Driver or passenger?

I recently bought this tea towel as a gift for a good friend, it just reminded me of how one can let their life go if we don't take charge. A lot of us just go along with the tide without steering the ship in the direction we really want to take. Take stock and make some small changes to get your life back on track little by little. Also check out the art of Judy Horacek on her own site and also Aplerstein Designs who manufacture the tea towels, aprons, and other items.

On the rebound

Just completed this little restoration project that has been hanging around for a while now. This blanket was once a fabulous Onkaparinga pure Australian wool baby cot blanket with satin binding. The blanket is a little thinner than it once was and the binding was ragged but with some new cotton binding and a wash this is a really lovely blanket to snuggle up in on the lounge or another layer for my side of the bed because I'm a cold frog, even the old cat thinks it's the best thing since slided bread!

'This is............'

..........what I found inside my bag this morning. I think the contents of my favourite felted bag are pretty boring, just the essentials for a day at work or out shopping. This weeks meme was brought to us by Iris + Lily, not sure why everyone was so keen to see into each others bags, it might reveal just too much about us to blogland!

From this you can determine

• I like red
• I buy more than will fit in my handbag, hence the little Stuffit stowaway bag
• I drive a Subaru
• I like Shiseido lipsticks
• My hair gets in a mess
• I always carry a handkerchief and this one is the one my mum used on her wedding day as did I, my "something old"
• I wear Maui Jim sunglasses because they suit my outdoors life and are great for cycling
• I carry a tape measure because you never know when you might need to measure something, this was a gift from my Nana when she visited her native land England in 1976
• I'm hopeless unless I have a diary to record all the family happenings
• I visited a chandlers store last week to pick up some stainless steel hardware for a new bag design that's in my head.
• Not sure where the pen has gone and the mobile phone is so embarrassingly 'yesterday' I left it out!
• Forgot to mention the flower keyring given to me by a girlfriend a number of years ago, it matched my previous Subaru, something I never thought of ever doing was colour matching a keyring to a car! Thanks Kyla for mentioning the flower.

Cute girly gift

My sister has whipped this sweet little dolly up today for a girlfriends daughter. This lucky little girl is surely going to love her little Emily doll who was designed by Emily Martin of Inside a Balck Apple blog who is Etsy's biggest seller and there is a free to download pattern on the Martha Stewart site as Emily appeared there recently. Please remember this pattern is for your personal use only, not for anyone to make and sell the dolls for profit.

Good knitting weather

One new design in the wash while I type, it is made from a lovely New Zealand wool made by Naturally which is 50% NZ wool and 50% NZ mohair and feels wonderful, it does felt up beautifully and finishes with a soft hairy texture. If you look carefully you will see I have some extra pieces in the machine to felt up that will be used to embellish this bag post felting, more of that later. Another design on the needles at the moment, so much fun watching this one evolve, you never really know what you will get with a hand painted wool. This JJ's Montage 8ply 100% New Zealand wool I bought when we visited Melbourne last November and I have been very eager to see it knit, the colours are much better than when it was in the skein and so much better than when it was balled up. As you might have worked out we have had some cool drizzly weather which was just so perfect for knitting over the Easter break but today has returned to blue skies and heat which is needed for the 5 loads of washing I have done this morning.

'This is..........'

.........the demon or monkey on my back, CHOCOLATE!! I love it, only good stuff though, the Lindt Bunny came to my house overnight, very spoilt. This weeks meme was suggested by Drewzel who is battling her own inner demon and winning. All this chocolate is seriously not what I need, I am battling with the scales and I really want to win the battle. I have been overweight for a number of years now but I really need to get the weight off permanently for better health. I wasn't overweight always even after I had our two children, the pregnancy weight just came off being an active mum. Currently I weigh more than I did when I was full term pregnant. My walking buddy and I haven't walked this week due to work commitments, weather and me being sick but we will get back on track and hopefully this small change to my everyday lifestyle will over time help to get the extra weight off and maintain my health and fitness. Here is a great site I would like to share with all the mums of blogland many of whom are uncomfortable about the way they look, 'The Shape of a Mother' affirms how great it is to be a mum and to carry the scars of motherhood. Hope you are having a lovely Easter but do get out for a little walk if you feel so inclined and enjoy your chocolate.

