Jac-Ber Creations

WIPs Whipped

2012-01-30T14:23:00.002+13:00

I started this mosaic table before Christmas, it's an old dining table which we chopped the legs down. Only after we'd chopped a couple of the legs did we realise they were Rimu (oops!).

The mosaic is called 'Not' mainly because when I put the tiles on as complete tiles the men in the house thought it looked like a public loo, so I smashed the tiles so it's 'not' a public loo, and also of course because it's 'not' a pattern :-)

A GrannyGhan - finally completed this granny afghan (which I've popped into the Felt shop). It's only taken me 7 months!

Man it feels great to have some finishes.

Saturdays entertainment

2012-01-14T21:07:00.001+13:00

Tonight we had dinner at the Buddhist Temple in Flat Bush in Auckland,

Dessert

Each year they hold a dinner that is for all of the volunteers. A couple of my family go there so for the past couple of years we've made a family outing of it. We also get entertained.

Chinese lantern dance

Tonight amongst others there were some chinese dancers, a babershop quartet, and a jazz group from a local school.

Kapa Haka Group

There was a great Kapa Haka group, and seeing them do the Haka outside the Main Shrine seemed to be at odds with each other which made it even more entertaining :-D

The Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple It has a great tea shop and I recommend the Lotus flower tea, and if you visit during the day very often you can walk around the gardens, visit the gallery and go and have a look around the main shrine.

Searching for Kiwi's on Felt

2012-01-10T18:56:00.000+13:00

$22.00

$100.00

$60.00

$79.00

$24.00

$20.00

$15.00

$10.00

$44.00

$20.00

$20.00

$25.00

New Year and raring to go!!

2012-01-07T08:41:00.000+13:00

Really?

I have loads of ideas swimming around, the Vampyress Loo Roll Doll and the Flapper Loo roll doll might make it to the crochet hook today, as might the fern inspired wrap/scarf that came to mind whilst driving through the bush clad hills of the Taranaki yesterday

Forgotten World Highway - Stratford to Tauramanui

The most remote pub in New Zealand

And the shawl made of flowers? Well, some of the flowers are made :-)

Then there's the mosaic on the outside table that is half done and I'm sure I could finish today if I put my mind to it.

It does seem like I'm raring to go, it is after all Saturday morning at 8.30 and I'm up, showered and having coffee whilst blogging so who knows what the day will bring?

A Flower Necklace

2011-12-26T08:04:00.000+13:00

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas with their friends and family.

Yesterday I wore my orange frock and needed just a little something to joosh it up a bit. So of course out came the crochet hook, some embroidery thread and a button and voila :-)

An Iconic Kiwi Christmas Tree

2011-12-21T17:23:00.001+13:00

The Pohutakawas are all out and blossoming around Auckland.

They seem extra red this year and there are dozens lining the roads

These pics are from one in the front garden

And in crocheting news, a couple of starfish wash-cloths from a retro pattern.

I'm celebrating my pattern reading prowess :-)

Retro Crocheting

2011-12-11T17:16:00.001+13:00

Found this fabulous collection of crochet books from the 60's and 70's in a shop in Paeroa when we were on the way home from Tauranga earlier today.

Can't wait to try and read some of the patterns so I can recreate a little piece of retro crochet :-)

On a similar vein, it seems that Loo Roll Cover Dolls are finally making a come back, I've sold 3 in the past 3 weeks. That's as many as I've sold over the past 2 years altogether!

Holidaying in the South

2011-11-20T14:55:00.001+13:00

We had a week in the South Island last week. Amazing!

NZ Fur Seal on Farewell Spit

We went to the southern most point of the New Zealand and the northern most point of the South Island.
We saw the cleanest water spring in the whole world bubbling from the deepest spring in Australasia, the deepest lake and the longest suspension bridge in New Zealand, a 140 billion year old petrified forest and a beach of gem stones.
We drove on one of the largest sand-spits in the world, where we saw fur seals, whales and birds from Siberia.

Purakaunui Falls in The Catlins

The most photographed Waterfalls in NZ

Seeing such amazing things is a great reminder that New Zealand is a beautiful country of amazing contrasts

Snowmen for Summer

2011-11-06T15:24:00.000+13:00

Childhood in the northern hemisphere means that even 25 years after moving south, Christmas still conjures up images of snow scenes.

I can't share with you the Christmas pressies I'm making for my friends because some of them read this blog and I'd hate to ruin the surprise. So I thought I'd share the amigurumi snowmen I've made for my co-workers.

I'm fairly happy with the result. As usual, no pattern means they are all different, and I was a little miffed when I realised I had to do the sewing bit (I always end up with more holes in my fingers than in whatever I'm sewing!)

I'm pretty impressed with how organised I am this year with Christmas presents. How are you going?

A visit to the Art Gallery

2011-10-29T16:19:00.000+13:00

Auckland Art gallery recently had a refurb with a new bit added. It's a very cool airy open space, loads to see and even better it's free! :-D

The flower chandelier, the flowers open and close, it's enormous, I loved it, bit too big to have at home though!

A room with mirrors and stripes, it gives a feeling of infinity.

A Belgium artist made it in the 70's. It was really interesting, though it did give me a bit of a headache and vertigo

I think the same artist that made the chandelier did this one.

It's at the entrance of the art gallery, this photo is from above

A Long Weekend

2011-10-23T08:01:00.000+13:00

Long weekends are worth going to work for. Love them!

The spectacles case c'est finis (practising my French for the rugby later tonight)

Other things on the crochet front: well I woke up this morning thinking about Christmas Presents and then I started to get flustered. So it's time to write a list and think about what I can make this year, a little worried that I can't top the slippers from last year, I have a couple of ideas, just not sure how to make them :-D

And being inspired by the beautiful flower pictures that T@Poppy Place takes I thought I'd share a picture of the orchids that we bought in Pukekohe the other day (at $3 a stem - a real bargain!)

What ever you're doing for the Rugby World Cup Final tonight, enjoy it. And yes it would be nice if the All Blacks won :-)

Growing Stuff

2011-10-16T13:19:00.000+13:00

Spent some time this week in Tauranga and Taupo. That boat makes me so angry I can't talk about it. And I lost my $10 bet on the RWC so i can't talk about that either (serves me right for trying to be loyal to my roots :-D)

And so lets concentrate on the positive stuff:

What a gorgeous spring day! I went for a wander round the garden and I spied tomatoes growing, and the sweetpeas are going well too.

Growing on the crochet hook is an experiment in beads and cotton. I'm aiming for a spectacles case....

