Plaited cable continuous scarf

I have always been fascinated by plaits, maybe it goes back to my time on the farm watching my grandad plaiting intricate belts out of old fashioned bailing twine.  I've never had a go at plaiting with more than three strands but I'd love to explore this to see if it is easy or something that you need lots of practice to get it just right.  

This winter has begun and it's starting to get a bit cool when I'm out walking Ruby on the beach so I dug out some wool from my stash and sat down to design a new scarf for myself over the weekend.  I find the most annoying thing about scarves is that they are really easy to lose because they fall or blow off in the wind.  I've overcome this problem by making this scarf continuous.  The idea came from a customer who visited our shop a few weeks ago, she was wearing a really long continuous persimon coloured fine woven wool scarf.  I stored the idea away thinking that was so elegant but really practical.

The scarf measures 10cm x 150cm (4"x 59")

You will need a 2 x 50g balls of yarn, the one I used was Sean Sheep Rockbank, made in China, approximately 125 meters/136 yards of very soft self striping 70% wool and 30% alpaca, a scrap of wool for a temporary cast on, a 4.5mm crochet hook (or similar), a pair of 5.5mm knitting needles and a cable needle that will hold 4 stitches.  *This wool has a suggested tension using 4.5mm knitting needle producing 28 rows x 20 stitches over 10cm (4") on the ball band.  

To begin make a row of chain stitches using the scrap of wool and the crochet hook, approximately 36 chain stitches.   *If you want to make your scarf wider then add stitches in multiples of 8.

Next knit up 32 stitches with your main wool into the back loop of the chain stitches of the temporary cast on.  This cast on technique is used because when all the knitting is finished you can remove the chain stitched crochet cast on and pickup the 32 'live' stitches and then graft them to the other end of your knitted scarf to complete your continuous scarf with an almost invisible join.  

Row 1 - Purl

Row 2 - K4, (C8B) three times, K4

Row 3 - Purl

Row 4 - Knit

Row 5 - Purl
Row 6 - Knit
Row 7 - Purl

Row 8 - (C8F) four times

Row 9 - Purl
Row 10 - Knit
Row 11 - Purl
Row 12 - Knit

Repeat these 12 rows until you finish with Row 11, leave a very long tail ready for Kitchener stitch grafting.

Remove the temporary crochet cast on placing 'live' stitches onto your spare knitting needle making sure that when the scarf is folded in half with wrong sides together that the two needles will both point in the same direction ready for Kitchener stitch grafting the stitches together.  

Here is a great video from KnittingHelp.com that shows your exactly how to go about doing your Kitchener stitch grafting.

Weave the tails in and your scarf is ready for your next winter walk.  Enjoy.

Abbreviations
C8B - Put next 4 stitches on cable needle and leave at back of work, K4, then K4 from cable needle.

C8F - Put next 4 stitches on cable needle and leave at front of work, K4, then K4 from cable needle.

An easy knit that would make a great, inexpensive, thoughtful gift for someone this winter.

Mega May catchup

Well, May has escaped me, no blogging at all.  Time to let you know what I was up to while I was absent from my blog.  Mothers Day fell near the middle and I had a great day being made very special and then my mum visited and I made a sponge cake for afternoon tea.  Nothing better than a sponge cake straight out of oven cooled, spread with lime and raspberry jam and lashings of cream.  It was delish!  Here's a link to my recipe just for you!

My children and Dear Husband gave me this beautiful mother of pearl pendant.

Eggs on a Cloud made by Darling Daughter for breakfast.  Yummo!

I started and finished this baby blanket for a very special baby girl who arrived just in time for Mothers Day.  I used almost 600g of Bendigo Woollen Mills classic 8ply pure wool in the shade Rosebud and a 4.5mm hook.  The pattern I thought I might be able to manage was Heather Tucker's, Lacy Round Ripple Blanket, a free pattern I found on Ravelry.  I'm not a very experienced crochet pattern reader and I have to say the centre nearly defeated me, but I'm stubborn and once I got to where the rippling started it was pretty straight forward as long as you meticulously cross the rows off as they are done.  I washed and blocked the blanket and I was really pleased how it turned out.  Dear Husband delivered the blanket personally and met the divine little Miss.  

My little Miss Ruby loves her bed even if it is all pushed up in a heap!

Mothers Day when you have a giftware shop means making some special little things for the kids to pop in and pickup for their special mum.  I had a great time making these little items, so nice to be settled back into making.

Little fabric tissue packs for your handbag.

