I arrived back in Perth on Wednesday night, after doing a 9 day stint out on site. As always, I'm usually a bit unfocused when I come back from site because the last 9 days has been all about work, and living at work, so it becomes a bit hard to get back to "reality".
Anyways, I arrived back in the evening and found a gigantic parcel from Bendigo. It didn't really click in my head that I had ordered some yarn recently, and so it was a very nice surprise.
I opened my parcel, and in it :
3 skeins of cotton 8 ply in parchment (about 800 metres)
2 skeins of cotton 8 ply in damask rose (about 800 metres)
2 skeins of cotton 8 ply in latte (about 800 metres)
2 skeins of cotton 4 ply in teal (about 1400 metres).
.. and guess what? I had no idea what I wanted to use them for, and really (2 days on), I still don't!. I looked at my ravelry list and can see several items made from cotton dk/fingering on there, but i don't know which colour I had assigned to which project and whether it really even was for that project.
I'm in a pickle.. not sure where to start and how to knit :S Oh well, at least the yarn is nice to look like (a bit like a colourful icecream stack really!)
Cotton.. cotton everywhere
Interweave Knits Winter 08
Is anyone else really disappointed with the latest Interweave Knits Winter 08 preview? Actually, come to think of it , I've been rather disappointed at the last two issues (i think?) and haven't bought one since Spring's beautiful issue.
There are only two things I like in this issue , one of which I would actually knit and the other is a "maybe".
And does anyone else think that this is practically a ripoff of the Phildar Leaf Sweater??
Rant over ;) I'm starting back on site again, but with a shorter 9 days on, 5 days off roster. I've ordered my yarn requirements for my next 4 projects but am still waiting for them to arrive. *patience*
Made on the Left
This morning, my sister and I went to "Made on the Left" , a local market held at various intervals, and showcasing some of the Western Australian arts and craft talents and I picked up some gorgeously cute things, and just wanted to show my support for my fellow WA-ians! =D There was a lot more I wanted to buy, but I had set myself a limit for the markets, and easily spent it all long before we left.. Most of them have etsy stores, myspace accounts, or exhibitions coming up so I've tried to link where possible.. enjoy :)
Apple earrings and Gingerbread man brooch from Brown Paper Crown:
Babushka doll earrings from J2aney, and Bird Earrings from Blush of Boys:
Gingerbread singlet from Brown Paper Crown:
Polymer clay ring from J2aney:
Lil piggy almost finishes a cardigan
So. I've been rather slow in finishing Martha... But to prove that I *have* been working on it.. here it is, unfinished, and looking rather ... grandma like. Hopefully some buttons and a bit of styling will help it look less grandma, and more... vintage..(insert hopeful look).
Also, just one day after I finished my temporary duct tape dress form, the store called me to say that my REAL dress form had arrived and I could pay and pick it up when I wanted. Oh well - at least I have a second dress form to use if i've got two projects going at once (highly likely considering my low attention span). Unfortunately I won't be able to pick it up till the weekend as the store is not open late enough for me to head there after work, and I'll be heading back out to site again on Wednesday.
I did however pop into the local craft store, and picked up some awesome piggy in the middle fabric . People who have known me for ages, or can speak chinese know that my surname is pronounced similar to "pig" and that growing up, i was always called little piggy - not because I was fat or overweight, but because I was lazy, and all I did was eat and sleep. hehe. Anyways, just thought I'd share :)
Duct tape forms and dressmaking
3 weeks after ordering my adjustable professional dress form, it still hasn't arrived in store yet. So, frustrated with having to wait, and making the most of having both myself and my boyfriend in town at the same time, I embarked on a (temporary) duct tape dress form.
So, armed with two rolls of duct tape, and whatever rags and unwanted clothes and plastic bags that were lying around in my old bedroom (at my parent's place), we rolled and rolled, giggled and cackled, and completed a duct tape dress form.
My first reaction was simply " really, that's me" as i realized that my boobs were too small, that my hips were too big, that my shoulders were mismatched, and that my bum was somewhat odd looking.
Anyways, after the initial denial, I set to work on a little dress that I am hoping will be ready in time for my friend's wedding. The imaginary picture in my head is a strapless dress with ruffles all over the bottom, similar to Jenny Humphrey's green dress from Gossip Girl.
When i started working on it with my duct tape dress form, I was having trouble pinning and adjusting by myself as the dress form did not have a stand or anything to stabilise it. Of course, my poor sister (aka, my unwilling slave) was forced to help me pin the ruffles in place while I fixed the darts and the bodice area.
After several mishaps where the 5kg dummy kept falling on us, we got smart and put it on top of one of my dad's bar stools (i wonder if he's realized it's gone yet??), on top of a stack of old uni books so that it was roughly my (and my sister's) height, and then taped the dummy down. Voila! It's now stable enough for me to work on it by myself and i might even try handfinishing the ruffle details later (after i catch up on this week's Grey's Anatomy).
As you can see, i'm currently confined to my old bedroom (at my parents' place) while i've been seconded to work in the city for awhile. When I head back out bush, ill be back out in my own house, and hopefully set work on that elusive craft room ;)