And exciting holiday news, we're having a week away in November, and we're off to Nelson, Invercargill, and the Catlins using some of the airpoints I won last year. And since Andrew is quite ~~anal~~ (oops) a detailed gentleman we're even writing an itinerary!

Out and About

2011-09-25T08:13:00.000+13:00

A couple of weeks ago we popped up to Matakana for a weekend. It has a pretty good Saturday farmers market and just out of town there is a craft market too.

It's been a few years since I was at Matakana and it's moved from sleepy country village on the way to the beach at Omaha to popping visitor destination.

St Andrews church by the craft market. Reminded me we live on a Pacific Island

I'm a sucker for a tree tunnel

Brisk winter walk along the beach at Orewa

An amusing crocheting interlude

2011-09-16T15:34:00.000+12:00

Auckland has those pesky motorway on ramp lights that are turned on in peak times and allow one car per green light through. My 25 minute commute to work would be 15 if it weren’t for these traffic lights.

Each night for 10mins I whip out the crochet, turn up the radio and inch along in traffic fairly happily.

Last night on my way home, the man in the ute next to me was having a great time laughing away. Then he beeped his horn and started gesturing to me and to the car in front of him.

This was kind of weird – us Aucklanders tend to sit eyes front in traffic and pretend there is no one else around. Good grief – what if we made eye contact and had to acknowledge each other?!

On a whim I threw away acceptable sitting in traffic ettiqutte, I rolled down my window and asked what was going on – he pointed at my crochet and at the sticker on the car in front of him and totally cracked up.

I inched forward, craned my neck and read the sticker.
It read: “Stay Alive – Don’t knit and drive”

Teeth Itching Finger Clenching Creativity

2011-09-11T10:34:00.000+12:00

Sometimes I feel like I have amazing creative things just busting to get out, it makes my teeth itch and my fingers clench. Lately I felt the need to have a change of pace with my crocheting, I wanted to be more creative... I've started several things (as usual).

These are the most successful of the experiments.... not quite ready for WOW (World of Wearable Arts) but maybe a step closer :-)

Purses...

Cup Cake Door Stop.....

Crochet for the home....

2011-08-22T17:10:00.000+12:00

...... and it's not even kitsch (well, much anyway)!

I'm a bit of a hoarder and keep any bit of yarn that is more than 30cm long. I started this blanket a month or so ago (this was the 4th attempt) and it's made up of all of my remnants.

My nephew says it's "gangsta" which made me worry about being kidnapped by gunpoint whilst I was napping on the couch. Or maybe it's like Arthur Dents towel and instead of being full of nutrients it has different drugs in it (not sure I want to risk sucking on it though!) It's a kind of log cabin pattern that I made up as I went. Pretty 'gangsta' eh? :-)

We are renting quite a new house, which is something very different to what we've lived in before. It's very warm for one! And it's a little lacking in character, especially the kitchen which has all those lovely clean sterile lines with quite a bit of stainless steel. So I crocheted some nice bright cotton dishcloths (yep they're almost granny squares I couldn't help it....).

They're working out really well, some soy cotton and some cotton cotton. Apparently they last for ages too :-)

A cold blast and a winner!

2011-08-16T17:52:00.000+12:00

Winter has hit in full force this week with the South Island covered in snow, and hail and snow storms even further north than Auckland! It's so cool to see the pictures in the news of expressions on faces who have never seen snow falling before :-)

Looking at the blue sky Miss Jack and Mr Ber ignored all weather forecasts and headed out to the Manurewa Botanical Gardens on Sunday for a walk. We had 3 mins of sun before the heavens opened.

Aww cute baby ducks

Congratulations to MJ who has won the give-away of slouchy fingerless mitts. I did the random number pick on internet and the first winner was Anonymous - which I know was my sister and I already gave her a pair of fingerless mitts the other day, so I did a redraw :-D

Ultimate in Kitsch?

2011-08-07T11:02:00.000+12:00

A toilet roll doll that is dressed in granny squares, popped in the Etsy shop this morning.

My need for kitsch ness this week has almost been sated.

Next.... finish my macramé

Felt like a bit of Kitsch

2011-08-03T09:27:00.000+12:00

At the beginning of the week I read a fab tutorial on how to do macrame, (thanks Mel) so that has set me up for a kitschy week. I'm about to attempt a granny square loo roll cover doll.

In the meantime this is a collection of Kitsch I found when I did a search on Felt. We just need a couple of pink flamingo garden ornaments to really round it off :-)

$45.00

$110.00

$20.00

$16.00

$48.00

$8.00

It's a Giveaway

2011-07-31T09:52:00.001+12:00

I experimented making these slouchy fingerless mitts yesterday and they remind me of the slouchy sock fashion in the 80's. They made my legs look really short and really didn't suit me and yet I wore them religiously.

I've been wanting to do a give-away for a while, so be in to win these slouchy fingerless mitts, they are crocheted from a viscose blend yarn. Kind of light and yet still warm.

Leave a comment sharing your favourite fashion faux pas before 11th August and be in to win.

Poncho and Gloves

2011-07-24T08:36:00.000+12:00

This is what I've been up to lately.

Lots of lovely yarn from Skeinz

I even managed to kind of follow a pattern :-)

Gloves made for friends, I've even attempted a kids pair, so we'll see how they fit...

Laid out like this they look like hearts (awww)

Now I'm in a bit of a crochet stasis, waiting for the next wave of inspiration

A Green Scene

2011-07-17T08:36:00.000+12:00

A green scene for a lovely weekend :-)

Fab new boots bought on a trip to Tauranga,

Beautiful bag bought in Italy as a present from my parents, (a pretty close match)

Spike my dwarf cabbage tree, liking his new home

A great dew this morning. I hadn't washed my face in dew for a while, it felt great!

New poncho with gorgeous greens is coming along well

Flower Power

2011-07-09T15:03:00.000+12:00

A new addition for the Felt Shop

Flower Power head bands for grown ups

They make pretty cool necklaces too :-)

High Tea with Crochet

2011-07-02T09:02:00.000+12:00

A couple of weekends ago we got poshed up and went to the Langham Hotel in Auckland for High Tea.

It was yum!

At the table next to us one young lady was showing the other how to crochet. It was all I could do to not dump my friends and go and sit with them! I held back until the end and then we had a quick chat about the fab stuff you could make :-)

This is my favourite thing I've made this week:

I was going to tell you about the new thing I'm making however I have a tendency not to finish everything I start and I'm not really sure if it'll work at this stage so I won't tell too much.

