Afternoon tea on Sunday

I finished my first ever tea cozy!  It didn't take very long to make, and I've realised I could make several more as the amount of wool used was minimal.  What's more, it was fun!

I had found this book at the library, Tea Cozies 2 by the Guild of Master Craftsman.  There is quite a collection of fun little numbers there; some are simple, others very ornate.  I decided my first would be a simple looking one: Strawberries and Cream.

My well loved little teapot doesn't look too bad with it's new 'jumper'.

Now, having completed this new tea cozy, we have to put it to use.  So, I quickly whipped up a yummy banana cake for us all to enjoy for afternoon tea.  It's a new recipe, from the Country Women's Association's new cookbook: Classics.  This cake was so lovely and moist.  The cream cheese frosting topped it off beautifully.

I guess you could say that I've just given both the pattern and recipe a trial run.  I have a tea cozy made for a girlfriend I'm visiting today, and I'll whip up another banana cake to take with me.

Thank you for dropping by!

This and that

It's a lovely, quiet morning, with the sun streaming in the windows. The air outside is crisp and snaps your senses to attention the moment it's inhaled. It's the kind of morning that invigorates and makes you just want to 'get on with it'.

I've been sitting and enjoying a cup of tea, while looking over my new diary/planner. It arrived in the post yesterday and I have only just started jotting in birthdays and a few other notes. I know .. I used to make my own planner and keep it in a binder. That works fine, but I guess I've become a little lazier and looked for something pre-printed and of a nice size to slip into my handbag.
I've gone with the butterfly theme, but others were available: Mom's Weekly Planner. (Sample pages are available to view through Amazon, here.) 

Pretty butterfly glitter stickers have been added to some pages, too.  These will be quick reminders of special dates coming up.

A number of pages have already filled up with notes of Maestro's dance competition dates. His very first comps for the year have already happened last weekend, taking all of us up to Shepparton. The troupes did very well (3x 1st place and a 2nd placing), and we enjoyed watching the performances. I personally also enjoyed watching the under 6's perform some song/tap solos; they were so cute!

The weeks leading up to the competitions were spent sewing and knitting costumes. Actually, I had to have two goes at knitting the vest for Maestro. He's so lean that the first was swimming on him! Thankfully a smaller sizing meant it was quicker to work up.

Well, the morning is quickly passing. Mariposa has made a lovely batch of pikelets we can enjoy for morning tea whilst I've been typing, and then we'll start working through our bookwork again.

Have a lovely day all!

Crafty fun - felting and beginning knitting

What better thing to do on overcast days than to get out some crafty fun, especially with friends!

A couple of weeks back, we got together with friends to put into practice what we had learnt about felting.  Thankfully I'd kept a fairly good recount of the whole procedure last year (see A Date with an Alpaca), as those instructions came in very handy!  Amongst 3 families, we had just enough table space and supplies to enjoy this creative time together.

We began with the children laying out thin layers of fleece across the sheet, then at right angles to create a 'warp and weft' effect in a couple of layers.

With their choice of coloured fleece and decorative strands of wool, 

each child decorated their own section.

Lots of warm water with fabric softener and some mild agitation later, it didn't take too long before the creations were felting together beautifully.

All done and afternoon tea enjoyed whilst the felts rested on towels.  A little going over with a hairdryer helped before we each took them home.

The final results for Maestro and Mariposa.

We had another very overcast day yesterday and Mariposa was desperate for something to do.  So, what better time to start teaching her to knit?  Well, she must have enjoyed it, because here she was when I went in to read her bedtime story tonight:

Totally distracted by wool ... again!!

I haven't really prepared much of a post today. Instead, I've used the time I've had on the computer to browse for free knitting patterns.

Mariposa IS actually in need of a new cardigan. I have some lovely soft pink 8ply cotton sitting in my wool stash, but I may just need to save that for a summer knit. Also in my stash is some 8ply 'Cameo' Wool/Angora mix in peppermint green. I'm leaning towards using that at the moment. All of this (and more!) is part of a stash I'd bought years ago, with grand intentions, from Bendigo Woollen Mills. I'm glad I bought the Cameo lot when I did, as it isn't currently available now.

During my searching, a friend emailed me about some very classic patterns freely available. I think she chose well: Garnstudio & Drops Design, jacket with 3/4 sleeves. Very nice!! I can see this suiting Mariposa very well, BUT it requires 4ply.

Well, I'm going to sleep on it. This may just be another ebay purchase if we go looking for some pretty 4ply to compliment the pattern. Or, I'll spend even more time looking for something similar in 8ply.

Knitted dishcloths

Here's a project I didn't plan to start today, let alone finish!

Rhonda's post about reducing waste got me thinking about all my stashed knitting remnants, including some lovely 8ply cotton I used to make a summer top. (In case you're wondering, I bought the cotton from Bendigo Woollen Mills. See here.)So, I pulled out the knitting box, found my lemon coloured cotton and began knitting! I used the pattern Deb has in Homespun Knitting. Very easy and quick to make. Thanks Deb. :)

Lots more dishcloth patterns can be found here, including one to keep with my kitty cat theme here. OR ... perhaps you prefer to crotchet and would like to try this one.