Elementary spinning

I have been putting 2 and two together...

This...

...plus this...

...equals this.

This...

 ...plus this... 



...equals this.

Put them together, add some bits and bobs and you get this.

Ok...so there is still some work to do...

And sorry, but you will have to wait until September to see the end result :)

But I will drop by before then...may your threads never break...

Hello Friends

I can't believe my last post was in January and now it is March!?!?

Where has this year gone already???

 These 2 pics are of my silk scarf...a gift for my soon to be sister-in-law. 

The pattern is from Neue Kloppelideen Fur Torchonspitzen...

now 5 reapeats down (2 repeats shown here), only 9 or so to go :)

 These fillet lace mats were worked by a friend.  We intended to travel to the National AGM week together until Colin's health scare.  Sue still went and had the best time.  Now she has finished her 2 pieces of fillet lace, she is gearing up to go to this year's AGM too!!

 In all the excitement this past 8 months, I forgot that Gracie would need a lacey bonnet.  2 weeks before the Christening, the penny dropped.  This pretty but plain edging is from Lace For Ten Pairs.  It made it to the christening on time, but unfortunately there is no photo of the finished bonnet because Gracie did not wear it on the day...

 Finally, I only have 2 inches of lace to make for the doll...I have previously posted about the lace...

It is time to make the practice doll, so at the end of lesson 1...

 And lesson 2...

It will be a few weeks before I can return, but I am really looking forward to the next lesson...final layer of skirt, prepare the bodice and head, then into the kiln she will go!!

It is going to be a year to remember...We are finally getting married in September YAYYYYYYY!!!!!!

(So please forgive my posting tardiness...I will try my best to drop by at every opportunity as I love seeing what my blogging friends are up to too)

hugs, health and happiness to you...

meandering goldfish

With the current attention span of a goldfish, I have been playing with many projects!

This first counted cross stitch has been in my work basket for a little over a year.

I got it out again recently as I can work on this type of thing without disturbing Colin.

Ok...so I should have washed and ironed it before taking the photo, but...

 I needed to change the hoop position on the project above, but because of the already completed work, my hoop would not fit (I didn't have a hoop with a screw adjustment at the time), so I went digging in my kit box and come up with this gem.

It is a felt kit from Dimension (I think)

I purchased it to put in my classroom in the leadup to Christmas, so it has been in the box for a while!

I figured if I got the background completed I would be doing a good job!

But the toys were inviting and quick (besides my dear son 1 threw out a challenge!)

Project 2 now complete!!

 The silk scarf is taking shape!  

There are 48 pairs of bobbins, and the pattern is from 

Neue Kloppelideen Fur Torchonspitzen 

by Katharina Egger

The doll lace is almost 2 meters now (only 47 headside fans to go), and early February I intend to begin the 'practice doll' so will try to keep you posted...

The 3rd bobbin lace project is also well under way, but it will be a while before I can share :)...

As for the spinning, I think my wheel is ready to go, so we are heading to Ross on Sunday for a Guild Spin In.  I am hoping to meet up with the lady I met in Zeehan back in September.  I find I can only do a little with the drop spindle at a time as my arm aches, so maybe some real progress will be seen after the weekend...

The tatted bookmarks for the Cancer Clinic are still rolling out, although somewhat more slowly at the moment...

I managed to make 14 beads this week...first time in the shed for ages, was on a roll with plain donut beads and just about ready to play with some other skills when I run out of gas :(  Oh well...next time :)...

Next time I might have enough of the Aaron jumper I have under way too...

AND Colin has permission to ease back into work, so as of Saturday, I will have his help at work for maybe 2 days per week...driving only, but YAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

Enough rambling, hugs to my cyber friends, 

Updating News, Lace, Spinning

the BIG news is that Colin has come through his operation, and although the recovery process is long and not that easy, he is now through the danger period and adjusting at home ... BIG HAPPY DANCE!!!

