Day: 12 October 2008

books, craft, craft magazines, this is ...

This is … my current reading material

First of all, thanks to My Champagne Dreams for this week’s theme.  I know that I always juggle a few different things to read at once, similar to the way I juggle a few different craft projects – what I read/make depends on what mood I am in, how much time is available, and how much I need the finished result.  I hadn’t quite anticipated that it would be this many items being juggled though:

This is ... current reading matter by you.

Clockwise from the bottom right corner:

  • Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernieres – our current book group selection.  Book group is meeting tomorrow night.  At my house.  I haven’t started this book yet.
  • The second book of the Ellie Chronicles, by John Marsden.  The first book in the Tomorrow series was our book group selection two months ago – since then I have completed the rest of the seven-part series, and the first of the Ellie Chronicles which comes next.  Great books!
  • Golden Hands complete crafts – my $1 garage sale find from Saturday.  I’ve only flipped through it so far and it will be a great reference.
  • Everyday Crochet by Doris Chan.  I’ve got some beautiful Vintage Hues yarn stashed, enough to make a jacket for me.  Just trying to find the right pattern – the yarn is about 10 or 12 ply.
  • Current issues of craft magazines – Threads, Australian Stitches and Interweave Crochet.  I get them all on subscriptions (especially pleasing that I subscribed to the US ones when our dollar was worth something).  So much inspiration!
  • More magazines – Real Living and Shop.  These come from a magazine addicted friend (in a bag with another ten magazines or so – Vogue, Madison, InStyle, She, Grazia, Lucky, Harper’s Bazaar, Australian House and Garden, Marie Claire, etc) each month.  Then I pass them along again.  I don’t read them thoroughly but they’re great to flick through.

Not in the photo but still current reading matter – today’s Sunday Age, the magazine out of last week’s Sunday Age, and bloglines, of course!  And let’s not forget The Very Hungry Caterpillar, One Fish Two Fish, lots of other board books that Stella loves, and too many books to mention that Clare loves.

by thornberry
books, craft, crochet, miscellaneous, op-shopping

What a lovely Saturday

I love watching the hot air balloons over the city in the mornings.

Saturday morning balloons over the city by you.

Stella has been sleeping until at least 5.30am for the past two weeks.  It’s fantastic!  Some days she sleeps even longer – she comes into bed with us for a drink, then dozes off for another hour or two.  Very sweet!  On Saturday she didn’t wake until after 6.00am (a good thing, because I’d been out at a formal dinner on Friday night and only just managed not to turn into a pumpkin).  The weather was perfect for the balloons, and it stayed perfect all day.  Not hot, not windy, just pleasant.

Clare and I popped into a garage sale between visiting the optometrist (she can wean off the eye patch – yay!) and going to Bollywood dancing class (Clare, not me).  I found these two gems:

Garage sale - bag and book by you.

A bag by Miss M, in perfect condition inside and out (it looks better in real life than in the photo) and Golden Hands Complete Crafts.  Both for the princely total of $3.  The bag is a great size to carry books.  While Clare was busy with her Bollywood dancing I was able to sit outside in the warmth and crochet unencumbered for an hour.  Once home from that we collected the rest of the family and headed over to hubby’s best friend’s house for a birthday celebration.  We spent the whole afternoon chatting, eating, drinking and for me – crocheting!

Chevron cardigan - front/back, starting sleeve by you.

The back/front of the chevron cardigan is finished, although there are still an awful lot of ends to weave in.  Sleeve #1 has just been started.  There is no way that this will fit Stella for another year at least, but it’s an enjoyable crochet.

The children played together beautifully, my teenage nephew did a super job of entertaining the littlies, and a marvellous time was had by all.  Lovely weather, great company, sustenance – all very good for the soul.

by thornberry
fabric stash, Sunday Stash

Sunday Stash #2

More of June’s fabric stash again this week!

June's stash - 80s E by you.

There is HEAPS of this – four or five metres?  Sheer chiffon type fabric.  The colours are beautiful together.  No idea what I’m going to do with it though!

June's stash - 80s D by you.

I had some green and white fabric that looked quite similar to this in the late 80s (I used it for a Vogue Patterns dress which went to the op shop a very long time ago – but I think that the pattern may still be squirreled away somewhere).  I like the abstract print.  The fabric has a nice texture and drape – it looks like a cotton/linen type weave, but I suspect that there may be some polyester in there as well.  I’ll definitely use this – especially if I can find that old Vogue pattern!

Thanks to Tamara for hosting Sunday Stash!

by thornberry