Felt like Crochet (as usual!)

2011-06-28T18:13:00.000+12:00

I'm working away from home this week and can't upload photos to show you what I've been making, so in the mean time enjoy these fabulous crochet items from Felt :-)

$28.00

$25.00

$10.00

$20.00

$54.00

$40.00

Is there such a thing as too many WIPs?

2011-06-19T09:50:00.001+12:00

I love crocheting, and I'd do it all day and night if I could

I love selling my creations, it makes me feel fab that someone would want something I made (and now with a sale every couple of weeks its becoming what I call fairly successful!)

And now I have to balance the fact I love to make things to sell, against my new addiction of yarn bombing.

I used to have three to four wip's (works in progress) I now have so many I can hardly keep up. I have a one in my work laptop bag, one in my handbag, one in my car, two in the lounge, one by the bed, as well as the usual ones that live with the stash.

I think it might be getting out of control...

Something I finished... (yes something else has already taken it's place)
What do you think? Is there such a thing as too many works in progress?

Squared Away in May

2011-06-05T20:33:00.000+12:00

I did the Square-a-day -in- May 'a-long' from a Ravelry group, and I've shown some of the results here. I got off with a hiss and a roar, and you know.. I always do this... off too quick and then it stops. I ended up finishing 20 of the 30 squares and I put them all together and gave them to a lovely couple of ladies who are making blankets for Christchurch before I just stopped totally!

I've also got a new addiction in Yarn Bombing, Yarn Graffiti, aka Guerilla Knitting and some other fancy names. It's International Yarn Bombing day next Saturday (11th June) and there is loads going on around the world, keep a look out for something in your area.

I've set up a separate blog to keep up with my bombing , so if you fancy please go and visit Her Hook to see some amazing sights such as this:

Felt like a change

2011-06-03T15:23:00.000+12:00

Sometimes a little something just cheers you up or can add pazzaz to an outfit :-)

$30.00

$41.00

$49.00

$10.00

$18.00

$25.00

$22.00

$45.00

Blog carnival time!

2011-05-26T17:12:00.000+12:00

The topic for this months Blog Carnival is:
In the southern hemisphere it's autumn right now, the days are shorter and the nights longer.

1. What's something interesting you have found out about living 'down under'? (yes the water does go down the plughole the other way :-) ) :)
2. If you have travelled 'down under' what did you see or do?

I chose these topics to show the international flavour of the EtsyBloggers team :-)

When my parents said we were emigrating to New Zealand this is what (as a 15 year old) I knew:

My granddad and uncle worked at the Captain Cook Museum in Middlesbrough, so I knew about the Moari people wearing grass skirts.
I knew about Captain Cook because the area that I grew up in in the North of England was known as 'Captain Cook Country'.
I saw Auckland on the TV once when the French bombed the Rainbow Warrior and I heard a lot of: "Oh, you're moving to New Zealand... isn't that attached to Australia by the Sydney harbour Bridge?"
(it's not by the way - Australia is a different country and a good couple of hours aeroplane ride away :-) )

A (ahhmm) 'few' years later I know that New Zealand has the most amazing unspoilt countryside in the Alps in the South Island, 90 mile beach in at the top of the North and the plains of the desert road in the middle. I enjoy going on holiday in the country I live in, even though I sometimes would love to pop to a country pub in Britain or a castle in Europe. So the most 'something interesting' thing that I have found out about living down under is that a new (in terms of history) country is just as beautiful as an old country. They just have different beauties.
Oh - and I personally think that southern hemisphere makes better red wine ;-)

A serene crochet world

2011-05-11T17:53:00.000+12:00

With the craziness of moving it feels great to pick up the crochet hook and go off into a more serene and creative world for a little while. This crochet world feels better than 'real life' at the moment and the amount of things I've made attest to that, I thought I might just share photos until I'm ready to come back and write stuff :-)

I'm Square a Day in May'ing

2011-05-04T18:53:00.000+12:00

This is the story so far (though I have gone further and I really like the outcome :-) )

I've added day 4 becasue the 4th is about finished down here :-)

Fab stuff

2011-04-28T12:29:00.000+12:00

This month Linda is the Etsy Blogger team member of the month. Linda makes some really cool things for Jewish people as well as a load of other fab beads and magnets. I spent quite a lot of time having a look around her shop, she makes so many interesting things!

This caught my eye:

Its a Kippah, and I think even if you weren't Jewish it'd be a great accessory!
I also like these recycled bottle caps (because recycling is nice for the environment).

Also while I'm here, you might want to pop to T's blog for a fun Royal Wedding quiz (it's stiring the ex-pat within and now I want to go to a street party! )

Normal is... Lime Green

2011-04-25T07:48:00.000+12:00

A spot of normality in a sea of cardboard.... (can you spy it?)

This time next week we'll be on the other side of the Bombay Hills, and unpacking.

So this is what we've done with our long weekend, hope yours has been as productive & you didn't get too wet at the ANZAC Day dawn services

Etsy Bloggers Carnival!

2011-04-12T18:12:00.001+12:00

Yep possibly the worst team member around, I've finally got around to get into the blog carnival - and I even offered to host one in May - wonder if the organisation of it will do my head in? :-)

So this months blog carnival is this:

The first Public Library (in the US) opened on April 9th, 1833 in New Hampshire
1) What fond memories do you have of your public library and reading?
2) Peterborough is the town where the first library opened. What's your town known for? Show us around!

I thought I do number 2 - and living in between 2 towns and in the middle of nowhere I found it a bit tough - should I talk about Pokeno Sausages and the enormous ice-creams that everyone who travels over the Bombay Hills stops for?

Or should I talk about Mercer cheese?

And just up the road is Bombay well known for it's posh restaurant Bracu and Simonvich Olive estate

Or should I share pictures of cows? (what I see from my windows)

Then I thought I'd do fond memories of my library and found myself 2 hours later still on google maps going up and down the main street of my home town in England on some kind of enormous trip back into my teens!

And so here we are - in the middle of fab food country!

Mercer cheese has won awards

And pokeno bacon make the bestest sausages for local New Zealand pork

A Taste of Rural New Zealand
As you travel south from Auckland, friendly country villages along State Highway One welcome travellers with tempting food options, local produce and craft stores.
Bombay is home to New Zealand's largest olive estate, producing award-winning olive oil skin care products and an excellent restaurant.
Pokeno is a favourite stop known for its generous servings of icecream, its locally produced bacon and sausages and friendly country village atmosphere.
Mercer, beside the Waikato with its Dutch cheese shop is a 'must do' in any itinerary.

