2011 was the Year of Knitting

 I really am a terrible blogger. Somehow I've managed to completely fail to mention all the knitting I've been doing.

When we moved to Melbourne, I started working as a consultant and was fortunate enough to have a terrific mentor who has been coaching me along the way and providing fabulous professional support. She's also a seamstress, knitter, quilter, textile designer, and lover of vintage. She loves knitting and when she found out that I couldn't knit she decided to teach me. It was ideal for me as I was finding it difficult to sew with fibromyalgia and my usual "couch in front of the TV" embroidery was proving too much for my hands. Knitting was a good fit.

My First Scarf
My first project was a scarf. My mentor gave me a pair of needles and four balls of yarn. The first couple of rows were a bit dodgy as I was learning tension and the art of ending the row with as many stitches as you started. Eventually though the scarf was just a long rectangle in stocking stitch which I finished in early 2011. It's nothing fancy, but it certainly got plenty of wear during my first Melbourne winter!

Once I got the hang of the basics, I was off and definitely bitten by the knitting bug. It was great to have projects that I could pick up and put down whenever I liked. I started having multiple projects on the go, some that I needed to pay attention to in order to follow the pattern and others that I could do without looking.

Red Knitted Slippers
My first project that involved something other than a straight rectangle was a pair of knitted slippers. These slippers are two pieces - a sole and an upper - worked in moss stitch using bamboo/cotton yarn. This was my first attempt at following a pattern than involved increasing and decreasing. I think they turned out pretty well. They were a little large for me, so I threaded some plaited natural yarn around the top as a drawstring to help keep them on my feet. They're nice and warm and look very cute :)

Escheresque's Birthday Rib Scarf
I soon figured out that I could knit all manner of things, not just for myself, but for friends and family. The first piece of "knitting for someone else", was a scarf I made for my good friend Escheresque. It was a rib pattern, worked in a lovely muted green yarn made of soy protein of all things. The rib pattern had some mathematical significance. Escheresque has a love of mathematics and the scarf was X* stitches long and the rib pattern alternated Y/Z*. Unfortunately I was so happy I finished it (rather belatedly as a birthday present), that I posted it before I took any photos. I will have to ask Escheresque to take some photos for me.
*Where X = Escheresque's age and Y/Z = Escheresque's birthday day and month

Mum's Birthday Infinity Scarf

This was one of those projects where I spotted the yarn first and immediately thought "Mum would love those colours". I'd remembered my Mum  had commented that she liked scarves in winter, but as a teacher found they often came undone and got caught on things while she was working with the kids. I'd seen a couple of infinity scarves around Melbourne and knew they were simply a scarf that is joined at the ends to form a big loop. The infinity scarf I made for Mum's birthday was a straight stocking stitch worked in a wool/acrylic blend yarn that had lovely purple, blue, green graduated tones. I bought a brooch made from a large button to go with it. I also made a little instruction sheet for Mum showing some of the different ways the infinity scarf can be worn.

  

Dr Krystal's Birthday Beanie with Flower Brooch

My fabulous birthday twin, Dr Krystal, was the recipient of my first attempt at head wear. The beanie was made from Patons Wilderness yarn (Wool/Acrylic/Viscose) in a muted mauve/purple colour. The pattern was the one that came on the yarn label. It's a simple stocking stitch beanie with a wide rib turned up edge. I felt it looked a bit plain, so I decide to make a brooch to go with it. I knitted a strip in the same yarn, pulled it into circular ruffle/flower, and sewed a button in the centre. The back was a circle of felt sewed onto the back of the flower with a brooch finding sewed to the felt. Added to the beanie, it definitely lifted the overall look. The last finishing touch was to sew a label to the inside of the beanie. I found a couple of packets of labels at Spotlight in their discount bin. The one I picked for the beanie says "Especially for you by me". The project was completed at the end of 2011 and gifted in January 2012 :)

So that was 2011 - The Year of Knitting! There will continue to be more knitting in 2012. After having made a series of gifts for friends and family, I'm currently back to knitting some things for myself. This year I plan to tackle knitting garments and venture into the sweater and cardigan territory. Maybe even dabble in some vintage knitting patterns. Most of all, I plan to actually blog about them as they are completed.

