of yummy lunches for kids (and Mummies!).

I made these pear muffins (actually Georgie and I made them - she's a happy little cook) almost following the recipe, but gluten free so I could eat them too.
They are quick, simple and very very yummy.

My Little Girl's Japanense Knot Bag

I wanted to make a Japanese Knot Bag to swap on Ravelry, so when I was at the patchwork shop and they had this cute Barbie material on special I bought some so I could trial the pattern by making a bag for my daughter.
I lined the white side with interfacing to give the bag a bit more structure - so that little hands would find it easy to use, but this made the bag a little difficult to sew, especially finishing the handles.

It's not a huge bag, it would fit a purse and keys... or perhaps some circular needles and a small project.
It's reversible!

I have seen other "knot bags" but I like the round bottomness of this bag.
I will make the next one bigger, and possibly find a way to finish it that doesn't involve feeding the bag through the handles.

Lunch Bag

I wanted to make DD some bags to put her recess and lunch in for school.
This came about because the teacher said the Kindergarten kids find it hard to get the big lunch bags (insulated ones) out of their bags. As she likes lots of little things I knew I'd be sending many boxes filled with little bits of this and that for her to eat, every day. It seemed the best way to contain these would be in a bag.


So here it is.
It's just a recess bag, I have a commercial one for a lunch bag, if this one works well I'll make her a lunch one.
I made up the pattern, basically it's 8 inches long, and 2 inches wide and I've not measured how tall.It has a handle across the top of it so she can drag it out of her bag and closes with a draw string.
It's cute, we've been taking it every where.
I have another pattern in cupcakes so I'm going to make another one... maybe another few, they're cute, easy and great to lug around.
It's lined with towelling to help keep things a bit cooler, and to absorb any drips and drops.
She likes it and we've been practising using it.
We'll see tomorrow how it goes - for real.
:o)

My Orange Swap

My computer has not been my friend - my big desk top that is.
So I have loaded a few photos through my laptop and edited.

This is the parcel I made for my swap partner - the lovely Deb.

Because I didn't have to post it (Deb came to a gathering that was organised at the farm while I was visiting) I made a large tote for her.
There was a bit of a debate as to whether I should make a tote or a bag more in the style of the ubiquitous green shopping bag. The tote won and I even put in a magnet closure so her knitting won't fall out.

So what else?
Some baby alpaca (Eki Riva) some cotton (Valentino) some orange marino tops (passed on to me from my friend Maree as well as a ball of homespun that she made from the same tops) some merino/silk tops in an orange-pink mix (in the plastic bag, the colour doesn't show well here), some Lindt chocolate, some Kikki.K stationery (mouse mat, bull dog clips, little camera bag), a little pair of fold up scissors and a tea towel (the tops are very hairy, the tea towel is for Deb's lap when she spins).

One with the flash - the colour of the tops seems truer here.


All wrapped up
Ready and waiting...

Orange

I am a member of Ravelry.
It's a community of knitters and crocheters. A big community that is world wide.
[Side note - I only got back into knitting when I was pregnant with my son and has such a craving to knit that I sought out a different way of knitting via You Tube, and have enjoyed it ever since. I knit in a Continental style, which is more similar to crocheting than the traditional English throwing method that most Aussies have grown up watching their Grandmas knitting.]

One of the Groups I'm involved in is a "Swapping" Group. With other friends in Australia we swap parcels that can be made up of what ever the current swap rules dictate.

This is my first swap and it's part of a rainbow series.
Orange
I give a parcel to someone, and get a parcel from someone different.
I gave my parcel to a lady named Deb, who happens to live close to Mum, which was convenient as I met up with her at a dyeing day the North East Victorian Ravellers held. (Another story, more pictures, later)
Oh, and there's a monetary value set on the parcel - it's really a guide.
But I received a parcel from a lady in Brisbane named Donna (Craftjunk on Ravelry). I enjoyed reading Donna's blog - she's a lot like me.

Here's what I received the other day -


You had to include 1 skein of orange fibre and a notion.
Craftjunk sent me some lovely Alpaca in a natural cream colour plus packets of KoolAid (an American cordial powder) so I can dye my own orange (loved the note that came with it).
Some orange + orange and pink bamboo. (Have touched this many times in the shop, can't wait to try it)
A lovely project bag that she made, a storage container, some buttons, some stationery, some handmade stitch markers and some sweeties.

Here's the bag full of yarn.


Very nice.
I love this swapping.
It's nerve wracking making a swap for someone else, hoping you get what they like, but it's so exciting waiting for and receiving your swap.

I could be involved in quite a few swaps but I'm keeping myself limited, just so I'm not over committed.

As soon as I edit the photos of the parcel I made I'll post them.

A new beginning

It's been 12 months, well give or take 2 weeks, since I last touched this blog.
I'm giving it a new lease of life.

I can't be bothered too much with New Years Resolutions, mainly because I can't be bothered with New Years.
One year I made really creative resolutions (do a calligraphy class, go a few places etc etc) and I had completed all of them by June. I liked that.

I make resolutions just about every day, and often they're broken by the end of the week. But I'd be pretty happy to guess that I'm not the only one doing that. :o)

A n y w a y ...... I have decided (resolved even) to separate my family blog and what I'm doing creatively. Not that I had much of that on the other blog but now I'm going to really separate it.
Also I'm going to post at least one entry here each week.
I'd like to think it will be about what I'm making, or creating, but in reality life gets in the way some weeks so I'll just have to be creative about what I'm posting.