Enjoy having a click on the links and seeing my part of new Zealand :-)

Faeries & Squares

2011-04-07T18:49:00.000+12:00

I've been spending any extra money in the Handmade4Chch Trademe shop, I've bought some presents for friends and family for their birthdays, and I bought myself this fantastic faery headdress made by PixieMoon. It's very cool and I've been wearing it everyday since I got it!

Crocheting stuff has been busy as well. Today in the mail I got some gorgeous NZ Wool from Skeinz which I'm going to use to make slippers for my mum to take to her sisters in the UK and USA when she visits in June.

And I've just joined a CAL (Crochet Along) on Ravelry to make a square everyday for the month of May. So I should have a gorgeous throw/blanket for the winter months :-) If you fancy having a go - check out the Hooked on Handmade blog, it has all the info on it

Earth Hour Tomorrow at 8.30pm - What will you do?

2011-03-25T11:32:00.000+13:00

Earth Hour is this Saturday 26 March at 8:30pm,
Here are some suggestions of things to do in the dark that I picked up from work:

Invite your friends over for a candlelit dinner.
Get those board games out and have some fun seeing how easily you can swap your scrabble counters in the dark!
Go for a walk. Lie down. Look up. In all of that which you'll then see, we only have the thing you're lying on to call home. Cherish it.
Do something "crafty" by candlelight: paint, mould, stick, knit, quilt, or paint.
Got kids? Get out the camping gear! Set up a tent and tell fantastical stories of a time when the earth had no artificial lights and strange things went more than just BUMP! in the dark… ....or plan a few harmless April Fool's Day pranks in advance.
Play a real game of hide & seek. Now there's a challenge - doing it in the dark!
Take a nap - it's been a hard day and no-one will notice.
Hey - since your lights are off, it would seem like the perfect time to change any old bulbs for a few new energy saving ones? Yes?
Eat all the ice-cream that's sitting in your freezer? If you've turned your appliances off as well as your lights, then it's going to melt anyway! (How good is that for an excuse?!)
Check out your local Earth Hour site at http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx and be inspired

Lazy & Busy?

2011-03-21T18:11:00.000+13:00

Is it possible to be lazy and busy at the same time?

I think so.

I haven't done any blogging, updating shops or keeping up on-line properly for a couple of weeks. And yet the crochet hook has been as busy as it usually is :-)

Coupla things I've worked on lately...

In other news... I've gotten hold of some sock yarn which is pretty thin compared to what I usually use, so it's taken a bit of getting used too. And the lovely ladies who run Devonport Market have said I can have a spot in April, which I'm quite excited about!

Also keep a look out for the ultimate Gothic Loo Roll Cover Doll which I'm making for the same Ravelry team I made George the Dalek for. Fab fun!

Arts & Mittens

2011-03-08T19:35:00.001+13:00

The Auckland Arts Festival is on at the moment. We took ourselves off to the big smoke for the weekend to sit in plastic ponchos in the rain and be entertained by the Vietnamese Water Puppets. It was very magical.

And my crochet addiction has recently turned to fingerless mittens, there are so many ways to create them, frills, ribs, stripes and lacy. And that's just this week!

The fact that a lovely person bought a pair I gave to FeltAid just increased my commitment to make more!

What to do?

2011-02-27T07:23:00.000+13:00

Watching the news and feeling helpless

I donated my spare cash to the Red Cross

Some lovely ladies have set up a TradeMe account to auction off crafts so I've sent them all the berets I had left

Felt.co.nz are talking about setting up FeltAid again to raise money, however with them based in Christchurch it's been hard for them to organise, and so they've suggested we label things in our shop with FeltAid in the mean time. I've recently popped 3 pairs of fingerless mittens in the shop which I've labelled FeltAid, which means that all proceeds go the the NZ Red Cross.

Heck I'd give all of everything I've ever made to help, though I think there is only so much crochet New Zealand can take at one time!

O for Awesome and O for Awful

2011-02-25T19:41:00.000+13:00

I am in awe of the fantastic spirits of the Christchurch people.

I read the news, I cry.

I watch the news I cry.

For the valour.
For the courage.

I can't comprehend the thought process of (as an example) people who would break into someones' home whilst they are at the cordon area waiting to hear about whether their family members have survived.

Who are these people who look for stuff to steal in a city that is so crushed?

Is it really possible to have such little compassion?

Can people who are there really have no emotional attachment to what has happened?

I have.

And I'm 1020 kilometres away!

And so a glass of wine, whilst I balance the good and amazing against the stupid and shouldn't exisit.
I'll show you the craft stuff another day

Exciting things afoot

2011-02-19T08:58:00.000+13:00

It's been a lovely crafty week this week.

Mel from Wildflower Designs did a brill feature of my creations on her blog

I sold some slippers!

And I also had a request for a baby beanie in the same kind of design as a coffee pot wrap.

Smylee at www.smyleephotography.co.nz was after a prop for her baby photos. What a cool idea!

This is the prototype which Smlyee will receive early next week...

Road trip - Te Aroha

2011-02-12T09:09:00.000+13:00

Last weekend we popped to Te Aroha. (we went mainly for the 2nd hand shops :-) )

Te Aroha is a really pretty town at the bottom of the highest peak in the Kaimai ranges. How fab would it be to live in a place named after Love?

I really like the buildings and it has pretty gardens by the museum and hot pools.

This one is for sale - isn't it fab!

I you are ever there I really recommend visiting the felt studio, the lady who makes the wonderful creations from New Zealand merino wool also offers lots of different workshops. It's my goal this year to go and do one of her one day workshops.

A fab Felt Interlude

2011-02-11T14:43:00.000+13:00

Golden Honey Earring...

whiteleaf

$21.00

Hat Pin #2

bobbiepene

$15.00

Lilly-dee Softie Pen...

lilly-dee100

$22.00

Modern Romance- Bobb...

natasya

$30.00

Sea Garden Paua Brac...

wildflower

$41.00

One Red Rose Necklac...

silverlight

$38.00

Henny House Softie (...

erialc1

$15.00

Petal Bowl

greenwarenz

$20.00

Willpower & Focus

2011-02-05T07:35:00.000+13:00

I haven't finished quite the squares, I just wanted to know what it was all going to look like in the end.

My stash wouldn't stretch to do the borders as well so (dum de dum dum duuuummmm) I HAD to go and buy more yarn.

