Almost showtime

Friendships are like flowers - some last a few

days, some last much longer: The best ones will

thrive if they're given tender loving care.

It's almost showtime in the Avon Valley district, everyone

is getting excited about the show and their

show entries. The pavilion will fill up

with wonderful creations of crafts, cake making

and all the other exciting bits that go along

with it.

I have been busy knitting some items....

I found a terrific vintage pattern including layettes and

children's gear, so I have opted for the more

traditional styles. I have not sewn the buttons or

ribbon onto the items yet, that will happen

during the week. There are rules to sewing buttons

and ribbons on correctly, so I have to check those

rules out first.

The jumper has turned out really nice and I am pleased

with it. The wool I have used on these items

was purchased while on our little jaunt to Toodyay.

I have managed to do some stitching as well, however one

piece of work can't be shown yet as it is a paper bag swap

and we haven't done the swap yet. I have found a

cute little pattern in an older edition of Australian

Country Threads.

This will actually be a disc holder you can attach to

your sunviser in the car. It is held on by elastic and

would be very handy to have in the car. I have made this

for me!

In the pattern the word is 'Mum' instead of Friends. But I thought

if I put friends there, it would remind me daily how

important my friends are to me. I can see this

being made again as a gift, very nice pattern and a

useful gift for someone.

My tribe has just returned from a weekend of

gokarting and they're full of stories and stuff they want need

to tell me about. One other thing I have to do today is

find out where my little escape chook is managing to

get to out from. I have plugged every spot I can think

of that she might be getting out from, but I'm

obviously missing a spot.  Wish me luck.

Kind regards, Anita.

Hooray Brandon is home!

A child is fed

with milk and praise.

-Mary Lamb, Poetry for Children.

Our boy is home with us! The nest now feels warm and snug.

While Brandon went away for 2 weeks...and

enjoyed himself....his Mother counted down

the days until his return. I have to say

comfort was found in the fact Brandon went

to stay with family in Perth, but it didn't

feel the same as if he was home.

Welcome home Brandon.

I did manage to keep myself occupied over the

last 2 weeks with knitting and sewing. Over the

next week schools all over celebrate Children's Book

Week. This year the theme is Across the Storybridge.

I was busily stitching away at the banner

we will display in our school library.

With the lovely bits of scraps that couldn't possibly

be thrown away, I made all the letters and hand

stitched each letter down to a backing material.

The banner will be displayed with some of the

characters I have sewn or knitted that are in the

library already.

I also worked in the office on Friday morning as

one of the staff members there is on holidays. Gosh it was busy in that office!

It was good to work and keep busy however, because

it was the day we were picking up Brandon. As a thank you

to Lee and John for having Brandon for the 2 weeks, we

thought some lovely cushions and nice reading books

would be nice.

Today I am battling to keep up with the chores, but

my intentions for today will be to have a nice

knit-a-thon with Heather...we were hoping for some

sunshine, but I think we're going to dip out on that

hope. There are big looming grey clouds overhead, with a

dash of blue sky every now and then.

I'm truly happy with my lot and give thanks every day for the blessings I have. A new week will start and I wonder what

that lovely week will bring. Wishing you all a terrific week ahead.

Kind regards, Anita.

Busy Bee Sunday

It is good to

embrace a hope.

- Ovid.

I don't know where this week has gone, but I have to say...

nothing seemed to get finished around here. In

the way of crafts anyway.

My lovely niece Lisa gave me the book

'Twilight' for my birthday way back in January,

and not being a big reader of fiction or having

much interest in vampires, I did not

pick the book up in a hurry.

As the months ticked on Lisa would ask if

I had started reading that book. I decided that

I at least had to give it a try.....could I put that book

down? Not a chance. I started reading it and couldn't

stop. I imagined blood, guts, biting and it was

none of that. I then decided to watch the movie,

I very much enjoyed the movie but the movie took

big strides compared to the book. Still a very good

movie. No swearing, no sex and no blood and guts.

