the haul.

a few weeks ago now, i hopped into my car and went on a wee little road trip up to bendigo...

i wasn't visiting anyone, i had no where to be, i just had a little itch to visit the magical back room of the bendigo woollen mills.
i did go there with a specific purpose in mind, some yarn i had to grab some more of for a special purpose (which i'll share in the next few days...), but i also picked up some BARGAINS!
ie. wool i didn't really need per se... but was too good of a price to go past!

first up, some remnants...



which should be perfect for adding to my mitred square blankie...

and some scraps...



which i did buy a bag of last time, and i haven't really touched... but one day i'll get around to it, and look, now i have more when i do!
these little bags of remnants and scraps were only $1 a piece so i definitely felt i could justify them.

this lovely denim coloured 8ply, with the tweedy fleck just JUMPED into my basket. it was way too lovely to leave behind!



the 7 wee balls that i came away with come to 240g, so i should be able to whip up something nice with it! some little baby clothes easily!

colonial is bendigo woollen mills newest yarn, and i was so surprised that they already had some remnants of it that i had to pick some up!



214g of mocha

aaaaaaaand...



220g of a nice grey.

the texture is similar to that of their classic yarn, so it definitely won't go astray.
i've already got a few ideas percolating... anyone got any spare time they can lend me?

a couple of the ladies i head to craft group with on every other wednesday have been waxing lyrically about this yarn...



"stellar" so i was pretty happy when i found a little bit hanging out in the back room. 198g to be exact. should be able to squeeze out a little project from that.

i found another nice grey to play with too. luckily as one of the ideas i've got floating around in my brain (leftovers from this scarf, i think) requires a fair bit of grey.



i picked up 3 undersized balls of this stuff, totalling to 412g. definitely enough to get done what's going round and round in my brain.
it'll just be interesting to see how it knits up, i've never used this yarn before!

and finally, one little ball of luxury.



they are normally 200g a pop, so at 110g, this is pretty tiny!
i'm thinking it will be perfect to whip myself up a nice beanie though.
i am in LOVE with this colour too! it was one of the colours i used in my granny stripe!

so i picked up all of these little bundles of wool, at a fraction of the sticker price of the full balls. such bargains!

are you a bargain yarn shopper? where are you favourite places to buy yarn?

my creative space.

this week, i've been putting in a few extra hours at work, getting done all of the things that we can't get done with a store full of people... but i haven't let it cut into my wooly time!

i've got two projects on the go at the moment...



my scrappy heart blanket.
i had run out of wool for this, but took advantage of a sale bendigo woollen mills were having before christmas and bought what i needed.
at the moment, this is my veging on the couch, watching tv project and it's lovely to snuggle down with after dinner.



this guy thinks so too. as soon as i pulled it out, he was there on my lap!
he loves a crocheted blankie!

the other project is a little more portable...



a murano milo!
i carry it around in a little tote bag and get little bits of it done while stuck at traffic lights, while waiting for the elevator, on my lunch break... you get the idea!

i'm not working on much of either today though... last night i picked up a pan that was just out of the oven and burnt my hand! it didn't tickle and meant i didn't sleep much at all last night.
today i'm mooching around home, soaking my hand in cool water and just looking wistfully at these two projects...

what's happening in your creative space at the moment? do you hurt yourself in stupid ways too?

hello kitty.

last week at work, i drew a 'hello kitty' loving co-worker in our work kris kringle. i wasted NO time, getting some inspiration from ravelry and getting started!

i decided on this pattern and on saturday, pulled almost every ball of wool out of my stash trying to find the perfect colours!



i'm pretty happy with the colours i found... a nice soft cream yarn for the face (leftover from the hexie project, i think), some yellow for the nose and flower (inherited from my nanna), a LOT of purple (originally from spotlight i think, i crocheted it up into a puff-stitch beanie, only to have it be too small for any human head!), a little pink (stolen from my pink heart blankie project) and a bit of grey and black of entirely unknown origin.



i am INCREDIBLY happy with how it turned out! and the fact i managed to get it finished by sunday night... i am LOVING me some quick projects right now!

the only problem with this project was, by tipping all of my wool out of it's home, and onto the bed, i am absolutely itching to start another 21093730984 projects. life is tough i tells ya!

this little project cleared out 3 balls of wool from said stash though, yahoo! stash busting is still happening!

do you like a quick project? or hello kitty? are you stash busting too?

ravelled.

little lovelies.

every week, i try and share a little list of lovely things that have happened throughout the week in my neck of the woods, to try and keep myself looking on the bright side of things.

this week, there's been lots of new stuff happening!



new wool to start a new project.
i think my favourite part of buying wool in bulk like this is to play with it! stack it up, make it look pretty!



lovely brianna picked me up this clock from ikea.
it's soon to become a modpodged hexie masterpiece! it should look great up around the house!



my parents bought this cute little cross-stitch home from their trip to the states. i can't wait to get it done and framed up in a little black frame.
i think it'll look great up on my wall!



oh and speaking of things that i had brought back from the states for me, a brand new pair of running shoes!
how lucky am i??