This is my 10th 'This is.........' post can you believe that? This great idea for our Sunday meme was brought to us by Angela of Three Buttons blog and it has been fun checking each Wednesday who is to choose the theme and what it might be, I haven't missed one yet but have been a tiny bit late posting a couple of them. Join in if you want, it is a challenge each week as to how you might express your idea in a photograph.

Zoom, zoom and more zoom

A nice sunny afternoon on the veranda studying my camera and it's manual

Up the road and across to streets

Sorry neighbours up the road I hope you weren't walking around in your home naked

The island behind the point is 5km away

This makes the next village seem very close indeed

Technically not really spying on 'my girls'

A very absorbed Surfer Boy watching the box

Not long ago I decided to get in and buy some extra lens for my camera before they become unavailable now the new model camera is out. I bought a zoom and a wide angle and here are the first few playing around shots with the zoom. The principle reason for needing extra zoom was a request from Surfer Boy for better shots of him in action on the waves and that seems like a real possibility when I get used to all the extras and remembering to change the settings on the camera for each lens, I didn't remember this point when I heard a southerly blowing and there were 5 kite surfers making great use of our local beach! I did catch the action but the focus was a bit fuzzy.....very annoying.

It's raining, it's...........

..............only misty really and then only just enough to create these little platters of raindrops. I have always loved playing with a Nasturtium leaf and a big drop of water and the peppery smell that remains on your hands for hours after. I did try to get out for a walk this afternoon but it was quite thick misty rain and I just didn't fancy getting wet so I decided more photos could wait till tomorrow. I hope I don't have to give up my Easter chocolate now that it has rained?? Levin reckons that's exactly what she would do if it rained in dry old Adelaide this Easter. I remember as a kid every time we went anywhere for Easter it rained and I guess that's how all the tourists staying in our area feel today, pretty ordinary!

Click on any of the photos for a closer look at the details, especially the second one.

Knitted and felted bag patterns

Handbag #1

Handbag #2

Small Handbag #3

Shoulder Bag #4

Striped Flap Bag #5

Tote Bag #7

Opera Bag #8

Swing Bag #9

Finally I can offer to my Australian readers my eight current knitted and felted bag patterns for purchase. For my overseas readers I will sort something out very soon so you too can buy my patterns. I teach and sell my bag patterns locally at Steph’s Patchwork Fabrics & Stitching Supplies in Moruya, NSW and I am pleased to say it has been a wonderful time for me, the patterns have been well received and I love seeing the results knitters are producing with my patterns. My bags are all knit with double knit (8 ply) pure wool, I recommend Panda Woolbale for best results. You can use any double knit wool that is not machine washable, super washed or treated to prevent shrinkage. I use very basic equipment for my bags; 5.5mm circular needles (80cm length generally), 5.5mm double point needles if there is Icord detailing and straps, stitch markers to mark the beginning/end of a row also to find the corners of the bag where simple increasing or decreasing is used for the bag shaping, 4mm crochet hook for closing the bottom seam of the flat bags and a large darning needle to sew in tails before felting. I have designed my bags so there is the most minimal amount of finishing, I really dislike sewing up knits so have worked hard to develop these easy knit patterns. I felt all my bags in the washing machine, both top and front loaders work well if you have hot water hooked up to your machine. Each pattern has a colour photo on the front cover, list of requirements on the back and up to 6 pages of detailed instruction on the knitting and then felting process including many black and white photos and stitch diagrams. You will notice that bag #6 is missing, this is the Spring Green Bag that was in issue 8 of Yarn magazine and I am unable to publish this pattern currently. If anyone in Australia would like to purchase a pattern they are $16AUD including postage, just email me and it can be arranged, payment method preferred is a deposit into my bank account as I don't have EFTPOS facilities at this stage of 'Plain Jane Creations' which is a registered Australian Business with a current ABN. If there are any business owners interested in stocking my patterns then just ask away.

tomashtoATbigpondDOTnetDOTau just remove the capitals and replace with @ and .

Autumn is about

I think the end of the long hot start to autumn is finally over. The last rose is in full bloom and dinner on the veranda tonight was so pleasant. I'm personally looking forward to a cooler and possibly wet Easter at home, wonderful for creating! Time to start knitting in earnest..............hot weather and knitting just don't go together.

NZ dreaming

Recently I mentioned the framed print my sister brought home for me when she recently visited Auckland. It was the work of Tony Ogle and they really do show New Zealand at it's best, great landscape superb colours. Sorry this photo does not do my sisters collection justice, indoors with flash and under glass! I really would like to take my family over to NZ one day soon. Donnay and I spent 5 1/2 years of our childhood living in Auckland and thoroughly enjoyed our time in 'The Land of the Long White Cloud' and have many friends we keep in contact with but would dearly ove to see again.

