light my fire

I always find the blog that follows an exciting, milestone, life-event blog difficult to write. The words don't flow as freely, the subjects are harder to choose and the 'who even cares' voice sneaks into my brain and makes itself comfortable.

If the lead-up to Soul Craft was 'the before', then the past week has most definitely been 'the after. And the after is filled with things we have to do before true winter sets in and the paddocks are too wet to drive in, the wood splitter has been returned to its owner, and everything that grew in summer has been pulled out, pruned, or cut down, and everything that needs to go in the ground before spring has been planted.

People talk about how lovely winter is because it's a time for bunking down inside by the fire knitting and drinking tea, but we are so not there yet. We are still outside. Most of the time we can't feel our fingers or our toes, our work pants are wet up to our knees and our boots are so caked with mud that we appear inches taller than we really are. But we are ticking things off slowly, so hopefully by this time next week or the week after, we'll be able to admire the blanket of frost covering everything from inside the house.

So let's get back to the photo journal shall we...

june sixteenth 

I made these Uppsala slippers as a gift for my farmer boy to say thank you for always taking care of us and our many details. They're the perfect project to take on when you want to make a present but you can't commit to a pair of 4ply socks. Someone on instagram suggested I stitch a piece of leather to the sole to protect them against all the little bits of wood, but I feel like that would make them slippery, and the truth is I only asked him to wear them in the wood shed to make my photos look good, and he held them in his hands and only put them on once we got there.

Here's the link to the pattern on Ravelry. It's a quick little knit but be sure to go down a size because they knit up bigger than you think.

june seventeenth

I've spent so much of the past week splitting wood. Now that that job's almost done I just need to find some time to stack it.

june eighteenth

Late one night last week, with nothing to read, I crept into Indi's room and took the two books off her bedside table. One was Heart of Darkness, which is one of her English Literature books and the other was her philosophy teacher Skye's copy of The Little Paris Bookshop. I didn't make it past page four of the first, and I stayed up until way past four reading the other.

“There are books that are suitable for a million people, others for only a hundred. There are even remedies—I mean books—that were written for one person only…A book is both medic and medicine at once. It makes a diagnosis as well as offering therapy. Putting the right novels to the appropriate ailments: that’s how I sell books.”

I love the concept of a literary apothecary, an encyclopedia of emotions, shopping on a floating book-barge. And I love the characters in this book and the story so far. I always feel rich and relieved when I have a book I am loving to go to bed with, because then it doesn't matter as much what happens sleep-wise in the night.

june nineteenth

That's a photo of my scrappy sock blanket that I have been knitting since November first 2014. From time to time I consider turning it over, darning all the ends in and marking it as finished. But then I remember how comforting it is to have a project on the go all the time. It's always there. Whenever I cast off a project but before I cast on something new I pull it down and add a few squares, I love the mindlessness of it, I enjoy the weight of it on my lap and I reminisce about all the socks I've knitted over the years to make the scraps to make the blanket. It would look so good on the day bed in my new studio though...

june twentieth

And speaking of my new studio, on Wednesday while I was on my hands and knees in the freezing cold mud trying to get the rest of my garlic in before the winter solstice (see the very first photo), Bren and Jobbo were putting the finishing touches on the door and starting on the shingles.

Oh and just in case you get excited about those shingles like I did the other day, whatever you do - do not search up #shingles on instagram. Let's just say I made that mistake so you don't have to.

june twenty first

On Thursday we had our first true, crunchy, frost of the season.  And I ran around taking photos of everything before retreating inside to try and warm my fingers.

And Bren and Jobbo made frames for and inserted two triangular windows in the pitched roof at the back of my studio and finished and hung the door. I don't think I have ever been so excited about a door in my life.

june twenty second

Today. We spent the day crunching through the frosty grass, and then later the wet grass, in the orchards pulling the nets off the trees. We're late to the job and you can almost feel the trees stretching their limbs out in relief and wondering why it took us so long. Which is why it's so late at 5.24pm for me to be writing my blog. Which is why I'm rushing it to get it done before the girls get home from school. Which is why I haven't even taken my wet socks and clothes off yet which feels awful, but I'm also okay because my farmer boy just brought me in a hot cup of tea and a hot water bottle. The best thing about wearing overalls to work is that you can pop the hot water bottle in the chest bit, like a baby. The best bit about hot tea is that it's hot.

And I told you I was excited about my door, but just in case you didn't believe me here are a few more photos of it. Bren is going to turn me a couple of door handles this weekend.

And that's it! All caught up and into a hot shower I go.

But before I leave tell me some things about you.
What are you reading/writing/playing/watching/growing/crafing?
What are you loving most about the season you're in?
What are you getting up to this weekend?
I want to buy some charcoal yarn with a fleck through it, do you know where I could get some?

See ya's next week okay!