maybe this is the inspiration i need to get running again ;)

what little lovely things are making you smile this week? do you play with your new wool too? or enjoy the odd ikea hack?

another project...

just when i thought i pretty much had my wooly plans pretty much sorted... brianna tempted me into buying a little more wool, for yet another project!

i've been looking to knit some sort of cover for this for quite a while...



it was a birthday gift from brianna and i was SUPER grateful for it. it was beautifully made but unfortunately hasn't stood up to the everyday dramas we've subjected it to!

i figure a knitted cover, without seams, should last a little nicer ;)

anywho... it took me a while to work out what kind of wool to knit it in, and then brianna told me that she had received a voucher from deramores, and after a quick little browse, i decided to go with this...



i'll need to put my other new project aside for a little while to get this started i think!

i'm super excited!

do you get excited to start new projects? do you have lots of unfinished projects too?

hottie'n it up.

the wonderful curlypops has been busy organising a group entry to the hottie challenge and exhibition being held at open drawer to raise money for the margaret pratt foundation.
when the event was held two years ago, i was terribly upset with myself for not getting my butt into gear and submitting an entry. when i heard it was being held again, i jumped at the chance to participate!
then however, i had no idea how to make my hottie cover... should i sew something? or crochet? or knit? or try something completely new and different?

I came up with an idea though, to knit it, in the same style as i make my beanies. that way it would be wooly and cuddly and cosy and everything a hot water bottle cover should be!



not only do i love the way it turned out, i used up 4 balls of wool from my stash! huzzah!
stash busting AND knitting something cool for a good cause. excellent!

the exhibition starts on the first weekend in july at open drawer if you're in melbourne town.

have you made an entry into the hottie challenge? what medium did or would you use?

june.

gah! where did may go exactly?
despite it flying, i guess i did get a bit done...
my granny stripe blankie grew-some, i meal-planned, i made some pj pants and made a start on re-organising my craft supplies. i sent off my beanies, baked lotsa bread and finally planted garlic. the possums however, are still eating everything in sight (well actually they're not anymore, because it's all gone!) and i got ZERO assignments done!

all the more to do this month huh?



luckily, i made a good start on a couple of those things on my weekend away! huzzah!

what are you up to this month?

my creative space.

today in my creative space, i'm packing!!!
i've got lots of crafty things planned for my time away this weekend!



i've got my granny stripe packed! we're heading up into the hills so it'll hopefully keep me warm, as well as keep my hands busy.



and i've got some of my new wool packed... i've got kina plans and sock plans and beanie plans!
lots to do!



oh and i'm filling this basket up with woolly goodies too! lots of balls from my stash and my knitting needle roll and crochet hook wallet.
inspiration for my fellow holidayers :D

what are you creating today? are you joining in with kootoyoo and her creative spaces too?

road trippin'

yesterday, i had a plan.
well it wasn't just my plan... brianna and myself, as well as her husband (he played driver), jumped in the car and headed up the calder to BENDIGO!

i was excited because it's a 4 hour round trip, meaning 4 hours of un-interrupted knitting time



our destination in bendigo, was one i've been wanting to go to for a while now...



and boy did i enjoy myself!
i had a very hard talk with myself before going in, 'now nicole, you're not to buy anything that you don't have a project in mind for...'
and for the most part, that worked...



this was my haul!
and boy do i have plans for it!
there'll be several pairs of socks, a beanie (for our faithful driver), a little blankie, a milo or two, a kina too and probably some more socks thrown in for good measure.
a suitcase full of plans!

i have some things i need to finish off first though.
the beanies need to be finished (the ends! i hate them!), they need tagging, oh, and they need to be posted. and then i have my bamcal blankie to finish too! i bought another ball of navy to finally finish the scallopy edge!

then i'll have the big decision about what to start first! eep!

have you indulged in any retail therapy lately? how's your wool stash looking?

my creative space.

necessity, the mother of invention.
tonight, i've been working on protecting the new power cord i bought myself to keep my laptop running...
sampson seems to ignore any disciplinary action taken against him when it comes to chewing any cord... or jumping on the bench, my dresser, biting... well lets just say i'm thankful i'm not the parent of a toddler! i'm much too soft!!

anyway...
new power cord in hand, crochet hook and yarn in the other...



and then a couple of hours later...



and voila! it's done!
keep your fingers crossed for me that it actually stops him biting it!
i really don't think i can justify buying another one!!!

oh, and today's a month of prompt is khaki...



this "khaki" stool from ikea, though it's not going to be khaki for very long...
i've got a weekend off, a tin of paint, some pva and an IDEA!
but that's for another creative space ;)

what are you getting up to in your creative space today? are you playing along with kootoyoo too? any tips for dealing with unruly, bite-y pets?

navy.

is today's a month of prompt.



i snapped a quick picture of my snoozing kitty, snuggled up to my navy bamcal blankie.
i'm still working on getting it finished... one day it will have a big ta-da post. maybe.