The doll lace attracted some admiration once Colin was moved onto a general ward and I could spend some time playing...it now measures just over 1.5 meters...just over half way....Yayyyyyy!!!!

The past couple of days, I have turned my focus to the Beds mat in my spare time.

This morning at breakfast time and 2 flowers down, I was here...now there are only 2 flowers to go :)

 From a little further away, you can see my own handmade bobbins and beads...maybe that is why this piece is taking soooooooooooo long to finish.

 Colin and I escaped to the West Coast for a couple of days just prior to the hospital stay.  In Zeehan,we encounted a couple enjoying the beautiful day outside a local cafe with their spinning wheels.  My interest was sparked (again) when the lady showed me a skein of fibre...1 ply was spun wool and the 2nd ply was Guttermans sewing silk.  I really liked this idea...it makes the possibility of using the fibre for lace making much closer.  Once we came home I dug out my lovely Ashford spinning wheel and discovered that the flyer has flown.  I promptly ordered a new one, but was eagerr to get going.  I found a local contact and obtained some Corridale fleece, asked the 'Oracle' (Gumlace) for advice and found a link to a homemade drop spindle with lessons on how to use it on Interweave. 

With the need of a distraction, I dived in!

The spindle is made from a foot long length of dowel, a brass eyelet, slightly opened, a rubber grommet and 2 old CDs...easy peasy!!

My arm aches so progress is slow.  The flyer (and an Ashford beginners spindle) have arrived so I plan on making more progress in the coming weeks so stay tuned :)

many hugs to all my friends in the lace and bloggy world for your wonderful support...

God bless.

hello Gracie

Colin's 1st granddaughter finally arrived at a touch after 9am on Friday the 26th October.

Hello Gracie Lillian Jean pictured with Mum (Skye) and Dad (Zak)

 Here she is meeting Poppy and Laura.

 Here is the quilt...also finally completed...

A close up of 1/4...

...the back...

...and the tag :)

I really enjoyed making this quilt...my first 'quilt asyou go'.

My Country

The 2012 Australian Lace Guild Triennial Awards carried the theme from Dorothea McKellar's poem

 'My Australia'

Here is the beginning of my entry as worked at the beginning of August...

 It is due to the persistence of my students more than my own conviction that the collar was finished.

It even made the trip to Sydney, despite my better judgement.

 I took my inspiration from the second stanza of the poem:

I love a sunburned country

A land of sweeping plains,  (orange roseground, torchon ground)

Of rugged mountain ranges  (purple fans)

Of droughts and flooding rains.  (wide red trail, narrow blue trails)

I love her wide horizons,  (depth of the back of the collar)

I love her jeweled sea.  (blue fans)

Her beauty and her terror  (gum leaves and lizards)

A wide brown land for me.

Here is the front up close

I am still coming to terms with the fact that this piece of lace won the bobbin lace section of the Triennials!!

For the quilter's, I will have another post by the end of the week, just for you.

Hugs to all...keep lacemaking alive my friends :)

tatting for a cause

On the 15th of August my world fell apart when my partner was diagnosed with eosophagus cancer.

I have made very little lace, although I have a collar to show when I get around to downloading the camera and the doll length is slowly growing.

In the meantime, while waiting for treatments at the hospital, I tried tatting.  At first I tried to continue a doily I was working on when this all started, but although the pattern was simple enough, the task was just too much.

I dug out this stumpy pattern...I will have to find the link for you as it is not my design. It is quick and simple and I can manage almost a full bookmark at each treatment session.  I have found that each time a patient, carer or staff member smiles in grateful thanks, I feel just that little bit better and can return the smile.  I have already given away a full ball of verigated yellow stumpies.

Tomorrow is the last chemo treatment, but in a little over 3 weeks, Colin has to undergo a major surgery.  I have asked if I can continue to make the bookmarks and the reception ladies will distribute the bookmarks for me.  They think it is a great idea!