At the shop the yarn called to me from the shelves, urging me to taking it home and make something fab with it. I picked it up and put it back and picked it up and put it back (etc etc etc) which meant I spent about an hour manhandling yarn....

And what did I leave with? Just the yarn for my border! I'm gobsmacked!

In order to maintain the right balance in the Universe something had to give... about once a year a loaf of white bread miraculously appears in the fridge, and then it's away with that healthy stuff, that white bread has to be toasted and spread with loads of butter and a generous scrape of Vegemite :-)

Stash Busting

2011-01-30T10:42:00.000+13:00

Since I started reading about crochet on-line I've found a whole new vocabulary!

Stash is all the yarn I have. And I have LOTS!

Lots of half balls, not quite enough to make anything and yet a bit too much to be added to my messy afghan project, (which is coming along slowly).

I've made myself a pact (mainly becasue I'm running out of storage room) that I won't buy any new yarn until I've used up some of the stuff I've got. Hence there was the fancy yarns made into coffee plunger cosy's, and also in to scarves like this one:

And.... I've started to make a full sized granny square blanket!

You'd have thought with my love of the granny square that I'd have made one ages ago, it's just that they are so BIG they need so much time, and yet if I ever want to buy yarn again I'm going to have to finish the squares. I'm going for 6 x 7 to start with. That's 42 squares, I've done 20 so far, almost half way there, and then it's the border and joining bit (phew!)

Wrapping a Plunger

2011-01-15T11:32:00.001+13:00

I've been wrapping the coffee plunger

Before Christmas I bought some posh yarn that was lengths of different yarns all put together. It was on sale and even then was pretty expensive, so on Monday I realised that I had lots of posh yarn in my stash,so I could make lengths, join then together and make my own fancy yarn... and voila! I now have 6 big balls of posh yarns all for free! (Well not really free because I did buy them at some point...)

The coffee pot wraps are like a tie - fat at one end and and skinny at the other, and wraps around the plunger and the skinny end tucks in kind of like a tie or scarf.

I've given the pink one to the Australian Flood Relief shop on Etsy, who are raising money for the poor Australians caught up in all of the floods.

The Christmas Presents

2011-01-10T20:43:00.001+13:00

Since everyone I was busy making presents for have now received them I can show off some of what I made :-)

About half of the slippers

Crocheted and felted bags

The feedback was good, hopefully they weren't just being polite :-)

Some lessons from my summer holidays...

2011-01-07T09:02:00.000+13:00

I should have persevered with the Cotton for a market bag.

The prettier one I made with a regular yarn stretched all the way to the floor when I put my togs and beach towel into it! (I'll let you imagine what that one looked like)

I am not destined to make a cardigan or bolero

My first go at motifs together looks quite nice, and can either be a wrap or a table runner depending on how much more yarn there is :-)

It's easy to spend money at the races especially if you drink too much fizzy wine in the sun.

After spending a couple of days at the Stamford Plaza I now know I should be richer so that I can live like that more often

On my walk this morning I saw heaps of dragonflies - they are so pretty :-)

Cones & Crepe

2010-12-20T17:51:00.001+13:00

To compliment the lights (which really only look good at night) and so it looks fab for Saturday we have begun Operation Christmas Up The Deck.

Back to our childhoods, we have gathered pine cones and spray painted them silver, and have started to make paper chains with crepe paper. Andrew has the sewing machine running hot whizzing up this and that.

It will either look fantastic or crape I doubt there can be an in-between!

Crochet hook is still going strong - all the pressies are made, hurray! I tried to make a little summer cardigan (tried being the important word!)I've also tried crocheting flax. I think it's a great idea, I just need to work on it... quite a lot! And after cleaning out my yarn stash I'm trying a cotton beach/market bag, this one of the 3 projects looks the most promising :-)

Pegs as Angels

2010-12-08T20:42:00.000+13:00

I'm loving the Australian Better Homes and Gardens Mag for stuff to do for Christmas!

I've spent the last 3 nights making peg doll angels - awww

As usual I thought I'd make one for the tree and now miraculously there is a whole family of them just waiting for their hair...

I've also popped a couple of bags in the Felt shop - Yay for having the computer back and working properly :-)

Felted bag

samX 4 Xmas

2010-11-17T19:20:00.000+13:00

Time to think about decorations for the holiday season at the office, and since George has left I took the chance to make samX (Xmas backwards :-) )

samX is a red and green dalek with extra sparkles and a bit of glitter to make him stand out from the rest of the yarn daleks.

Inspiration

2010-11-15T20:21:00.000+13:00

It's about time I got into my etsy bloggers team routine again. I missed last month because of the laptop being stolen, and now with the new one there is no excuse!

The theme:
What item are you working on?? What is your inspiration for this piece??

Well I'm working on lots of stuff as usual, however my 'thing' at the moment is felting. I'm really enjoying making things and popping them in the washing machine with an old towel and seeing how it comes out the other side. I've had a couple of bombs, and a couple of dead cool things :-)

My inspiration comes from loads of places on the interweb, though mostly from the pictures of the fabulous and creative people on ravelry, Drops Design and interweavecrochet

Specs & Stash

2010-11-09T18:14:00.000+13:00

Too much time in front of the computer I think.
Yep it's getting to that age when the specs are needed (hahaha not really, I've supposed to have worn them for quite a few years now and just ignored them!)
I wore them driving home tonight - and now I know why Andrew tells me off for travelling so close to the car in front!

I will be able to admire my new stash better though :-)

Oh the plans I have for this lovely selection of lambs wool and other wool! My nephew helped me to wind the skeins in to balls at the weekend - I haven't been able to get Andrew to do that for ages, he's so over it :-)

(oh - And I have an idea for a George spin off, I'll let you know how it goes :-) )

Bye bye George

2010-11-04T08:39:00.001+13:00

Today George the Fluffy Blue Dalek left his relm and is off to take over Wellington.

Thank you to the lovely person that bought George and helped out the people in shaky Christchurch

For the first time I feel a bit sad to say goodbye to something I've made

Awwww :-)

Anger

2010-10-21T08:09:00.001+13:00

Anger doesn’t motivate me or feed my soul
I think that when I’m angry I probably look ugly
Angry people aren’t nice to be around; they zap you with their prickles
I don’t enjoy being angry, it takes effort and commitment, and I usually can’t be bothered

I’ve been a ball of angry prickles for more than 12 hours now
Ever since Andrew rang me to say we’d been burgled

The burglars were quite thoughtful
They didn’t make a mess, or disturb anything
They didn’t take anything that had sentimental value
In fact they only took the Telly, stereo, DVD player and computer
It’s just stuff
And yet I’m still angry at them

I wonder if they think that what they did, coming into our home uninvited and helping themselves to things that we’d worked hard for, was okay because they were polite about it?