Thanks Lisa for putting me onto it.

I did manage to get a bit of sewing done but can't show

it yet. And I did get to knit. I found this unusual

hat pattern in the vintage knitting section.

The bottom of the hat is rolled up and the top

of the hat if left open and the seam is stitched down

at the front of the work. I used the lovely wool purchased

from Toodyay.

Also made up is this sweet little jacket with pichot edging.

I haven't pressed it or anything yet. I'm a bit partial to the

zig zag pattern.

Oh...I have now made a start on another little piece, a cute jumper. If it turns out nice I will enter it in the show.

The pattern hasn't come out in the photo, but it is a nice pattern. I love the colour of this wool as there is not too much flecky going through it.

Now that I have the reading bug again, I happened to

walk passed the book case and discovered a book I

have not read yet. I have started on it and am really enjoying

it.

It is about a family growing up in outback Western

Australia in the 1930's - 1940's. The book so

far is describing the layout of the property ie where

the kitchen is and what it looks like ; the bathroom

with a tub made from cement. It's just a great book

so far.

I'm off to do a busy bee today with the Agricultural

Society. We're getting things ready for the show

in a few weeks. I can only stay for a few hours

as I have to come home, pack Brandon's bags

and take him to Perth for his last week of work

experience. I will be glad when it's finished.

Have a great week and I hope you get lots of things done

that you enjoy. Kind regards, Anita.

Catch up weekend.

Sow good services; sweet remembrances

will grow from them.

-Madame de Stael.

What a lovely weekend of playing finish off and catch up!

Pixie and Cory have gone off to Lake King for

gokarts, Brandon is home but shut away in his cage, and I am...

doing lots of catch up with housework and, best of all...

my craft work.

I had done some stitching recently and wanted to make a nice

shoe bag. I had been struggling to find the time and this weekend....

I've done it. My shoe bag is finished. My main aim is to use up as

much of my stash as I can. I had this lovely floral piece

of material for such a llong time, so I decided that I would

use it and I love the colours.

I have even been able to use some more beads and ribbon from my bulging

stash, so I was pleased about that. The shoe bag fits 2-3 pairs of shoes

and uses less space than the boxes they were stored away in.

I have these pieces of material on the ready for a secret and special

project so I can only show them. You have to be patient for a while.

Today I did a fair bit of folding, cleaning and sweeping, early in the

morning so I could go for a gentle drive to Toodyay...taking my partner in crime, Heather, with me. This weekend, in the Avon Valley, the annual Avon Descent is being held. The Avon Descent is a white water race using canoes and power boats. Entrants from as far as South Africa enter this event and it is a big deal for the towns in the Avon Valley.

The race is over two days and when the first day of racing is done, the entrants of the

contest camp in Toodyay over night. So Toodyay is just bustling with activity on this weekend. Look what Heather and I spotted...we thought he was real to start with.

The guy in the top hat is the one I'm talking about! First he is sitting near one bloke...

Then he is sitting with friends. The group of people in the blue/black, orange/black and yellow/black were a dance group. Heather and I didn't realize at the time, but they

had drums, bells, things that made the best noise!! When I took the photo of the pretend

guy, we left to go to the ladies. On the way back we could hear this fantastic

drum beating going on. Naturally curious budgies, that we are, we went to

investigate. Heather and I and 100 other people just stood there in amazement.

This crew were fantastic. They all beat the drums at exactly the same time, never

missed a beat.

Oh...and...er...yes, Heather and I really went to Toodyay to visit the wool shop.

Yikes. We found it!

The camera did not catch the true colour, the wool is a natural tone and so soft.

I need to smarten myself up and knit for the show. I will be using this wool and also the Peter Pan wool that is pictured below. I'm thinking a nice cable beanie for the wool

shown above, and a nice baby jumper with the other wool.

