the fruits of my labour

How cute does Isobel look in this dress? OK, you don’t have to answer that (not that you were going to), I know I’m biased. I also know I’ve gone a bit crazy on the kid shots lately. But how cute is the dress? This was mine and it has a matching bonnet and cardigan. I’m not sure who made it, probably Mum or Grandma. Was it you, Mum? Whoever made it, it looks as though it was finished yesterday, not 30 years ago.

I love the fact that something created in another place and time, can find a new life in some other place, some other time. And I love that I can share things like this with Isobel. I never had a preference for a son or a daughter in either pregnancy, just a healthy baby, but it is nice to be able pass on things, mother to daughter. Sure, I can pass on all sorts of things to Elliott, maybe things I won’t or can’t pass on to Isobel, and I have and continue to do so, but I guess clothing and especially handmade clothing, is one of the most intimate things a person can share, so it seems extra special to me. Who knows, though, maybe if Mum had given me all these old clothes of mine when Elliott was a baby, I might have put him in a dress. That’s the great thing about little kids: they’ll wear whatever you tell them to. Usually.

I would like to think that something I make for Elliott or Isobel is treasured and used by another generation. I have a feeling that more and more people are going to start to value the handmade over the mass-produced. I know I am feeling that more every day.

Since Isobel turned six months old, I’ve been focusing on doing lots of things that are long overdue, like decluttering (mostly thanks to Freecycle and eBay), keeping on top of housework, becoming more efficient and organised (well, trying to), examining my health (I’m fine), fitting exercise into my life, finishing off craft projects and starting new ones. I think I’ve been pretty productive for me. I’m quite happy when I manage to complete lots of jobs, but also fit in time for fun as well.

A couple of weekends ago we went to Tasmania for my grandma’s 80th birthday party. Regrettably, we didn’t take many photos. Probably because we were busy helping with the cooking and other preparation. Not to mention the clean up. There were a few other cameras in circulation, though, including the one we gave Grandma, so hopefully there’s a good selection to share. I hope someone took a photo of the cake Grandma made and decorated herself. She is a brilliant cake decorator; she’s very good with her hands. Crocheting, sewing and quilting are just some of the crafts she’s mastered. It’s a pity I didn’t fully appreciate her talents when I was younger, and that I didn’t get her to teach me more. It’s even more of a pity that now I am interested, we live in different states. Oh, well.

I really could use Grandma’s crochet expertise to finish this blanket I started knitting for Isobel before she was born:

It’s supposed to have a crocheted “Picot” edge. I’ve never crocheted anything. I’ve tried to teach myself a couple of times, but gave up quickly. I’m hoping that the “Learn to Crochet” series over at Crafty Daisies will help me somewhat. Crochet’s scary. Wish me luck!

The other project I’m trying to complete is a scarf for Chris. I knitted him a hat a few weeks ago. I used this wool cotton in “Misty”. It was lovely to work with, but my tension was all wrong. I made up a gauge swatch and foolishly thought I could just knit more tightly instead of using smaller needles, but apparently my tension is very loose, because not only did that not work (the hat was very big), but even after using smaller needles, it was still on the large side. Chris says it’s fine, although I haven’t seen him wear it…I might try doing it yet again with even smaller needles. Anyway, the patterns for the hat and the scarf come from this book. I’m using dark brown Debbie Bliss cashmerino superchunky, which is so lovely and soft. I’ve never felt anything like it. It was definitely worth going to the other side of town for. I almost feel unworthy of it. Here’s the work in progress:

I really hope I can get it finished this weekend. It’s not that it’s all that challenging (just moss stitch, which I’ve never done before, but it’s easy), just that I’m a slow knitter and there’s lots of other things I need and want to do. Maybe if we watch a movie tonight I can knock it off.

Hopefully this knitting frenzy can be followed by a spate of sewing. So many plans, so little time!

I haven’t been able to find a lot of time for craft lately, sadly. But when I have (usually only minutes from bedtime, when everyone else is asleep and I’ve finished most of the pressing chores), I’ve been knitting. A few weeks ago I made Isobel this wool nappy cover. I followed the free Ottobre pattern here. I used 12 ply machine washable wool, rather than untreated wool roving, which the pattern calls for, because that’s what I had leftover from other projects and I’d read on the Oz Cloth Nappies email list that other people had used it successfully. It seems to be working quite well over a fitted nappy, although I haven’t been brave enough to try it at night. If you think it sounds crazy to use wool as a nappy cover (and I admit it is a bit counterintuitive) and want to know more about its benefits, especially overnight, and how to lanolise (a must) go here. You should know that we have been using these wool covers very successfully on Elliott at nights for months, and wish we’d known about them sooner.

This is the most complicated thing I’ve ever knitted, which is saying something, as it’s pretty basic. I found the hardest part was picking up stitches along the leg openings. How do you do that?! I just kind of made it up. It looks OK, but I’ll try to find a tutorial on it before I try it again. I’ve started another one in 8 ply, hoping I’ve correctly calculated the pattern adjustments. We’ll see! Again, I’m just using what I have.

And if that’s not enough knitting news for you, there’s even more to come soon, as I visited Sunspun the other day and bought some beautiful wool to make a couple of things for Chris. I just need to work on my technique, though, because I know it’s not right and it’s slowing me down.

In other craft supply shopping news, I received some fabric in the mail a couple of weeks or so from Quilt Fabric Delights. Here it is, all freshly washed and ironed:

It’s now waiting for me to do something with it, along with some natural linen from here. Hopefully that something will include some aprons for me, Chris and Elliott, and some fabric coasters. A couple of family members who shall remain nameless think the fabric coaster idea is nuts (”Why would you want to make coasters out of something you’d have to wash?“) , but I am desperate to make my first attempt at patchwork and maybe quilting, very much inspired by these, these, and these. We’ll see who’s nuts…