Press here for Link - Em at the Dawn Service at Gallipoli - I can't believe we saw her! We are so lucky! Half way around the World hoping to see her!

Good luck Em!

My Dear Grand-daughter left Tasmania yesterday on a trip to Gallipoli, France and Belgium. She wrote a 1000 word essay in a Statewide competition and was one of six students chosen to go. She is 15, she will be away for 18 nights and she will be at ANZAC cove for the dawn service on ANZAC day. What an experience for a little girl!!!
I know it will be a wonderful experience for her and I wanted her to go, but I will be glad when she is safely home again on the 8th of May.

Have a wonderful time Em! I am so proud of you. You are a gorgeous girl (you always have been).

Happy Easter and Rustic Elm Cardi

I hope everyone is having a Happy Easter break.







I have finished another cardi. Here are the details:

My Rustic Elm Cardi

Bendigo 12 ply Rustic (2 x 200g balls)
Size 6mm circular needles (at least 24 inch)
Set of 4 6mm needles for armbands

Using the Incredible Custom-Fit Raglan instructions:

I need 74 or so stitches to start the neck of the cardi for a 16inch neck (loose neckline). I cast on 84 stitches - an extra 10 stitches for a wider band on one side. I knitted 3 rows moss stitch and then made three buttons holes on one side in the next row. (three or four stitches in between each button hole.) Then 3 more rows moss stitch ending on the wrong side of work. I cast off 10 sts at the beginning of next row - buttonhole side) 74 sts remaining and then purled one row, setting up stitch markers

8 sts moss stitch (band) (Moss stitch - seed stitch is one plain stitch , one purl and the next row is one purl, one plain stitch)
7 st place marker (front sts)
10 sts place marker - these are sleeve sts
24 sts place marker - these are back sts
10sts place marker - these are sleeve sts
7 sts stocking stitch (these are front sts) and then
8 moss stitch (band)
total 74sts

(Remembering to always knit the first and last 8 stitches moss stitch for band) I then knitted stocking stitch, increasing 1 stitch each side of the markers until the raglan was long enough. My raglan was 8 inches from start of raglan (under the neckband) to underarm.

I then knitted front, slipped sleeve stitches on to a piece of yarn for later, cast on 6 stitches under arm (placing a stitch marker in the middle of the six stitches ), joined back stitches, cast on another 6 stitches for under arm(placing stitch marker in the middle of the six stitches), slipped sleeve stitches on scrap yarn, knitted other front stitches. Only the two side stitch markers are needed now. Others can be taken off.

I continued knitting body of cardi for four inches no shaping.
(For my shape) I then knit to first stitch marker (side of body) and knit two together each side of marker. Knit to next marker and knit two together each side of marker.

Continue stocking stitch for another 2 inches and knit two together each side of markers.

Continue stocking stitch for another 2 inches and increase one stitch after first marker, and increase one stitch before next stitch marker.

Continue stocking stitch until body is long enough.
Knit band in moss stitch for 12 rows. Cast off in moss stitch.
Pick up stitches around each armhole and knit 3 rows moss stitch. Cast off in moss stitch.

Stretch out extra piece of band across left side of cardi. Sew one button on moss stitch band to match with buttonhole and sew the other two buttons on cardigan body in line with other buttonholes (just under neck band). Sew in any ends and it is done!

Using the Incredible Custom-Fit Raglan instructions there is no need to stress about counting stitches once the neck is cast on correctly and the stitch markers are set up. An extra stitch here or there doesn’t matter. Just keep the bands correct in whatever pattern is chosen ( rib, moss stitch, or just plain). I don’t change needle size for the bands on my cardigans, as I like the bottom and neck band loose. I may change needle size for bands on a sweater, depending on what I want it to feel and look like.

Knitting and WW

There has been lots of knitting. I was so pleased with my vintage button cardi. The buttons from the market matched my Bendigo wool perfectly.
The two cardigans I made up using this calculator:
http://www.woolworks.org/patterns/raglan.html

It is fantastic! I have actually inserted some excel formulas in mine, so I don't have to do any calculating.

I have ordered this wool from Bendigo Woollen Mills and these vintage buttons are on their way (from Ebay). That should keep me busy for a while. Bendigo has some new Aran wool colours coming soon. I was going to wait, but couldn't. Oh well, I can always order some more then.







This is another bargain I picked up from the market for $10!!!!. Keeping me inspired on the eating front. My wine and chocolate intake however is another story!!!!

Vintage finds and more sewing

It was a fairly dull day (weatherwise) today and DH and I decided to go to the local market to get some vegies.
DH was looking at a stall with model cars and bits and pieces. Look what I found at the same stall - Lots of vintage thimbles. So lovely! I have cleaned up the thimbles with Silvo and soap and water- two nickel/silver, one pewter, one bakelite and two copper. There were also two wooden cotton reels. I have been reading how to "sew your own bias binding" and it looks great wound on wooden cotton reels. I will try this out soon. How exciting!!!!
A long stitch holder was also in the packet. I found the vintage buttons at another stall.




We then drove on to another market out of town and I managed to find a piece of Doulton to add to my vintage Doulton Roses collection. This is a really unusual plate. I haven't seen one quite like this before, with the rose in the middle of the plate. Only $20! I was SO happy!!!







More sewing during the week. An ironing board cover, an apron and a new bird cage skirt for Barry the budgie. That's the danger of buying 4 metres of fabric for $2 a metre and then wondering what to sew with it.






I am busily knitting a vest at the moment. "Crisp" by Wendy Bernard. Hopefully it will be finished in a few days.

Congratulations to all those who participated in the 5km run/walk for breast cancer in Launceston (with Rebecca Gibney) today. I wanted to walk it, but I'm not quite up to it yet.

Corinne has no brains

Corinne has no brains, but she does have a bust! (I couldn't wait for help,I was too impatient, so I made her myself this morning.)

Her bust started out like this. Unfortunatey I ran out of the great paper tape. After cutting her off my body I had to use narrower tape and couldn't make as many layers of wide tape as I would have liked. She is OK though.




Then she tried on my new dress which I bought last week and it fitted her perfectly !





















Then she helped me with my Green Autumn Cardi which I finished knitting today. She has been a great help already.

Meet Corinne

I decided I wanted a dressmaker model to help me make clothes. I wasn't happy with the commercial ones I looked at. I wanted one exactly the same size and shape as me, so after much searching on the net, I have made one. I found ideas from articles from 1930's until now and combined them all to come up with Corinne.

I wrapped myself in a layer of tissue paper. I then wrapped a couple of layers of sticky paper (the kind of sticky paper used on the back of picture frames). I then carefully cut up the front of the model and took it off myself. I taped up the cut and stuffed the model with scraps of clothing and wadding. I made a stretchy cover to go over the model (from an old dress of mine) and pulled it over the model, drawing it in at the bottom with a drawstring. I named her Corinne.

I sat Corinne on my plant stand and she was ready to help me make some skirts.

Corinne has helped me make three skirts for work. I am much happier with the fit of the skirts than I have ever been with any skirts I have made with paper patterns. I cut the fabric by taking the shapes from my favourite skirts, then wrapped the fabric around Corinne and pinned seams and pinned darts for a perfect fit. One is a wrap around skirt with buttons, one is a pencil skirt and the other is gathered at the hips. Not a very good pic of them, but I have had some compliments about them at work, so I'm happy.




Now I just need to make a model of the top of me. I think I will need some help doing that. Maybe dear daughter or DH.......





Here is my new peg bag I made.









and This is a veil I made for a girl at work who eloped a couple of months ago and now we are having a post wedding hen's night for her. Hope she likes it....