today was a pretty great day off from work for me.
i took another little trip to run the 1000 steps in the dandenongs, though there wasn't much running done, there was mainly walking. very slow walking ha ha!
i also got a whole heap of housework done, dealt with more hot water service issues (gah!) and worked another couple of rows onto my granny stripe. it's coming along verrrrrry slowly, but covering a little bit more lap with each back and forth row.
though i put it down for a bit this evening and cast on another beanie. a little different to the one currently on my needles.
it's the terzetto pattern, and i've pinched some wool from my granny stripe blankie, the grey one, to knit it up.
it's a little gift for a gent who found himself with a little less hair atop his head over the weekend...

i also came across this website today, after the adorable creature above destroyed his third power cable! suuuuuch a turd!

how was your tuesday? do you have any aaaaalmost finished, un-finished projects? any great ideas on how to keep kitties from destroying powercords?

spoilt.

my brother just got back from a trip overseas, and he bought me back a special gift!

by the looks of it, he spent a bit of time looking for me!



how spoilt am i?

my brother travels across the world and brings me back yarn! he knows me TOO well!

anyone know of anything i can do with pompom or that webbed yarn that's not a scarf though?
i need suggestions!

he also brought me a calendar from this talented lady!



a year of colourful yarny projects! sure to keep me inspired for the stash busting challenge!

stash busting - plans.

yesterday, i shared the stash busting challenge, and today, i'm sharing the plans i've made for some of my stash!

first up, the beanies!



this is how i plan out my beanies, grouping some yarns of similar colours together :D
then, i cast one on, and use the rest as i see fit, making sure that there's plenty of variety within the beanie.
they tend to look like this when they're done!

i also started this little project over the christmas period (read: car craft) inspired by tracie.



my idea was to make something big enough to fit all of the cat's toys in, i'm sick of them not having a home :|
however, i'd run out of wool, luckily i found some more in my stash :D
i'm not sure that i've used the right size hook though as it's a little floppy... might need to restart this one...

the other stash plan i've come up with is to use some of the mountains of pink yarn i seem to have...



this pattern has been in my ravelry queue for a loooooong time. wouldn't it look great all in pinks? with a nice light grey background?
i would need to buy wool for the background, to ensure i had enough... but it would be totally worth it for such a cute little blankie!
rest assured, with my granny stripe still on the go, another blankie is a little ways off...

and there's also this wool...



to make a couple of pairs of slippers, one pair for me and one for bb.
i don't have a pattern in mind yet, but it needs to be something cozy :D we have horrid tiled floors that are BITTERLY cold in winter!

i feel like all of these plans should've used up a sizable portion of my stash, but it's honestly barely made a dent!

the little bundles of wool i posted about yesterday have been assigned projects too!
the teal yarn, is destined to become a cowl, this one in fact!
and the pink, i'll knit into a shawl! i've got this pattern earmarked.

i've got plenty to work on for the next little while, and when these projects are all done, i might have another little sort through to see what other inspirations the stash can yield :D

the next couple of days though, i'm going to work on turning these into 8" squares for the tasmanian bush fire appeal... you can join in here if you've got some spare time and yarn :D

how's your stash looking?
do you have lots of plans for yours too?
are you joining in with the stash busting challenge?

stash busting!

the other day, i was dreaming about my wool stash... thinking of how i should go through and sort my stash, and decide on some projects to use some of it up!

then as i was browsing through my blog reader, i came across this post from tammy.
turns out, linda and ana are hosting a stash busting challenge!

perfect!

this morning, i found myself with some unexpected time at home (last minute re-schedule of the work roster), so i dug into the stash...



and this guy helped...



i've now got more than a few plans made (which i'll share here tomorrow) but first, i need some help!
i realised as i was pulling all of my balls of wool out, that there was some that i had fairly sizable amounts of...



these, which are a dusky pink crepe aaaaaaaand



this teal moda vera pure wool.

i have no idea what to do with it!!!
most of the projects i make, are either quite small, like a beanie, which only need one or two balls, or massive, like a blanket, which need close to a million balls.

5-6 balls just throws up question marks to me!

any ideas on the sort of project i could use this amount for?
are you joining in with the stash busting challenge?
is your stash getting out of control too?

a few finishes...

i mentioned last week, that i'd been working on a few things... so today i thought i'd share some finishes with you!

first up, this cute little doorstop.



i was sick of having random things holding open my bedroom door (heatpack, laptop case, pile of books), so decided to whip up a little door stop. i used some fabric from my stash, which i believe was gifted to me by the lovely anna. i do love it when people share their de-stash efforts :D thanks anna!

next up, a beanie (or two)



this awesome pattern was thought up (and written down) by the amazing lisa and is available for purchase here!
it knits up super quickly and the texture is amazing :D
this is actually the third i've made. the first is still unfinished. the second, went to a co-worker for his birthday. and this one, well this one is a birthday present too!

i've also finished this little project. it was a wedding present for two lovely friends, in celebration of their marriage. years ago, the bride requested i make her a crocheted cactus...
it just took me a while...
i stupidly forgot to take a photo to share once i was done though... clever work nicole!

i've also made a start on something new...



a little something to contribute to wendy's full circle project!
just for something different, i'm painfully un-organised! the entries were supposed to be in last friday! luckily wendy has said i can enter a little late. if you've still got an entry, you should send her an email!


have you finished anything lately?