 Crochet brooches from cotton and mohair with fabric covered button centres.

Pom pom flowers.  These were super easy and easy enough for kids whip up too.

I love vintage linen and these little purses are great for using up little pieces of precious embroidery, hand crocheted edgings, and old jeans.  The flaps are crochet that I made using a pattern in a book I bought recently.  I'm really happy with the finished product, a bit fiddly but worth the effort.

I knit some cotton washers that are a great gift with a luxury MOR soap.  Pattern here.

Crochet cotton coasters were fun and they display really well at Kindrawares.

I made a trip over to our little shop and it's looking gorgeous as usual.  Love my time over there staying on the farm with my sister, The Farmers Wife.  The winter crops are all planted now they just need a bit of rain and harvest 2014 will be looking good.

The view from my sisters office!  Not bad!  The last paddock is almost done!

Good hearty food to keep us warm and contented.  The best thing about winter.

Winter is here and the fire has been lit, it's a great place to keep the apple and berry crumble warm beside a jug of homemade custard.

Souvenir shopping in NZ and Dark Choc Chip Biscuits

I was given this great retro/vintage postcard at a fabulous shop in Kaikora, NZ.  Little Rock is a small kitsch Kiwiana gift shop, it has the best range to choose from.  They have a Facebook page where you can see all their new stock.  The owner told she believes you don't need to spend a fortune to find a great souvenir of NZ, at her quirky little shop she is spot on.

Loved these Kiwiana alphabet cards, great in a kids room or your creative space.

The iconic Kiwi tomato sauce bottle, no picnic should be without one.  

I bought a set of these fun Warholised sheep coasters for my sister, she was once a sheep farmer.

I only bought two things for myself in NZ, I really don't like shopping when I'm on holidays.  I picked up a piece of NZ literally at a marke.  A small ptiece of Pounamu or NZ Jade.  Not sure if it's my thing or not, love the feel of it on my skin, but it definitely needs some leather to hang it on, not budget nylon string.

Found this gorgeous fine hand dyed alpaca and silk yarn at The Omaru Textile Exchange, unsure what I'll make but it will be something for around my neck.  A lovely souvenir that I'll enjoy for many years to come............if I get the sticks out and get knitting.

I spotted these fabulous little kids swing coats, pinafores and capes at the markets in Nelson.  They are all made from old woollen blankets.  I can't believe the beautiful colours of NZ blankets compared to some of the retro/vintage orange/gold/purple ones I see at thrift stores in Australia.

We are both living back at our coast house now and I'm struggling to get a good nights sleep as Dear Husband has become a snorer and I just struggle to get sleep when he's next to me.  So I pulled out a felted cashmere jumper cut out two saucer size circles, stitched them together, fill it with rice and lavender, closed the seam and added some basic embroidery around the seam.  I now have some sound proofing for my uppermost ear and can get to sleep, the lavender makes it a bit easier to drop of to sleep too.  

Anyone got any tips for coping with a snoring partner?  Do anti-snore pillows work?  What about the nasal sprays, anyone tried those?  

A good friend of mine who is very good shopper stopped at this shop last Sunday and brought me home their beautiful card.  This shop looks very appealing to me!  Made By Others at Moss Vale, not on a road we frequent but I might have to do a Southern Highlands weekend with some girlfriends in the near future.  

It's been a very grey and rainy week here on the south coast so a bit of comfort food has been cooked.  A fabulous curry that we ate for 2 nights, lots of leftovers now Surfer Boy doesn't reside here.  Spaghetti and meatballs warmed our tummies one night, and we finished off with an apple and berry crumble.  I'm looking forward to more hearty winter cooking as the cooler weather arrives. 

I made and froze wrapped slices of banana bread, perfect for lunchboxes.  Also made more Bircher muesli and these yummy Dark Choc Chip Biscuits today.  I like baking but have to make things that freeze well these days as there are not so many people around to eat it while it's fresh.  Biscuits freeze so well, they don't really become frozen, they are just cold, so very easy to grab one out when you need a sweet treat.

Do you want my recipe?  I used to bake these by the dozens for our local shop years ago, so glad I don't spend that much time baking every week now.  

Dark Choc Chip Biscuits

Cream together:  

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup caster sugar

125g butter chopped in cubes

a dash of vanilla extract

a good pinch of salt

for about 7 minutes until white and fluffy with an electric mixer.

Add:

1 egg and beat really well.

Fold in gently:

1 3/4 cup SR flour

150g of good quality dark chocolate chopped in small pieces.