This wool has just a fleck of colour here and there, so I can't wait to see how this turns out!

Now I'm going to attack my sewing machine, and get cracking on some projects. Well to be truthful I feel like having a nice little noddy! Heather shouted me a lovely morning tea in Toodyay, and we had scones and cream!

Scones + cream + friend + tea + sunshine = sleep.

Can't ask for more than that!

Have a great weekend.

Kind regards, Anita.

Finished blocks

Love is a

great beautifier.

-Louisa May Alcott

Another glorious week is flying by....can't believe the catchup

that has been going on around here after last week! Managed to

get all the washing and ironing in order, same with all the other house work....only to

start all over again! This weekend Pixie and Cory are off to Lake King, which is

a 5 hour drive away from home. Brandon is getting prepared to work in Perth for

2 weeks with his cousin Mike (school work experience) and a bit of driving for me to

do. I will have this weekend to do lots of sewing and knitting, but as always

I'll be concerned at how all my boys are going. I doubt that feeling will ever

stop for me.

In the meantime I have finished some patchwork blocks and now that it is the end

of the month, I can show and tell.

These are going towards the quilt Bev and I are making. The theme for the

month was angels. I chose a simple style and buttonholed around

the figures. You can't see the wings very well but they do look nice and

are very noticeable when you look at the quilt. I had some matching materials

so decided they would all look nice together. The bodies of the angels are made

from scaps that I couldn't throw away.

 I have some of the materials left over so I might be able to sneak in a

cushion cover as well for a friend.

I have almost finished my shoe bag as well but will show the end product when I do the last

of the stitching. I went to the local library and found a great book.....

With the annual show coming up, I'm sure I could find some great things to knit from this

book...if not Easter will come around again!! I have found some lovely vintage patterns to knit,

so hopefully I will get them finished in time to enter them into the show. Some lovely baby jackets and socks

that look nice.

I've decided to cook a lovely fat chicken for tea tonight, so I best go and see how

that's all going.  Will catch you all in a few days time. Kind regards, Anita.

Who's a spoilt girl then?

Cheerfulness and goodwill

make labor light.

-Danish proverb.

I am back in action now after suffering the worst case of

sinus that I have ever had. No knitting all week! No sewing...just laying there doing

nothing!!

Bev and I had a Paper Bag Swap this month, and it was the

first one I'd ever done. What fun!

The rule was 1 fat quarter, 1 metre ric rac or ribbon, 5 buttons and you could add whatever

you liked. I gave Bev 2 fat quarters and all the other bits and look at the goodies she

made me. I feel so spoilt! I can't wait to use my knitting bag, bookmarks are

always handy as I am a reader, the wall hanging is just delightful and the pincushion will

certainly come in handy.

I had fun making Bev's gifts up too...

I managed to make several items ...

The little doll is called "Lovely Lucy" which I thought was very appropriate for

Bev as she has a daughter called Lucy. I decided to add an ankle bracelet

and felt hair to the pattern. A cup holder for Bev with a cup inside....Bev loves

her cuppa and also a little doll purse with...

I enjoyed doing the Paper bag swap and look forward to doing another one.

I had also managed to start on a pair of socks before I fell ill, and this is as far as

I have made it. Tonight I'm going to attack my knitting, because unfortunately

my housework has dropped back a bit. Thank goodness Pixie was home on the

day I was real sick because he did all the helpful bits like, pick children up from

school, dishes, keep the fire going. He is just priceless, a true treasure.

I had also made a start on some stitching as well, and have finished the stitching. This is going to be a shoe bag when it is made up.

Today I will catch up on my housework and I'm on target with what I need to do. I cooked

Pixie a lovely breakfast this morning...sort of a thank you for taking care of me this week.

The ironing beckons me and I need to buzz off now. Hoping you are all enjoying

this lovely weekend. Today is derby day between the Eagles and Dockers in football.

Go the Eagles!!!!

Kind regards, Anita.