A beautiful world = un bel mondo

Once you learn how to be happy, you won't tolerate being around people who make you feel anything less.

 ************

Good morning my lovelies. We are all very happy for Fedor Konyukhov as he completed his record breaking journey to circumnavigate the world in his hot air balloon. He shaved a couple of days off the existing record. How happy he must be and congratulations!! He didn't land in Northam but landed in a little place called Bonnie Rock.

Don't think your eye sight is doing tricks on you...you really are seeing 3 of the same cardigan. lol I have a knitting order for 12 baby cardigans and they are to be made in 3 different colours, 4 of each. 

 The pattern is cute and the colours are groovy, cream, peach and light grey. 

I don't know if any of you knitter's out there have ever used Paton's Big Baby yarn, but it is a good quality yarn. The stitches on my needles are for a light grey cardigan I am on to next. This is cardigan number 7. Not many to go now!!

 Picot edging is always sweet and very relaxing to do.

 More yarn purchased....this is Heather's fault, she bought it for me. lol

A little break from knitting and a trip to the local library to check out some fun books.

 What is he up to?

 More beautiful winter blooms. Ah...the world is a beautiful place.

 

How precious are our pets! The face of an angel, so dear......

 "Mum...this is not a sock, I have not chewed it up and I don't know who put it here or how it got here" .

A wonderful find at the Op shop. It's not often you can find these little coat hangers so I was stoked to find them.

 

I'm off to make a lovely cup of coffee and think some lovely thoughts of my friends, I will think of the lucky guy who will have 'pasta night' tomorrow night with his beautiful Mama and family, I will wonder how Ermo and his sweetheart are going traveling around Australia, I will also wonder where the rotten fairy Godmother has gone to that is supposed to do my house work!

To you all, have a wonderful day, be happy with the good things in life and enjoy doing wonderful things like your craft work or hobby of choice. Thanks for date night Pix.
Ciao, Anita.

Fedor Konyukhov is coming over!!!!!

Look who's back!! The time is 1.20 pm on Saturday afternoon and in the sky is Fedor Konyukhov coming close to the air strip in Northam. Fedor lifted off from Northam and it looks like he may land here too. The news reports said he would land in Kalgoorlie sometime so I am not sure if he is landing here or going over. It would be nice if he did land here.

I believe he has also broken the record that was held for doing this so congratulations to Fedor.

I will catch you tomorrow when I do my post.
Ciao, Anita.

 To be happy you must be your own

sunshine!!

Buongiorno my friends, how glorious is it to wake up to this wonderful morning! Considering my holidays have come to an end...lol.....I'm still pretty happy. I've had a crazy, fun and fantastic holiday and it is time to get back into work mode. 

This week I've made heaps of show entries that I will not share right now, but I have also made some projects that I'm thrilled to share. Why not grab a cup of tea or coffee and join me while I show you my craftwork and my walk through the garden.

Let's go groovers......
A new addition to the market table, Miss Owl. I had some fabulous pieces of fabric that needed to turn into something special and not just get thrown out. So they became the ruffle and wings on this little cutie pie. She is about 7 inches tall and 8 inches across.  

Heather and I sell covered coat hangers and I adore this knitted pattern that I have used several times now.

  I have knitted two roll collar cardigans in different colours suitable for 9 month old babies.

 Now I have an idea that I would like to share with anyone out there who is naughty like me. I am notorious for sewing buttons on to garments weeks after they're finished and lose the coloured thread you need to attach the buttons. 

I now cut a long piece of the yarn and attach it to the knitted items. Here I have threaded it through the colour and......when I buy the buttons and sew them on I will not have to tear the house apart to try and find the right colour. You like that idea? You gals are precious....you are probably not as bad like that as me. lol

 This is the second cardigan in a different colour, though it looks very similar. You guessed it....no buttons. The yarn is attached to the garment, I have just hidden it. I guess you're laughing at me Heather the feather. lol A sweet short sleeved cardigan pattern knitted in 8 ply baby yarn...

 This cardigan is part of an order for 12 cardigans!!!

 I was nicely surprised this morning as I walked through my garden to see many of my bushes have made a colourful winter bloom. My native bushes have popped out in masses of pretty pinks...As always...nasturtiums never let you down.

 The garden is my happy place, mostly I'm thinking about all the wonderful people who surround my thoughts and life. Each one of them treasured and appreciated.

I was walking around the garden just this morning remembering how one question from my dear friend Bruno put me into a journey within my soul...."Did you go to Piazza Navona?" That one question turned a key and opened a door....I have been on an awesome ride ever since. Have you ever had that happen to you? It's amazing!!! 

While I'm here loving my friends, Chris and Neville...you will be happy to know that I spent Friday night at the Ag Society meeting rolling up bits of paper and putting them down Mark's jumper. There were millions of them and we played a game called Hansel and Gretel. When Mark stood up there was paper dropping out of the back of him leaving 'paper bread crumbs' wherever he walked. lol....It was great for me. Love my friends.

 

 Today I will be fixing up the last little jobs that need doing before I go back to work and then in the afternoon I will hopefully do a bit of knitting. My thoughts are with France, may you stay strong.
Ciao, Anita.

Fedor Konyukhov lifts off...Best wishes to you!!!

Good Luck Fedor!!

I thought I would just sneak in with a news flash here..... The Russian adventurer and Orthodox Priest, Fedor Konyukhov has just lifted off from our little town. The lift off would have been earlier but they discovered a tear in the balloon so repairs were needed. Fedor wants to circumnavigate the world in 13 days.
Everyone is excited for him....

