Foxs Lane: patterns

Showing posts with label patterns. Show all posts

Monday, July 16, 2012

I ❤ Tikki Knits giveaway.

School cardigan.

Eden's Eve.

My knitting story began about two years ago on a Thursday while cruising the My Creative Space blogs. There were all the usual crochet, screen printing, jewelry making, quilting, softie and sewing projects. And then I came across a blog with a post about this divine pink knitted cardigan.

I remember sitting and staring and that cardi for ages. I loved it. I wanted a cardi like that for one of my girls. But I was a crocheter and didn't know how to knit. So I left my adoring comment and clicked onto the next blog.

But I couldn't get that pink cardi out of my mind.

Darwinia.

Olearia.

So later on that day, or maybe it was the next, I found my way back to Georgie's blog and spent ages trawling through her archives. Gazing at all her divine knitting patterns and imagining my girls wearing them.

And I decided then and there that I was going to learn how to knit.

And with the help of Georgie's beautifully written patterns and those wonderfully patient youtube women, that's exactly what I did.

Eden's Eve.

Milo.

Fast forward two years and according to my Ravelry project page, to date I have knitted 15 of Georgie's designs.

Over the past year and a bit I've been lucky enough to work as a pattern tester with Georgie which has been an amazing experience. I've learnt so much and been super inspired while watching her tweek her work, deal with the feedback and create these super cute kntting patterns.

Georgie's brand Tikki Knits is filled with wonderful patterns to knit. From the most basic scarf, to the more complicated cardigan. Her patterns are so easy to follow with loads of pictures and explanations and interesting details. There are Tikki patterns for boys and for girls and for dolls and for babies and for women. There are vests and hats and scarves and legwarmers and jumpers and cardis and skirts.

In her own words...My patterns are seamless, deceptively simple and surprisingly quick to knit.

I am such a huge fan.

Suzanne.

Darwinia.

Milo.

So, because we are in the depths of winter here, and because knitting and rugging up in handkints are the only things that make any sense right now, I though we'd have ourselves a bit of a knitting pattern giveaway.

The gorgeous and super talented Georgie from Tikki Knits has kindly offered five patterns from her shop to one lucky reader. FIVE PATTERNS!!!!!!

The patterns will be sent to the winner in the mail or online, whatever the winner decides.

This giveaway is open for one week. I'll announce the winner on July 23rd.

All you have to do to enter is tell me somethinga about knitting.
Anything about knitting...

Your Knitting story, or your favourite wool to knit with, or a pattern you love, or which of the Tikki patterns you would choose if you win....

And if you can't think of anything to do with knitting, just say hi, or tell me what you plan to make for dinner tonight, or a great movie you have seen lately...anything.

Let the knitting games begin!!!

In the meantime check out:
The Tikki blog.
The Tikki pattern shop.
The Tikki (not quite finished) website.
Tikki on the Twitter
Tikki on facebook.

See ya later knitting potata.

xx

ps. You CAN knit, trust me.

Monday, December 19, 2011

The blanket/The winner

Project deets:

Name - Roads & places blanket.
Pattern - Bulls-Eye by Brittany Tyler.
Craft - crochet.
Hook - 3.5m
Yarn - Lots of colourful bits of 8ply wool. Some bought especially for this project and lots of scrappy ends too. Actually, this is a great project for using up all those tiny balls of yarn at the bottom of your basket.
Started - In Busselton WA on November 7 2011.
Finished - On the Nullarbor. Somewhere between WA and SA on December 11 2011.
Squares - I stopped at 20 because I ran out of charcoal yarn.
Border - I crocheted the red border as we crossed the border. I only had enough red yarn for one row of the edge but I would have preferred at least two.
Blocking - Nope!
Made for - Snuggling in and picnicking on and hiding under.
See - My Ravelry project page for more photos and details.

I'm so happy with how this blanket turned out. I almost can't believe I really finished it. Completely. All the squares are sewn together and all ends are sewn in. Done!

I really love the look of it laid out flat so you can see all the circles properly and also all scrunched up and messy like. I even like it all folded up in the back of the car ready to drive home. It's filled with road trip stories and memories. I'm so happy I made it and we'll have it as to remind us.

And the Make Hey! giveaway winner...
Thank you all for your entertaining comments. I just loved reading through them.
I asked Miss Pip, the very clever author, for a number between 1 and 114 and she gave me number 82.
Comment number 82 is The Jade Leaf!!!!!!
Congratulations Jade, I know you are going to love this book.