Roll into teaspoonfuls, place on paper baking slide and press to flatten with fingers.

Bake for 15 minutes at 170 degrees Celcius in a fan-forced oven.

Remove from slide upon removal from oven and place on cooling rack gently.

Enjoy really crunchy biscuits.  Store in airtight container in cupboard or freezer.  

Free Oroton inspired waffle washer

My Oroton knitting bag has inspired me to create a washer pattern to share with you.  It's not really a knitting bag but a beauty case too nice to get dirty with makeup and it was the perfect size to cart my crocheting all around the South Island of New Zealand in.

Working with my Nana's very old bamboo needles.

My favourite soft  Australian cotton is from Bendigo Woollen Mills.

I thought these washers would be a good gift with one of these  hand wrapped Australian made MOR soaps we stock in our Kindrawares shop.  

Okay now for the pattern.

Needles - one pair of 4.00mm, UK8, US6
Approximately 15g of 8ply/double knit cotton of your choice

Cast on 54 stitches

Row 1 - (K1, P1) repeat to end
Row 2 - (P1,K1) repeat to end
Row 3 - as Row 1
Row 4 - as Row 2
Row 5 - K1, P1, K3 *yo, sl1, K2, psso the 2 K sts* K1, P1, K1, P1
Row 6 - P1, K1, P1, p to last 3 stitches, K1, P1, K1
Row 7 - K1, P1,K2 *sl1, K2, psso the 2 K sts, yo* K2, P1, K1, P1
Row 8 - P1, K1,P1,  purl to last 3 stitches, K1, P1, K1
Repeat rows 5-8 13 more times
Repeat rows 1-4, cast off in rib and weave in ends.

My cloths measure around 9" or 22.5cm square.  If you would like to make yours larger or smaller, increase or decrease the number of stitches by 3's and adjust the number of rows accordingly.

Enjoy xo

So good to be surrounded by so much inspiration

How could I not be happy returning to work at Steph's in Moruya yesterday.  I had worked for Steph for almost 10 years when I left to return to my former life as a Registered Nurse almost 4 years ago.  I have to admit it was a bit daunting getting behind the counter with a black apron on ready to greet the customers and help with their shopping whenever  and wherever I could.  When I returned to nursing I just never made time to be terribly creative so I am a bit rusty when it comes to all things creative but somehow it must be a bit like riding a bike, it just came back to me and I thoroughly enjoyed myself for 4 1/2 hours that simply flew by.  

For those who know me they will know why I featured this quilt above.  It's made from Kaffe Fassett fabrics and made by the very talented Cheryl who has worked at Steph's for many years and she's fabulous at getting the colours just right.  I wish these photos would do justice to this shop and quilts but indoor photos without flash are always a bit washed out.  This quilt is simply stunning IRL.  

If you haven't visited this shop then you are truly missing out.  It's a 'to do' on any Australian or visiting sewer to pop in with an hour or so to spare and I'm certain you won't leave disappointed.

Fabulous hand screen printed Ink & Spindle fabrics and kits.  

A profusion of gorgeous coloured quilt making fabrics and so many patterns to choose from.  There is a very big point of difference with this shop, there are so many pattern samples made in-store to inspire and assist you in choosing your next creative project.  In my humble opinion there is nothing worse than a fabric store with loads of fabrics and no samples to get you motivated and it also says to me that no-one at the shop can actually sew.  Not so at Steph's, every single person who works there can sew beautifully and they all makes quilts of the highest standard and love nothing more than designing their own amazing projects.  So ask away, everyone can help you with great advice which will boost your confidence no matter what level of sewer you are.  

I really love the look of this simple quilt design, and soft dove grey makes a wonderful neutral to tie it all together.  You can buy the pattern or attend a workshop if you need guidance to get you started.

Love this contemporary quilt and the machine quilting is absolutely sensational.  I really feel I'd like to give this one a go myself.

So many little projects if you just don't have the time or space to be working on a quilt. Summer sewing for little people and ladies who are preparing for frock wearing this summer.

I haven't managed to retain the names of the newest ranges of fabrics just yet but this one was stunning and would work so well for summer skirts and dresses, really soft and drapey pure cotton.  

When you walk in the door you will just exhale and then start to breath it all in, it's a truly wonderful shop for anyone who loves to sew, embroider, quilt,  knit or crochet. The latest newsletter is hot off the presses so check out the upcoming workshops you never know what might be waiting for you, a new craft and most probably new friends too.