Pink Swapped

I struggled putting this pink swap together.
Pink was not my partner's favourite colour. She liked deep rose pink and dusty pink. I was a bit stumped with this. It's not this seasons colour that's for sure.

My creative mojo seemed to be on holiday as well.

I panicked for ages over the package, here's what went in.

She likes to knit baby clothes and I couldn't help it with this magazine, the title was pink!
A knitting kit for one of her kids, a couple of little notebooks, some stationery....

A little bag to keep nick naks in, a pink tape measure and some pink stitch markers that I made.

The note books are cute and the panda one has a pen, good if you've got the kids out and nothing for them to do... or to take knitting notes. A little stationery kit that would fit easily into a knitting bag.

And speaking of bags, it seems to be what I ended up with this time - long story, I started a shawl but ummed and ahhhed over it and eventually got the feeling that she might not like it, not to mention that each row was taking longer and longer to get through, there was no way I was going to get it finished on time. So I went back to bags. Even if pink isn't your favourite colour you can always use pink project bags, even if it's to store those work in progress projects.

This one was a sling type bag, one strap and a button closure.


I was hoping the roses were the right rose colour and I'd seen my partner wearing a deep red jumper before and friends said she liked maroon, so I was hoping this one would be just right.

I did find some yarn to fill it with...

... some pink and white Sugar'n'Cream
and some Bendigo Woollen Mills 'Melody' in Dusky Pink.
hmmm.. not sure of the colour, I ordered it from an Internet colour chart.
I know it says pink, but I'd almost call it purple.
Oh, and because I was panicking first of all I ended up buying a bag from Blue Tulip on Etsy.
I had lost my creative mojo and was so worried I'd end up with nothing.
Hers is a bit more professionally finished than mine. To start with it's got a tag ;o)
Here's a drawstring (well draw-ribbon) bag I made - I had plenty of fabric so thought I'd use it.
I think this one might have actually been reversible - for when you feel like a change you can use the other pink side. :o)
hmmm that pile of bags is growing.
And finally I made a simple, two handled, bag. (If it has a style its name escapes me right at this moment.) I didn't line this one.



Another bag - reversible.



And finally a little bag of lollies for the kids.


I know there were lots of bags, but by the end of my 'putting the package together' time I was feeling guilty as I'd shelved the shawl and I had tried to make felted slippers that were HUGE so they got shelved too. I can do sewn bags so I just kept making!
Looking back on it now it's not as bad as I felt then.

I've since taken a bit of a break from such intensive swapping. I was feeling quite burnt out.
I have a few big things on my plate that will pass by the end of July (well a little past the middle really) and I'm looking forward to being able to sit at my sewing machine and doing exactly what I'd like to do. :o)

I've been pinked!

Pink is one of my favourite colours.
Tutu pink. Not baby pink. That soft pink that suits adults.
I do wear a little bit of hot pink too, but the soft pink is my favourite.

Here is my beautiful pink parcel.
Little Miss had a wonderful time opening as pink is one of her favourites too.
Here she's found the little pink duck included.
There were lots and lots of pink yummies included.
A pink eco bag! I haven't seen them, it is definitely cute.
Look at this yummy yummy gorgeous cotton.
Can't decide what to do with it... I want to make something for me though.



And this cute little box full of accessories, there's even a cute caribeena for my keys -which is good as mine is nearly worn out.
And all this yumminess.
But I would have to say that the piece de resistance is this beautiful crocheted bag.
It's fully lined and simply gorgeous.
(and it's been a while since I actually did this swap, but this bag gets used nearly every day)

My turn for birthday swapping

My first birthday swap came up at the end of April.
I'd collected a few things that I thought my swappee might like and I decided to go with a blue theme as she said she liked that and neutrals.

A few little samples of fibre - she's learning to spin.

Some baby cashmere in a denim blue (hard to part with this one, I liked the colour)

And some white yarn for her to dye as she's a great dyer. (I think some was sock and some three ply for a shawl.)

Stitch markers - the beaded ones were made by the lovely SammiT who sells her work when she's not too busy + some locking stitch markers that I've been selling at markets.

The whole package + the bag it was going in.

The bag.
This one nearly didn't make it into the parcel, I really like it.
The material is a neutral colour and the spots are navy, sky blue, green and white. I put blue lining into it.
Thankfully I have some material left over to make another one (just need the time).

More dyeing

I don't have any chicken wire hanging round anywhere to put in the bottom of my pot when I steam, but I did manage to find this 'flowering' veggie steamer.


Perfect.

These are all sample colours for my stall.

More squares

I had to modify the square this month.
My squares are anywhere between 8 to 10 inches wide (I'm using 12" patterns but with DK yarn).
This square was written for DK yarn, but to be about 12 inches wide. I modified the middle pattern and by default the open lacework around it.
I also modified the edges so they didn't bow as I'm reasonably paranoid about things being straight along the edge.
I like it.

And here's an improvised pattern that I also like.
In fact I think this would make a great lap quilt and could be made rectangular.
(I'm pretty sure I wrote the pattern down somewhere, probably on a scrap of paper knowing me, but I'll see if I can find it - but that won't be until August, so don't hold your breath. I'm sure you're all smart enough to recreate this one yourself.)

Daisy square

When I first saw this pattern on Ravelry I couldn't wait to start a blanket.
There are some stunning examples.
One of the girls in the crochet group I chat with organised to get the yarn we needed to make our charity square (the cost of the pattern, you send it to the pattern owner and she puts the blankets together for charity) and one of the girls who was travelling to the US took the squares over and mailed them there.


This is my square.
After doing this square I'm not so keen on the blanket.
I don't know whether it was the squeaky acrylic yarn I was using (there was a specific requirement for the charity rug, 10ply acrylic) or the fact that I feel the back of the square looks quite mish-mashy, I'm just not keen on a whole blanket, but you never know.

Getting ready for the Old Bus Depot Markets

Procrastination is just part of my make up, in fact I'm pretty envious of anyone who isn't a procrastinator - I often think people who craft procrastinate more than others. Most of us have huge ideas in our heads that simply never come to fruition, but really half the fun is dreaming it up.

Anyway.... I had this great idea some time last year. I'd make these 'try dyeing' kits and go to the Canberra Woolly Day and to the Bendigo Wool and Sheep show and see if anyone would like them.

Excellent. I started collecting the things I needed and of course, dreaming of all the things I needed to do and wanted to do.

The Canberra Markets are in May. Plenty of time... that is until March rolls around and you realise at you're going overseas for the first week and a half of May.

Hmmmm.... I managed to have a little 'get on with it' moment in January and actually rang asking about a stall at the market. I needed to send photos of my product and presentation.
I hadn't factored that in. I had ideas, just didn't have everything ready to be presented at that point.

Being the good procrastinator that I am I set off with good intentions about getting it all done and then of course, left it until March.

So here are some of the photos I sent. (Not all of them as I took blocking wires as well)

In case you're wondering... they're T-pins

Stitch markers