I want to slap their stupid face!!

Cape Cod Cushions & Granny Squares

2010-10-17T18:59:00.000+13:00

Last summer a lovely uncle made me a fab Cape Cod chair. I managed to get it painted a nice bright blue before winter started and I bought some naked cushions for it.

The clothing of the cushions meant the sewing machine again... and once again it was trial, error and procrastination over the many winter months. Today I had an 'ah ha' moment. "The cushions are going to be used outside so they don't have to be perfect!"

Voila! 2 messy patchwork cushion covers were created!

And in crocheting crafts this week... behold the granny square made in to a tea pot cosy, the ultimate in kitsch :-)

Hooks Are Hot

2010-10-09T17:59:00.000+13:00

I've got loads of projects on at the moment, Christmas pressies and that sort of thing (some of them for people who may or may not read the blog so I'm not telling what I'm making ;-) )

I recently bought some lovely bright red NZ lambswool from my new favourite yarn store in the Hawkes Bay. I wanted to make something for myself and it had to be something that would be quickish to make, otherwise it would end up in the cupboard with other half finished 'things for me'.

It started off as a kind of 70's vest/long waistcoat and because I'm so crap at following patterns it's morphed into a mini poncho (after about 5 attempts to make something that a) fits and b) I'd wear out in public).

I think it'll be fab at work in the air conditioning, not too warm, just enough to keep the chill off.

The competition at Pollock is a bit of a creative fizzer. The theme is Lifeforms, Andrew thinks it should be something clever and eye catching. I wanted to do a flying saucer mobile with little green men and he thought it was a bit obvious. So apart from sending George the Dalek along, I've come to a standstill in that particular creative process. The next one they are having is the Family, that might be an easier theme, though I am open to any thoughts.... :-)

Sport - A four letter word with an extra letter

2010-10-04T12:13:00.001+13:00

New Zealand is a ‘rugby nation’
All rugby players are demi-gods
We have heroes for soccer, car racing, golf, hockey, cricket, netball, softball, basketball, lawn bowls, surfing, skiing, cycling, and any other pastime that is called sport.

I don’t like sport
I don’t enjoy playing it, I'm not competitive enough
I don’t enjoy watching it, I was a rugby widow which means I've watched enough to last a life time
I do my best to avoid it on the telly, like most reality TV :-)

Except…

Just yesterday in New Delhi, the 2010 Commonwealth Games started!

71 countries and over 6000 athletes have all got together and that means track and field!

I love track and field, all that running and jumping and throwing, it makes me want to run around the car park and hurdle fences

In the spirit of spring I’ve joined a 10000 steps a day challenge through work and am now attached at the hip to my pedometer.

Will it keep up with me when I’m pretending to be John Walker, Peter Snell, Murray Halberg or Lorraine Moller?

Since I run around the car park and hurdle fences in my head, watching the real athletes in awe whilst lying on the couch with my crochet hook, the real question is will I ever get to 10000 steps in a day!

Picnic up the Penninsula

2010-09-26T16:53:00.000+13:00

Finally! A weekend day that's not too windy or rainy :-)

Awhitu Peninsula is a lovely place to spend the day with a picnic

Love those cabbage trees!

Lots of fab Tea Tree Koru's

Where the Manukau harbour meets the Tasman Sea.

Australia is out there somewhere...

There's a kind of arts and crafts exhibition/competition at Pollock next month, I'd like to become inspired enough to enter :-)

Like a dog with a bone...

2010-09-25T16:01:00.000+12:00

I sometimes get it into my head that I Absolutely Have To make a certain thing.
Usually it's something I've never done before, have no idea how to actually do it and it often involves the sewing machine. This is the really unfortunate part, because as much as I'd love to enjoy sewing, we just don't get on.

So on Monday I got it into my head that I wanted to make a skirt (probably the fault of someones blog I read :-) ) this idea then mutated into a circle skirt. I searched "how to make a circle skirt" and I was away.

I started well with the measuring and cutting...

And finished spectacularly...

Luckily I haven't let you get close enough to see the mess that is supposed to be a rolled hem and the waistband is a bit of a joke.

Will I ever wear it out in public? Maybe; if everything else is in the wash.

Am I over my obsession? The result was almost passable so unfortunately I don't think so!

George Felt like Helping Out

2010-09-16T18:53:00.000+12:00

www.felt.co.nz has opened a temporary shop to donate handmade items. The proceeds are to go to the New Zealand Red Cross, who are doing loads of fab things in Christchurch to help out those affected by the big earthquake. George felt like he wanted to help out, and here a few of the loads of other fab people who also felt the same.

Miss Olivia Handpain...

feltaid

$65.00

Magnetic Puzzle Art:...

feltaid

$24.00

Lichen Earrings: Bam...

feltaid

$21.00

Needle Felted Pin Cu...

feltaid

$15.00

Betty Bunny Donated ...

feltaid

$30.00

Fashionista Rules Gl...

feltaid

$25.00

Bellaapron - Prettyp...

feltaid

$25.00

"i Just Want" Print ...

feltaid

$35.00

The Photo Story

2010-09-09T18:08:00.000+12:00

You remember that scary looking Dalek (he's decided he's called George) - well I had to do a photo story for him for the competition. Though I might share it :-)

George looks fluffy and camp looking… probably why he tries to prove that he’s tougher than the normal yarn Dalek….he is taking over his new realm with great enthusiasm.

No visitor dare have more than their fair share of biscuits at morning tea time

George is taking over any and all earth technology

He’s even practising hold up procedures so he can take control of the cash holding in NZ

George is taking delight at making sure all the earthlings complete their training as required

Learning of other Yarn Daleks out there George has commandered the photocopier to ensure all of mankind know of the Daleks demands

(thanks go to my fab group of Course participants this week that agreed to being photographed :-) )

Messy Afghan & Pretty Flower

2010-09-04T17:25:00.000+12:00

I think that this is a Camelia. It's so pretty, the bush is outside the front door and has loads of buds on it :-)

I've done various things with the end bits of all the balls of yarn I've used, including making a couple of very colourful scarves. The other day I had a message from Grandmother Carolyn on Zibbet telling me about (and showing me) a fab afghan that her grandmother had made from the odds and ends of yarn. It was very beautiful.
So, erm.... here is the start of my much messier version!