I hope your last full week of 2011 is such a happy one.
And I got the days mixed up and we are really heading home tomorrow. Tomorrow!!!!

Happy travels.
See you soon. xx

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Side tracked...

Its funny, usually all I want to do in my life is sew but now that I have to sew I don't want to.

I've spent so much time in the caravan over the past few weeks making, deciding, choosing and fixing that now I can't even see the bigger picture any more.

I really have no idea if the curtains I've made so far are a bit too much or if they work.

Before we had kids my farmer boy and I travelled up and down the East coast of Australia looking for land to buy. We drove a cute white combi and before we left I made some blue fluffy curtains with appliqued colourful flowers.

While I was making them they seemed like a great idea, but a few months down the track it was like blue fluff?? really??

This time I want to make curtains for the caravan that will go the distance, that I'll still like in the months to come. Curtains that wont hurt my eyes and make me wish I had brought my sewing machine along to make more.

So what does a sewing obsessed girl do when she needs space from her sewing? She sews something else of course. A dress!

Forget the deadline and the the fact that my house is messier than ever before, forget the fact that I have to sew so we can get outta here, ignore the fact that I found myself hiding the fact that I was sewing a dress when ever anyone walked in and sew one anyway.

Miss Pepper definitely does not need anther mama made dress at the moment but I had to sew one anyway. Some thrifted knit fabric, an already cut out pattern and I was off.

And would you believe, it did the trick.

I sewed the dress, we left the chaos of home and went to a birthday party and then when we got home I saw things for what they are and changed the project completely.

The new curtain plan is plainer and quicker and feels so much more doable. Yay!

It didn't hurt that Farmer Bren had cleaned and vacuumed and I could see the floor for the first time in ages too. #myhero

And this is the little beanie I knitted for the baby birthday boy. Raveled here.

He had the kids in hysterics taking pulling it off every time his mama put it on him.

So that's me. I've kind of calmed down now I have a new plan but I can't promise I'll definitely stick to it.

What should you be doing right now?

Have fun out there. x

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Made with love.

A few weeks ago I knitted this little Milo for my parents to give their friend's baby granddaughter.

The baby's grandmother is a pretty amazing knitter herself and her great grandmother had been the most amazing tapestry artist.

These might seem like incidental details, but to me they are most important. You see due to the fact that I am still quite a slow knitter and I don't have a huge amount of time in my life to knit, this little vest probably took me a couple of nights to finish.

The fact that this baby has wool in her blood (ha!), means her family will appreciate and understand it. They will know that it was knitted especially for them, with love.

A few months ago I knitted a similar vest for a baby and when I hadn't heard back, I asked the Mother if the baby had worn it. She replied that it'll be a great addition to her wardrobe if they ever bring her to visit us in chilly old Daylesford.

Isn't it cold in Melbourne in winter too?

I knitted her the six month size so if they don't come and visit us in the next few weeks, there's no way it'll still fit when we get home from our trip.

This baby does not come from a crafty family and it made me think that they would have liked a vest bought from a baby shop just as much. I probably could have bought a lovely one for the same amount of money that I spent on the wool.

To me, a handmade gift is the ultimate gift. Because it is my world, I understand the care that is taken in choosing a suitable pattern for the recipient, selecting and purchasing the appropriate supplies and then the time it takes to actually make the present.

I guess we often have the same issue on our market stalls when people ask why our free range, organic eggs cost more than those from the super market.

I've been thinking about this for a while and asking around and it seems that many crafters have unhappy handmade present giving stories of their own. A pair of hand knitted socks that are too good to wear, a quilt that is packed away in case the kids spill something on it, a beanie that was chucked in the wash and felted.

And then there are the happy ending stories, the dolly that was carted around until her arm fell off, this Milo that was worn by that precious little baby on her way home to Norway, the dress that has been worn by every girl in the family.

It's a risk this handmade present giving business. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Do you give handmade?

Do you choose carefully who is lucky enough to receive your handmade goodies?

Have you got a handmade prezzie success story/disaster?

The Norwegian's Milo Ravelled here.

Have a wonderful day. x

Friday, May 6, 2011

On my mind.

The truth is, I've got so much on my mind right now that I feel like I could explode. Happy, scared, excited, protective, nervous, overwhelmed, proud, challenged, grateful, in love...it's all there.