Holidays: Melbourne

The great Melbourne-Tassie-Melbourne holiday finally happened a week or so ago, after being in the pipeline for several months. The aim of the trip was to catch up with a bunch of friends, visit the block of land in Waratah, and generally chill out and do some sight-seeing.

We spent two weekends in Melbourne, with the Tassie adventure during the week between them.

I love Melbourne. Something about that city really resonates with me. Even when the weather is awful and unpredictable. First weekend was hot and dry, the second weekend we got drenched with rain. One of Melbourne's attractions is that it currently is the place of residence of many of our friends. We managed to catch up with Sam & Belle, Dan & Jen, Miss Bethany and, of course, Dr Krys.

There was much shopping, well perusing to be more accurate. I was reasonably restrained in my purchasing.

On the first Saturday, we went to the Melbourne Theatre Company garage sale with Dan & Jen. It opened at 9am and we arrived at 9:30am, by which time there was a line about 150m long. So we lined up anyway. By the time we got in, most of the "good stuff" had gone. We saw people coming out earlier with huge boxes of stuff. Still it was an interesting browse.

Sunday I went to the North Melbourne market day with Ms Belle. This was hosted by Thread Den, who I have previously visited and love their stuff. There was lots of vintage and vintagesque stuff and lots of crafts ware.

I have recently become enamoured of this apron. While I have searched in vain for an Australian stockist, many of my friends have suggested I simply make one myself. I have pleaded laziness and a general lack of sewing mojo as an excuse. Until I found this gorgeous fabric at the markets.
It was listed as a cotton, though it has a very papery/crisp feel to it. Like something you'd use for table linen rather than clothes. Still, it will certainly do for an apron. I think there is about 2m, though it isn't very wide. I will do a mock-up in some cheap fabric to see whether I will have enough.

I also discovered that badges and brooches are very popular in Melbourne. There were lots of stalls selling cute badges, often covered with retro/vintage style fabrics. I picked up a set of three ladybug badges that were too cute to resist. I shall be sending one of them to Miss Bethany as I always think of her when I see ladybugs.

There was much browsing of vintage patterns. Much bemoaning that many vintage patterns are in tiny sizes. And also some boggling at the fact that patterns from the 1980's are now considered "vintage" (the shoulder pads still beggar belief!).

The Cunning Plans Dept went to Camberwell markets, but didn't end up getting anything (as opposed to last time when a box load of tools and bits got mailed home).

The second weekend involved the great swimsuit mission. I've discovered that I cannot buy a swimsuit on my own. I've tried several times over the last few years without success. I need a good friend (or two or three), to get me into the store, make me try things on and provide objective opinions. Otherwise, the effort of trying to pick something to try on first, the effort of trying things on, and general fit issues will normally lead me to declare the whole thing hopeless and go home. Huge thanks to Ms Belle and Miss Bethany for being my swimsuit buying support crew. Their optimism, excellent taste and eye for good style were invaluable and lead to me buying the first swimsuit in over 10 years.

There was also a DFO shopping expedition with Dr Krys (as it was raining and we decided that being indoors was a good thing). We successfully found a couple of simple thin strap camis for me (to act as modesty panels under v-neck tops) and a stack of manchester for Dr Krys.

And it wouldn't be a trip to Melbourne without much fine coffee and dining. I love all the little hole-in-the-wall cafes and restaurants in Melbourne. I love the generally relaxed atmosphere. It doesn't seem as insane and frenetic as Sydney.

The trip has strengthened my view that Melbourne is a place I could live in very happily, though looking at housing prices was somewhat depressing. Still, the move the Melbourne option in the next year is looking better and better. Coming home I realised how much I miss my friends down there and how little there is for me here. Now to figure out what to do...