I quite like it though :-)

Featuring Patch

2010-08-29T12:26:00.000+12:00

The Etsy Blooger of the month is an incredibly busy lady - 3 shops and 2 blogs!

Patch lives in Thailand and is incredibly talented, and her shops are well worth a visit.

Some of my favourite things:

Supply Shop

Jewelry Shop

Vintage shop (I wish I could fit this!)

And she can be found blogging here and here

Channelling the 70's.....

2010-08-22T15:19:00.000+12:00

Specifically 70's tennis pro's.
I challenge you to keep a straight face :-)

Introducing my entry for the Etsy Hookers Team Challenge......

Sheep & Yarn

2010-08-21T14:04:00.004+12:00

Our neighbours visited for lunch today

Awww they're so cute!

The EtsyHookers team is having a challenge, the last one I participated in was the inspiration behind the camouflage toilet roll cover doll. This challenge has an exercise theme. Remembering it gets to be listed in the JacBerKitsch shop I need to keep it kitsch.... the yarn I have to play with is brown, yellow and a kind of gold lame... (I'm giggling manically about the gold lame type yarn!)

Books and Movies in a Carnival

2010-08-13T19:42:00.005+12:00

Howdy Doody - It's a blog carnival time

the subjects:

1. It's back to school time...How are you preparing to get the kids or yourself back to school?

2. What was your favorite BOOK, MOVIE or GETAWAY SPOT over the summer?...

1 = no kids = no school, me working (also = no school)

2 = no summer!

So anywaysup reading and watching watching movies are 2 of my fav things to do along with crocheting.... and luckily you can do this in winter too :-)

We've loved watching the MidSummer Murders on DVD on a Sunday afternoon when it's pouring down outside and the fire is blazing (we get these in box sets from the library for a couple of dollars for the week) fabulous murder mysteries from the British countryside. And of course anything with Audrey in it is brill!

I love most books - and this winter I've discovered audio books and I've been listening to anything by James Patterson on the way to and from work (40 mins each way means a book in a week and a bit) again, thanks local Pukekohe Library :-)

My fav author also had a new book out which I love and tried to eeeeeeeek out and then I got all excited and finished it dead quick :-)

A Theme

2010-08-08T09:14:00.004+12:00

If I was one of those people who loved to make one thing and do fab variations on it it would be so much easier to make my shops feel a bit more 'clean' looking :-)

The reality is I tend to go from kitsch to classy and back again (with some other slightly weird things in the middle!)

Granny Square mittens with fluro orange - tres Kitsch

Black cotton hairpin lace - very Victorian and feminine

Either way, they are starting to take over... I really need to go to the markets to sell some if it :-)

The Aliens are coming!

2010-08-03T19:18:00.002+12:00

Solar blast heading toward Earth

"Scientists have warned that a really big solar eruption could wreck satellites, power and communications grids"

It looks so pretty.

Luckily we have clouds tonight so I won't wake up blind

They aren't expecting meteors so I don't have to sneeze on the 'beings'

The giant turtle really hasn't farted

Good grief - I have been brain washed by hollywood and every sci-fi book I've ever read! :-D

The Favourite Jersey

2010-08-01T09:12:00.004+12:00

My dad had a favourite green jersey that he got sometime in the 70's at the Edinburgh Wool Shop. Recently my mother got her way and it ended up in the rag bag. So I threw it in the washing machine and felted it. And voila, now it has been transformed into Pot Holders.

Finished off with a granny square on the other side to keep that 70's feel :-)

Indulge me....

2010-07-26T20:44:00.005+12:00

I've opened a new 'not totally crochet' related shop on Zibbet (this is just a Gill shop - I think I'm addicted to craftyness) and a new blog to match it, if you fancy a visit :-)http://broochnbauble.blogspot.com/ and I promise not to cross contaminate too often (I was going to say 'ever again' and changed my mind.... just incase!)

Also if you have a moment I do like this blog because she lets me say random stuff, and also check out her shop

this is not a teamy thing - just that Rebecca seems like a really cool chick and makes very funky gear that I'm crochet jealous of even though she hasn't been exposed to Dr Who

Yooo-hoooo... Exterminate Sweetie

2010-07-24T13:48:00.003+12:00

Be prepared to quiver behind the couch.....

Though I'll bet you're quivering more with mirth than fear :-D

I had to have some help with the eye stalk and the whisk and plunger arms, the crochet kept curling, so I got some assistance from pipecleaners and wrapped them with silver ribbon yarn to make them a bit more sci-fi - apart from the whisk arm I wrapped that in more fluffy stuff :-)

Day Walkers and Night Walkers

2010-07-23T18:27:00.003+12:00

Getting back into my etsybloggers groove here is the featured blogger for the month of July:

There are 2 shops to browse through and I've named this post day walkers and night walkers because one the shops is Twighlight inspired and the other has fab photos (in the daytime)

http://sykin.etsy.com/ & http://nwwonders.etsy.com/

My sister and someof my friends are Twighlight addicts, I have yet to discover this delight, so my favourite is in the other shop :-), it reminds me of New Zealand beaches and conjures up all sorts of ideas of what to do with the drift wood :-)

There is also a very cool blog to compliment the shops and to learn about other Etsy shops which can be found here http://sykin-at-etsy.blogspot.com/

Into the groove

2010-07-18T07:00:00.003+12:00

Finally, after months of change I feel like I'm getting back into the groove.

I had had some not very flattering feedback about the pictures of my tea cosy's in my Etsy shop, so I spent some time yesterday having a play...

I've also started to sort my shops out a bit:

Kitsch for your home at Etsy

Everything granny squares & scarfs at Zibbet

And in Felt, I'm thinking accessories.... have yet to figure that one out :-)

I've also joined Ravelry which is a crochet and knit community where I'm hoping to learn more crochet techniques.

My first assignment I signed on for is a 'Dalek a-long' - knit or crochet a Dalek during July. The 4 pages of instructions were doing my head in and were a great help starting the fire yesterday and so I'm winging it.

The story so far.....

I think he might turn out a bit camp with all of this fluff....

Brrrrrrrr & A Dream Vacation

2010-07-12T09:36:00.003+12:00

As I was driving to work this morning the ice was falling off my car and I was trying to compose my etsybloggers blog carnival entry for this month.

The current topics to choose from are:
1) It's summertime, a time to get away from it all. Do you have a dream vacation?

2) Are there any special (or not-so-special) traditions that you and your family do while away on trips?