I've always said that I'm the type of person who deals with things intensely as they happen. I discuss, I think, I workshop and process, but then after a while its done and I can move on. A bit of a roller coaster for those around me, but its it's my way and mostly it works.

Over the past few years I've found the woolly crafts incredibly helpful in the processing of emotional stuff. If my hands are busy with a hook or some needles, it helps my mind focus on the task at hand. Its almost meditative. Hands moving, head thinking.

This morning with so much emotional stuff going on and a plan to spend some time in Melbourne next week, I have my woolly crafts on my mind. Which projects I am working on, which projects have time limits, which projects I can pick up and put down and which need a bit more thought for complicated stitch patterns and colour choices. And then if I finish the projects I am in the middle of then what next and what needles and yarn do I need and patterns do I need to print out?

At breakfast this morning, Indi asked me how many projects there are in my queue before I get to her leg warmer request. There's the Tikki pattern test, Michelle's pattern test, Dad's hot water bottle cover, Tania's baby Milo and then hers. Cables are in this winter she informed me. Thank goodness its only Autumn I thought!

So what gets you through the stressful times?

And what's on your mind today?

Why don't you play along over here.

Have a fabulous weekend and the happiest of all Mothers' Days! x

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Talamh-at long last.

Ugh, no wonder my kids have had enough of posing for me and my blog. Standing in front of the camera really doesn't feel all that comfortable for me either.

I did consider a couple of photos of my Talamh cardi on a hanger, but then you wouldn't get the shapeliness or the placement of the waffle lace.

So after lunch today I was brave and I stood up near the shed and told my Farmer Boy what sort of photos to take and what bits to focus on. I stood there and twirled and whirled and he snapped away. All the while the other farmer boys were pretending not to watch and I was hoping like anything that he got some good ones and we could hurry it all up and go back to what we were doing before that.

Just in case you are wondering, Talamh means land, earth and ground in Old Irish. I have absolutely no idea how it is pronounced.

My Talamh was finished a couple of months ago but after I stretched out the lacy bits while blocking, it grew about three sizes and was unwearable. So it sat in a grumpy, bad tempered heap in my sewing room until two days ago when I decided to give it one more go. This time I soaked it and laid it out on a towel without any stretching at all. As you can see, it does fit a bit better now but it still does slip off my shoulders. I'm thinking a couple of buttons and something underneath might help fix that situation further.

Ok, so there it is. Talamh Raveled and blogged and we can all go about our business.

How do you feel about standing in front of the camera?

Are all of us bloggers better at being behind it than in front?

I'm starting a few Friday photography classes tomorrow so chances are no one will ever be allowed to touch my camera again once I really know how to use it.

I hope you are having a sunshiny afternoon where ever you are.

We're having tofu wraps for dinner. You?

See ya. xx

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Farmergirl knit.

Most times when I finish a new hand knit or something I've sewn, I walk around the house with it, planning how best to capture it in a photo. Mostly I dream about living in one of those houses with white big walls and clean, clear airy, spaces and not so much clutter. You know the houses I'm talking about. One of those houses would have so many perfect backdrops for a photo shoot.

But let's face it. I am not one of those domestic goddesses, I live with three little messy, stuff loving people and we live on a farm.

Added to the not perfect house for a backdrop issue, is the fact that my kids are a bit over the posing thing. I generally have to bribe them and chase them around if I don't want a hanger shot.

So this morning I decided I couldn't be precious. If I wanted a couple of shots of Miss Pepper wearing her new Chinatown test knit, then I'd have to let her wear it following her Dad around doing the farm chores.

I had to risk chook poo, wood shavings, mud, dust and dirty water.

This morning I must have been feeling brave, or desperate.

And I think I got some pretty good shots.

Not gorgeous, white walled, focus on the garment shots, but definitely farmer girl wearing her new Mama made jumper in real life.

Chinatown jumper details here.

See ya. xx

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

I'm loving...

I didn't press publish on the last post I wrote for this blog. It was a long whingy post about how I felt like I was drowning in my own chaos. About how sick I was of feeling late, messy, lost, like I was going to explode, full, overwhelmed and out of control.

I didn't press publish on that post because I wrote it in the middle of that chaos and I couldn't think straight any more and I couldn't trust how I was feeling or if any of my words even made sense.

And then on top of all that I had to hurry up and pack us all up for a visit to Melbourne.

So I left it and we went to Melbourne for 24 hours and now we are back and I feel a bit different. Like having a break from here made me realise how much I love it. The fact that Indi and Jazzy are at friends' houses and there is a bit of quiet and calm doesn't hurt either.