Love, Kate x


ps Did you get my door joke in the title - Light my fire - by the DOORS!! 

knits and pieces

Hello! How are you? Is it hot where you are or freezing cold like it is here?

Here it is seriously cold, that sort of cold that seeps under your zillions of layers of clothing and chills you to the bone. That sort of cold that makes it look like twilight all day long. That sort of cold that burns your skin and stings your nose when you breathe. That sort of cold that feels difficult and heavy. And to be honest I started this week feeling quite crap about it all. Winters are looooooong here and this is just the very beginning.

But then while I was driving home from school drop off and planning the rest of my Monday in my mind, it occurred to me that if I worked it out right I could have a lovely winter, we all could. Winter in fact is when a lot of my favourite things to do, make the most sense: baking, knitting, eating soup, crocheting, reading long novels, playing board games, drinking lots of hot coffee and peppermint tea, crafting with my kids, listening to podcasts in the bath, wearing thick stripy tights and getting stuck right into a TV series and watching it on my lap-top night after night after the girls have gone to bed.

With these happy winter thoughts always at the back of my mind, and two home fires blazing at all times, I think I might just be able to have a happy winter after all.


Oh did someone say knitting?

Well first I knitted Miss Jazzy a pair of slippers in her chosen colours.

Ravelled here.


Then I made myself a pair and wow I LOVE them!!


So often making the same thing more than once drives me a little crazy, but these slippers are so quick and fun to knit that I would have even been happy to knit a fifth pair. But, I was told in no uncertain terms that Miss Indi would not be giving up her uggs in a hurry and no thanks. Teenagers eh?!


After that I knitted her a beanie in her chosen black. And it almost killed me. You know how you can barely see the design in the photo? Well that's how it was to knit. I was squinting and carrying on the whole time. At one stage the stitches even came off my needles in my basket and I had to rip it out and start again from the band, ahhhhhhhhhhh. I only hope she wears it now.

Ravelled here.


Then I pulled down the basket with last winter's blanket project in it and knitted a pink square. The 43rd square in this book. I had thoughts of knitting a bit and then stitching it all together bit by bit...

....until Miss Jazzy came home from school yesterday with freezing hands and a request for some little fingerless mittens. She chose the wool I'd bought at a garage sale years ago and I found a pattern and cast on. Now Miss Pepper says she needs pink ones next.

Ravelry details here.

So that's me, happily sitting by the fire wearing my slippers, finishing off Jazzy's mitts so she can wear them to school tomorrow.

What have you been up to?
What's you best winter warming trick?

Big love,

xx

snapshot of now

I feel like I have a thousand things to tell you. There's so much going on my mind, in my heart and in my life. This morning after I took the girls to school, tidied the house and took part in a lovely girl's photography project, I sat down and started this blog three times.

I have three incomplete blog drafts sitting in my post list and now this is my fourth.

But I think this one will work because just before I sat down to write it, I spent a few minutes walking around snapping photos of things that tell the story of me now. Twelve photos that represent a bit of a snap shot of my life at the moment (minus the girls of course because they are at school). So I think instead of being overwhelmed with details I'm going to write a sentence or two to go with each photo and that'll be that.

Simple, right?!

OK, let's do this.

HARVESTING - rhubarb. There is just so much rhubarb right now. I cut and tied this bunch to give to a friend this morning but forgot. I think I'll make a cake for the girls for afternoon tea now instead.

I'm a little bit obsessed with tying things up with string at the moment. Somehow the winding and the tying make every package just that little bit prettier, don't you think?

READING - These two books. Finished one and a hundred pages left of the other. Possibly two of the best books I have ever read. I'm trying my hardest to slow down and make the last pages last longer but it's impossible. I only hope the next book I pick up is as good.

MISSING - salt. About a month ago my grandfather was told he had to cut salt right out of his diet. My grandfather and I have always shared a deep love of the salty. We were the type of people who added salt to a dish before even tasting it. If you were looking for the salt shaker at a meal time you could always be certain it was next to one of us. When he was told to cut salt out for health reasons I was devastated for him. It actually made me cry. And then I decided to cut salt from my diet too.

I haven't added salt to a dish for a month. I miss salt like crazy.

WAITING - for rocket. And for all the veggies that are sitting still in the icy cold ground waiting for the winter equinox and the days to get longer so they can put on some growth and feed my hunger for salads.

CROCHETING - well I'm not actually crocheting anything right now, but I do need to darn in the ends of my May motifs, photograph them and write up a blog post about #MotifDayMay before it turns into July.

KNITTING - woolly slippers. I love that Miss Pepper chose odd colours for hers. I love that she sleeps with them on the shelf next to her bed and I love that she took them to school today to wear them in class. Miss Jazzy's are next.

LOVING - my farmer boy's new house rule that every member of this family must pick and eat at least one carrot a day, everyday. Yay!

CARRYING - chunky wool and fat knitting needles in a cute basket wherever I go.