Hoopluv

Now these really caught my eye over the weekend at my sisters. What a fun way to decorate a wall with your favourite fabrics. I might have to do a mini collection for my already over-crowded sewing studio. Maybe it might help to reduce the stash of fabrics that I don't know what to use them for and even have trouble with the idea of cutting them up.

This is........

................my creation". Humble apologies, two days late with last weeks great meme suggested by Betty the Geek. I have an excuse we have been away on a road trip out west to my sisters property and it was hot, dry and dusty. On the way home I managed to knit for the entire trip and got quite a lot done on this new bag design of mine, I'm not giving anything away just yet, you will have to be patient and wait to see exactly what finishing details I have planned for this pink wool and mohair bag that will eventually be washing machine felted as all my other bags are. My Nana bag is also one of my older creations and is great for travelling with my knitting.

Pay It Forward packages

To the three girls who have so patiently waited for their 'Pay It Forward' gifts, they are the mail, really truly. Finally found the perfect card for these gifts. I know one has arrived safely in the US and am looking forward to hearing that the other two have made it to their destinations in one piece. I really enjoyed sending these handmade gifts to three fellow bloggers who I have never met but catch up with in blogland regularly. Keep up the great work all of you bloggers, it is a favourite part of my day spending a few minutes catching up on what others are up to in their lives and creatively.

This is........

...............looking out my front door. These shoes were made for walking and that's what they're gonna do at 4.30pm again today with my walking buddy. We're still at it and I have to say it's getting easier finally, we power up the hills, around the streets, along the beaches and back home along the river, just over an hour of almost power walking speed blood pumping exercise. I never thought I would say it but I do actually look forward to our regular walks these days! I know I was too lazy to untie the laces at the end of my walk yesterday I just needed 2 glasses of cold water quick as it was quite a hot afternoon. Now for my girlfriends out there who call me 'the gym virgin' I'm still a proud virgin but a fitter one and it's no thanks to a gym. I reckon I can get all the exercise I need around my neighbourhood without making the 40km round trip to visit any of the 4 gyms in the area.

Thanks Brooke for the "This is.........." meme decision for today. I did think of cheating like Pip has done by looking out my back door but I would have needed to get the broom out and I just don't feel like doing that today!

Making waves

This little postcard needlepoint arrived complete and framed in my post box this week, it came over the Tasman from a very dear school friend and is a very welcome belated 40th birthday gift. I think she knows I love to take a nice long soak in my bath whenever I can and we also live very near the sea, isn't it a great little scene. The designer of this fun little tapestry is Jennifer Pudney who for a number of years now has produced some wonderfully quirky little designs, check out her site.

This is........

................my inspiration board. The board itself was made almost 20 years ago by Dear Husband and I from a collection of corks we had that were enhanced by a huge bagful from restaurant owning friends. The board hangs above my cutting table in my sewing studio and is an ever changing collections of pictures, cards, patterns, scraps, business cards and bits and pieces. Click on any of the photos for a closer look.

Ruby was a mascot from 'The Body Shop' many years ago and I still love her positive message to us women of many and various body types.

This card is a photo of a fabulous piece of machine embroidery by Sharon Peoples of Canberra. One of my friends was lucky enough to win a framed piece of her work at a local embroidery meeting but she had to give me a card from 'The Red Shoe' series, I'm a bit partial to red shoes. Next door is a great framed postcard from my sister of a typical NZ beach scene, I can't remember the artist, will have to check with her. Just had a comment from little sis and she called me a "hoarder", fancy that! The artist's name is Tony Ogle and his work is great, check it out.

I have always loved Rodin's sculpture 'The Kiss' so this birthday cards has been kept for many years. Also love the message on the other card, something for all of us to remember!

Free postcards picked up at the Queen Victoria Markets in Melbourne last year, great faces.

A great retro postcard from my boss from the Sydney Airport.

A piece of antique lace from the Portobello Road Markets in London. I love this little gift from a friend because we share a love of needlework and I have always loved the movie 'Notting Hill' that is set in this road.

Thank you Pip from Meet Me at Mikes for suggesting the title for this weeks "This is........" meme organised by Three Buttons.