On our return, after unpacking the car, these were the first 10 things that reminded me of how much I love it here.

I do love sewing with vintage florals. This is The Little Blue Flower Dress. A dress I made last weekend. Sewing little dresses with vintage table clothes and sheets makes me happy and calms me down and gives me peace. Its in my shop.

I love living on an organic fruit and veg farm and having the freshest of the Autumn harvest to play with in the kitchen and for the girls to help them selves to.

I love getting new yarn in the mail from a Ravelry destash. This lot will become some sort of scoodie for Miss Jazzy to wear to school.

I love that farmer Boy of mine. Love, love, love, love.

I love having a toasty warm house too.

I love the look of the weekend's garage sale fabric stash drying and airing out on the line. Oh the possibilities.

I love my gang. Its a shame this is the only photo of us country mice all scrubbed up last night for dinner.

I don't love that this dress is still in my house. The birthday girl's party was last Sunday but I got so lost on the way there and drove for miles and miles and miles and then had to turn back when I realised I was completely and totally lost and the red petrol light had been on for ages, I had no mobile reception and I hadn't seen a car or a house for ages. Everyone in the car was crying by that stage.

I do love how Miss Pepper designed the dress for the present though. She chose all the fabrics, sat on my knee while I sewed most of it and then wrapped it up and told me her friend was going to love it. That part's cool.

And I love that I am going to conquer my fears and sew dresses from stretchy knits with these patterns. I love Miss Jazzy's little sketchy characters I keep discovering around the place and I LOVE dreaming, designing and planning our caravan adventure. Farmer Bren has a count down to the big departure on his ipad. Eeeeeeeep can't wait.

What are a couple of things making you smile right now?

See ya. x

Saturday, March 19, 2011

my day...

Today I woke up from a dream that's been at the back of my mind all day long. I spoke to my folks just before who told me they think the main character is not really the main character but someone else. Then they told me it might not be someone else but it might be a part of me. Now I'm really intrigued.

Today Miss Indi and her friend put on a show for me that was actually entertaining and funny and well rehearsed. I loved it! I've been watching little kid shows for about seven or eight years now. Shows that involve lots of chaos and screaming and mayhem. Shows that often end in tears. Today's was like something different entirely. Bring on more of these I say, I'm watching.

The other day Indi was scrolling through my blog and commented that there are hardly any photos of her. Today Miss Indi was more than happy to go outside and pose with the new cushion for me. Hooray!

Today Miss Jazzy told me that she loves her new friend so, so,so much and often she is happy just to sit around and listen to the sound of her laugh.

Today Miss Pepper spent almost the entire morning on my lap.

Today in an effort to cheer up a child, I sang and did a wild and crazy dance to a Violent Femmes song. After looking at me in horror for a minute, everyone joined in.

Today when I drove Indi's friend home she thanked me for having her. A bit of a welcome change after some recent visits.

Today my farmer boy spent the day making cider with his friends. When everyone arrived with their apples they were weighed and noted down and once the cider is made everyone will get their percentage back.

Today my sister took Indi to a ceramics class. I think its really important for Indi to be spending time with other adults. She had fun but said all they talked about was having babies so she didn't talk much.

Today me and Jazzy and Pepper popped into Beck's house for a visit. Sometimes even just a few minutes with a gorgeous friend can brighten up your whole day.

Today I took Jazzy and Pepper out for coffee and they had a macaroon each. Jazzy chose a raspberry one and Pepper an apple pie.

Today a little boy told me he loved the green cushion I was crocheting in the cafe.

Today I corrected a woman who asked me what I was knitting when I was actually crocheting.

This evening we are eating plums and apples from our trees for desert. Farmer Bren brought in a load in his t'shirt after feeding the dogs. I don't think the apples are ready but the girls don't seem to care.

Miss Pepper is asleep in my bed next to me as I type this. Is there anything more delicious than a sleeping child?

Today I finished the final stitches on my Granny Tic-Tac-Toe cushion, clever Michelle's latest pattern. I was lucky enough to test it for her and I love it!

I also loved seeing my Farmer Boy's face just now when I showed it to him. It was like he finally understood what I've been working on for the past few days, and he loves it too.

My project details are here.

Not such an exciting day, but a lovely day and I am so very, very grateful for it.

What did you get up to today?

Bye now.

Love Kate X