SEWING - right now I really should be outside helping farmer Bren prune the apple orchard but instead I'm alternating between writing this blog and sewing leaves. But firstly it really is just too cold outside. And secondly, I've got this space in my new craft area that I just painted white that I think needs to be surrounded by a leaf wreath. Hopefully the reality looks as pretty as it does in my mind. Hopefully also, it warms up a couple of degrees in the next little while and I can get a couple of hours of pruning in before pick up.

WEARING - great quality, wool socks for the first time in my life and marvelling at the difference they make in terms of comfort and warmth. Until now I have always been too mean to spend much money on socks, but all that has changed from now on. Wow!!

I would really like to learn how to knit socks this winter. If you have an in-the-round, snugly fitting, simple sock pattern, I'd love the link.



COOKING - spinach and kale and all things green and leafy in every meal. It makes me feel like a better Mum when I know my girls are eating such garden goodness.

MARVELLING -  at the fact that you can cook haloumi in your sandwich press. I know!! I had no idea you could do it either. Indi saw it on a blog somewhere, told me, we tried it and it works. I can't believe I spent so many years frying it in oil, splattering my kitchen with oil, and burning myself with flying bits of splattering oil. This past week we've enjoying the squishy, melty cheese without the hassle of the big cleanup. So great!

OPENING - the pages of Zoe Phillip's new book The Time of Our Lives. It is such a gorgeous book and I think the photo she took of farmer Bren and Bingo Maremma might just be one of the most beautiful photos I have ever seen.

OK, that's me all caught up now.
How about you? What are you harvesting, reading, missing, waiting, crocheting, knitting, loving, carrying, sewing, wearing, cooking, marvelling and opening?
Care to share?

Big love

xx

why i love craft

This is why I love craft.

These two slippers began as two balls of yarn. One ball, the purply one, I bought from two women at the Bendigo Sheep and Wool show two years ago. I didn't love the feel of it and I didn't love the colour of it, but I did love the concept. That ball of yarn was called WOOLI by Nikki Gabriel and was a recycled blend of factory fibre waste: wool, alpaca, silk, cashmere and possum.  I just had to try some out and see how it knitted up.

The second was given to me by my friend and local shop-keeper Merrilyn. A Debbie Bliss chunky tweed made from merino and angora. I did love the look and feel of this speckley, lumpy gorgeous bluey-greeny yarn but had no idea what it would eventually become.

Both balls have sat patiently in my wool cupboard for close to two years now for just the right time and just the right project. Over the years I've pulled them out and wondered and considered and stroked them but nothing has felt quite right. Until now.

Until the past few days as we have grown closer to winter, the temperatures have dropped and the icy polished concrete floor in our kitchen has become increasingly difficult to stand on in socks. There's really nothing worse than freezing cold feet and the way the chilly feeling travels up the body making it impossible to relax and warm up.

As the days past I found myself breaking the rules by wearing my boots inside the house and at the same time wondering about a solution that wouldn't cost the crazy price of five new pairs of slippers and wouldn't involve a special trip into Melbourne to purchase them.

And then last Friday I was reading lovely Sophie's blog and it was like she had answered my question before I had even asked it when she shared the link to this fabulous list of slipper patterns. I chose the top pair, scrounged around for some chunky yarn, found those two balls and some 5.5mm needles and cast on.

Apart from a couple of issues with the way it is written, this pattern is simple, quick and so much fun to knit up.

On Monday morning when I walked into the kitchen where my farmer boy was in the middle of relighting the stove fire, stirring the porridge and making our coffee, I found him with the biggest smile on his face. His new slippers were warm, comfy, cushioned and he loved them.

There is no better feeling in the whole wide world than that which is making something for someone you love that they love.

I now have orders for three more pairs plus some for me. And I don't feel so, so bad when I sleep a little late and he's gotten it all warm and toasty in the house before my feet hit the floor.

Craft makes me happy.

Stay warm and cozy lovely people, I hope you get the chance to love what you make and make what you love.

xx

My creative space.

In my creative space today I am hooking granny squares for pockets. I don't think I've got another granny square blanket in me, I haven't even finished sewing in the ends of my first one, but I do love hooking these little treasure collecting pockets.

I am pattern testing a cute little pair of ballet slippers. I have just finished knitting them in the softest, most luxurious organic merino wool this morning. Details here.

But now its time to felt them and I need your help. What is your felting method? I've only ever done hand felting and I've heard something about a hot washing machine and a pair of jeans for agitation, but I'm not sure.

Help?

And of course I'm sewing some vintage sheet dresses for my shop.

I love cutting and stitching these mixy matchy dresses. The colours and patterns and styles make me so happy. And I love dreaming about their new owners and hearing their happily ever after stories. Check out Tricia's here.

I hope this Thursday brings you some wonderful surprises.

See ya. XX