I've been knitting, too.

Thank you so much to my friends and family who commented on my attempts to produce a serviceable needle case. My concerns about Fancy-Schmancy have been assuaged. I realise now that of course we can have gorgeous things around us to do ordinary jobs. Every comment is very much appreciated. Merci beaucoup, mes amies. Someone will find a little surprise in their letter box soon.


There's been knitting too. I knitted up some floppy socksy things. And felted them into clogs! Voila!
Fibertrends felted clogs knitted in Filatura Di Crosa 127 Print bought at the Great Cassidy's $2 sale yonks ago on 8mm Knitpicks. Mmmmm. Cosy.

Opinions, please.

I've being doing a bit of sewing lately.

I set my mind to trying to sew a practical yet pretty needlecase - to hold sewing needles, not knitting needles. I have sewn a few versions, some fancy-schmancy, and some a bit plainer but just as practical.

I would really appreciate the views of a reader or two to let me know if I'm on the right track.

Oh, and a point of clarification: I am in no way competing with the fabulously talented etsy craftsters who sell their creations online. I am merely looking for gift ideas.

Let me present my first attempt: The Fancy-Schmancy Needlecase. This has a cover in genuine vintage Hong Kong satin from my mother's stash, with handmade felt on the inside, and a 1950s West German vintage button closure. My own reaction was along the lines of ... holey dooley that's a bit over the top for a needlecase! What do you think?

My second attempt was almost at the other end of the spectrum. The Plain Old Needlecase is still made using handmade felt inside, but with lovely fabric from a thrifted sheet for the cover. No closures on this one. I kinda like it.

Next came the Butterfly Needlecase. a little fancier with a ribbon to close.

And finally, because a good needlecase probably needs leaves inside, I present the much bulkier, but possibly more practical Butterfly Needlecase Number Two. (You can see why I'm not a seller - my marketing skills are up the creek.)
Well? What do you think? Is Fancy-Schmancy too much so? Will Plain Old do the trick? Or do we really need extra leaves inside to make a needlecase truly functional?

Care to comment? There might be a needlecase in it for you if you do.

Bendigo

I told my daughters I was going to Bendigo to visit friends. It's partly true. I did enjoy a glass of wine or two with old friends.

But the other story involves the Bendigo Wool and Sheep Show. What fun we had! From choosing gumboots to wear in the muddy showground...these are fractalchic's...

to a huge effort in stash enhancement...(this is not all mine.. it also belongs to fractalchic, Carrie, kittywiththumbs and Anushka).
The blurriness of the photograph might have something to do with the bubbly. Just sayin'.

Not much else to say at this stage, except: a good time was had by all AND we are spending more time in Bendi next year.

Too much competition

Like many knitters I know, I have many projects on the go at any one time. I've posted about my UFOs before, so there's no news there.

But how does one cope when a new obsession love comes into one's life. How do those loves compete? Am I just being fickle in shifting from one to another?

Spin or knit. Knit or spin. Not enough hours in the day.

To say nothing of my new found love for my sewing machine. Arrgh!

"A poor tradesman always blames his tools."

I remember my Dad saying this to me many times when I was young. Can't remember the contexts, but it has always stuck. Well, Dad, I respectfully beg to differ. A craftswoman just cannot work happily with less than ideal tools.

I like to knit with lovely yarn and beautifully smooth needles. I love to sew with my practically brand new Pfaff. I love it that I can find my pins in the wrist pin cushion that my favourite sister made me.

And this...? Who could work with this...? Yes, you know what it is. One of a sewist's most critical tools. Yours might even look a little bit like this.

Here is the new and improved version. Made by moi. It wasn't so difficult. Pull the old one off. Trace around it. Add some elastic and tape. Reassemble.

Voila!