 I know Mum won't see me doing this....I'm very clever.

 A beautiful shot, so exciting....

 Oh what's that noise...oh yeh...the balloon...I'm excited......

........ very excited. 
I want to dig this big enough to fit an elephant in here. Almost done!!

 We send Fedor all the best of wishes and luck. It must be very cold up there. He hopes to land back in Northam or somewhere safe.

 

 Good Luck Fedor, all the best!

Now my friends, I am getting ready to have morning tea with some of my girl friends and then come home to some more sewing. I'm throwing a handful of love your way and sprinkles of happiness.

Ciao, Anita.

Simplicity is the

ultimate

sophistication

Leonardo da Vinci 

A glorious Good morning to you my friends. You will be happy to know that I have stuck to my word that I would be making a goal to make items for our annual show coming up in September. I have made some lovely things but have packed them away. I always show these items on my blog after the show...lol...I am a little competitive you see. 

But still, I have made plenty to show you for this week. Some orders were knitted up this week and the first one to share with you is this cute tea cozy. It is knitted up in 8 ply using blue and gold, as per requested. I found the pattern on Ravelry if you are interested.

 Two boot cuffs for a lady wishing to dress up her boots. These seem to be coming into style and I very much like them. I love the fact that cowls, scarves, mitts and beanies are all in favour too. Love knitted things!!!!

My latest order is for two baby cardigans for lovely Vickey. This cardigan is a knitted 'top down' cardigan. It is simple to do but I have slightly changed the style of it as the under arm needed a bit more give. Mine is still in the making and has a roll collar, but if you would like to have a go at the pattern, click here. 

 

So this has been my week, the first week of holidays. I have really enjoyed myself in my craft work, meeting up with friends, gardening....oh and speaking of gardening...I was lucky enough to come across a sale over a local selling facebook site in town here. For sale were 3 sandstone pots and 2 matching pedestals for $180. I was over the moon to get the lot for $150!!!!

As I was moving them around the yard and setting them up, I happened to turn around and find Milo already investigating them....by jumping inside one. lol He is a ratbag.

This area of yard was the old hen house and I am turning it into my Italian retreat. If I can't live in Italy I will have an area that feels like Italy. We can always be creative my friends. I can't wait for the bougainvillea  to grow and have a mass of flowers. Beautiful. I will be changing the short fence you can see into a stone fence eventually. This project is in the infant stage just now.

I am off now to visit my sister and then come back to continue sewing things for the show. I will enjoy this last week of holidays as much as I enjoyed the first. I wish you all well and trust your week ahead is an exciting and craft filled week.

Ciao, Anita.

 

Happy holidays

Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.

-Marcus Aurelius.

Hi there groovy gals!!! Can you tell I'm over the moon?? lol 

 

It's holiday time for me and I'm truly excited. One of my loves is staying home near the nice warm fire on a winter's day. Last time I had holidays I used them wisely and this holiday I intend to do the same. I have made a goal to make things for the show and that's what I'm going to do.

 

I finished the 2 cot blankets off during the week and goodbye to those pesky ends I had to sew in!!! lol Yippee!!!! All gone. lol. I have to say though, I did crochet these blankets with love in mind and as I was making them it stirred up all kinds of emotions within myself. My mother had passed away years before I had my boys, so she did not get the  opportunity to knit or make anything for my boys. The flip side is though that there was a pair of booties Mum had knitted that were floating around the family that I got my hands on, so at least they got to wear those. So all was good.

 

Perhaps you can imagine how lucky I thought Vickey was to have two crocheted squares from her own mother that she could have made into something for her grand children. 

 The size of both blankets were 85cm x 85cm. Cot blankets are usually a rectangle shape, however I made them into a square shape. If I had made a rectangle the 'special' squares would not have been centred and they needed to be the heart of the blanket. It wouldn't matter which way the blanket would be turned you would always know where the 'special' squares were. 

 It was a pleasure to make them for you Vickey. xx

With the blankets finished I decided to knit up a few small items for the markets, such as this beanie. Knitted in 8ply variegated colours using size 8 needles. There are so many free patterns on the net for beanies you can have a blast making whatever you like. lol

 Ages ago a friend gave me some super soft yarn...the sort of yarn that would make a cowl. Here it is. There is no pattern used for this, just cast on some stitches and go for it. I don't know what sort of yarn it is but I wish you could all feel it. Can you imagine how soft the clouds would be? That's how soft.

 At the markets yesterday I purchased with beautiful candle from Lynda and it's just yum to smell. It is made from soy, no kerosene. I just adore the musk smell.

Talking about the markets, Heather and I had a very successful day, and I nearly scared myself to death. lol.....I thought I lost my wallet. I went to pay for my plants and discovered my wallet was gone. Two of my friends walked back to my stall to check just in case I had left my wallet there (I was positive I had it on me). Oh wow!!.....it was in my knitting bag. 

I now have a renewed love for my husband,because in all our married years I have lost his hair for him, what hair he has left I have turned it into stubble....and....I have always frightened the heck out of him. lol lol.....now I have done it to myself. I almost turned green with fright. lol Now I know how he feels. Thanks Danae and Ian for walking with me while I was imploding. lol

Anyway....I'm out of here to challenge the world and start on my goal to make things for the show. I'm so doing it!!! Cheer and love to you all.
Hugs, Anita.