beltane samhain

Another Sunlight Shawl for Sad People, knitted with Misti Alpaca Pima Cotton & Silk Hand Paint yarn. Nice and light, a joy to knit and the variegated colours keep it interesting for repetitive knit/purl patterns that seem to go on in to infinity. I've titled it 'Neptune Unicorn Shawl' and gifted it to my unicorn loving friend Carmen.

The Southern Hemisphere Beltane is in the peak of Spring and honours fertility and the difference in masculinity and femininity. We intended on making a Maypole for Spring celebrations using a big tree branch however the fierce winds kept us huddled inside. I envisioned them singing, dancing and laughing under the maypole. I had a light bulb moment and whipped up a miniature Maypole for our seasonal table. The children were enamoured with the end result.

Apparently the veils between the two worlds are thin so we made strawberry muffins for the Fairies.

When we are in the peak of Spring, our Northern Hemisphere friends celebrate Samhain. Oddly, this is when our supermarkets fill with cheap plastic Halloween paraphernalia that has no relevance to our Spring season in Australia. Everywhere you see signs of life on our farms and backyards at this time of year yet we celebrate Halloween instead of the Easter bunny. We try to live by the seasons truthfully however my eldest showed interest in carving pumpkins at the supermarket (high food miles, eek!). Regardless of the season and price, I thought it was time to finally carve a jack-o-latern. Youtube here we come! Ridiculously you can't get carving pumpkins here in our pumpkin growing season. Crazy, I know. We'll have to grow our own as we'd love to keep up this tradition in our Autumn. After I explained this topsy-turvy celebration to my eldest he suggested we should carve watermelons next year. Love it! We do like to celebrate all the seasons and join in with our northern hemisphere neighbours.

The children were drawn to the lit Jack O'lantern and were so still and quiet. The opposite of our usual bed time routine. I think a candle and song may accompany our night time rhythm from now on.

A book week outfit sewed for the little one based on the book Chengdu, for a parade at the local homeschooling gathering. I made the pj's by simply tracing an existing pair and the free mask pattern is from here.

A felted fox pattern for my eldest who had an RSPCA charity day for animals at his school. Although at school pick up you might of mistaken the day for national 'Onesies Dress Up Day'. When the final bell rang hundreds of kids spilled out of the buildings dressed in onesies just like a rave party!

He chose the pattern and bright orange fabric. I tried to veer him towards an endangered species since people here don't care much for foxes due to our vulnerable native animals. But he was determined and don't all our animals deserve protection? And no wonder, I've nurtured his love of animals since he was three in hopes he'll grow up to be a regional vet.

Joining in with Keep Calm Craft On. and Yarn Along.

I've been battling another health issue, this time with my neck and arms. The results came back that I am not neuro compromised and what a relief however this never ending year of quite dramatic health issues is dragging on. This is always an uplifting space to see the positive accomplishments of myself and others. Although I have not been keeping up here I have been checking in on you all.

Zena xx