Andrew and I have known each other for 2 ½ years so have yet to get content for number 2, and so even though we are in the middle of winter in the southern hemisphere Ihave chosen number 1

My fingers are tingling from the cold as I type, so my immediate thought is that my dream vacation includes lots of warm sun.
Then there is always my dream destination - Egypt, which I’ve

blogged about before

Then I put my positive hat on (it’s a nice warm crocheted one)
And I came up with this…
(Warning: The following paragraph may induce nausea in those slightly jaded by life or if you are hung over)

My dream holiday is one where Andrew and I have a ball
We enjoy spending time together,
We go for lovely walks in the countryside or on the beach
We eat delicious food
We relax by reading or being creative
We discover amazing new treasures
We go places we haven’t been before together

And you know what….. we can do that any day of the year, we just have to decide too

Slippers, Sneezing & a Shawl

2010-07-07T18:45:00.003+12:00

My sister is in her 3rd year of studying Ayurveda which is a type of medicine which originates in India. I have terrible allergies and so she has been helping be with my sneezing, and because she's still a student she doesn't charge. Which is not so good for her, and great for me :-)

As a thank you I've made her these amazing granny square slippers. Amazing because I can't decide if they are incredibly ugly, kitsch or cool!

Also I've dug out a hairpin crochet loom that I bent out of a piece of metal a few months ago when I discovered hairpin lace and am going to make myself a shawl. I hardly make things for myself, so this is a special treat :-)

Other things on my mind.... I need to do a blog carnival to keep in the Etsy Bloggers Team (which totally rocks!) and so I need to put myself in a summer holiday mood, and I'm finding it a little tough since it'e rained every weekend and we've had the fire blazing - fingers crossed for this weekend :-)

Download

2010-06-18T19:48:00.002+12:00

I haven’t really had a rant as a blogging person, so I reckon I can get away with it once in a year or so.. are you ready?

After that introduction you might expect something really controversial… hmmm prepared to be disappointed :-)

You know how companies pay big bucks to brand their vehicles?
When one of those vehicles cuts you off in traffic in a really bad way, what do you do?
Personnally, if the driver is really ignorant I decide NEVER to do business with that company ever.
Why? Well…
They obviously don’t care about me as a prospective customer, which is what they are spending all of their marketing bucks on
My thought goes like this – if they don’t want me as a customer or want to encourage me to be a customer, how would they treat me if I actually was one?
And my answer is not enticing or encouraging – hence, if you are an arse driver in your company vehicle – your company loses my business

Am I a freak with this – or are you with me?

Toadstools and Black Sand

2010-06-13T11:58:00.007+12:00

We are having a bit of an explore and getting used to our new surroundings...

At the end of our road are loads of these toadstools.
They remind me of the ones you see in fairy tale books, and I expected to be captured by elves or faries whilst I was taking the photo.

The pretty white sand beaches and blue Pacific Ocean of Tauranga have been replaced with the black sand beaches and fantastically wild Tasman Sea of the rugged west coast.

I've missed my crochet hook, and yesterday I finally got to unpack the craft room, hurray! Now....... what to make??

Bonjour Beret

2010-06-10T19:16:00.004+12:00

It was a friends birthday and she requested a Jac-Ber Creation, and voila a beret.
Now in the shops there are berets everywhere - I'm sure they copied me!

So I've made a few and thought I might pop to one of my new local markets (once I find them and work out how to get a stall) I've also popped a couple in my shops.

In order to do this though I really wanted to show how they looked when worn, without me wearing them because then they're like second hand....

Introducing Veronica.
We love Veronica, she/he's become a part of the family. She/he's a little butch looking, and maybe she/he needs some hair to finish off the look....

I do think that the make-up adds a little je ne sais quoi......

Interlude

2010-05-18T19:31:00.002+12:00

Whilst we are packing and moving we don't really have a whole lot to share, apart from the various merits of different boxes....

There are a few blogs sharing the unpolitically correct adverts from the 50's encouraging people to smoke and women to look after her man. So I was wondering what un-PC'ness I could share from when I grew up in the 70's. And for some reason this rhyme kept going around in my head... and so for a bit of an interlude and some cringe worthy entertainment - here is the rhyme...

(insert first name and surname)is no good
Chop him/her up for firewood
When he's/she's dead
Boil her/his head
And make them into gingerbread

Happy day
If you have an unPC memory from your childhood, share away :-)

Bon Voyage Tzipi

2010-05-09T15:49:00.002+12:00

For her last day we did a little bit of shopping; Tzipi is continuing on her travels with an extra bag (a girl can never have enough!) It’s a Kete which is a woven Maori bag.

And she also got some slightly kitsch kiwiana bag jewellery which consists of a kiwi bird inlaid with paua (shell) and a silver fern which is seen on lots of New Zealand sports team shirts.

We’ve loved having Tzipi visit and think that she has enjoyed her short time down under and we look forward to hearing about the rest of her worldwide travels.

On a totally different tangent, check out the Royal New Zealand Ballet - they have a great u-tube hit choreographed to Lady Gaga.

In 2 weeks we will be living south of the Bombay hills in-between 2 wee places called Mercer and Pokeno. We have found our country lifestyle only 45km from my new job. So we’re busy packing…… it’s amazing the amount of craft stuff and yarn that I have!

Re-location, re-location, re-location

2010-05-03T18:08:00.006+12:00

I started my new job today, and so this past weekend was spent in Auckland looking at new places to live.

As part of our house-hunting we also showed Tzipi some of the city.

One Tree Hill is fairly famous, U2 have a song about it, and it is now noteable for having no tree after an activist tried to chop the tree down fairly successfully. It is also one of the many (inactive) volcano's that Auckland is built around. From the top there is a fabulous view of the city and it sits in the middle of a gorgeous park.

Tzipi and Andrew then flew back to Tauranga while I am now living with my sister and her family during the week until the house hunting is a success :-)

Kiwi Kulture

2010-04-28T08:03:00.004+12:00

Yesterday we had a bit of New Zealand culture.
We went to the Tauranga Art Gallery and saw a great exhibition by a local artist. The gallery is a great place to sit and watch the world go by (we weren’t allowed to take photos in there, so this is a picture of Tzipi with the program)

Then we went to see an ‘o for awesome’ New Zealand movie called Boy. www.boythemovie.co.nz

Tzipi has since taken to calling everyone she meets an ‘egg’ (an affectionate way of saying dumb) and wants to learn how to do a haka.

To show her to some Maori culture we taught Tzipi how to do a hongi (a greeting where your squish noses) and we visited the waka (canoe) and some carvings that are on the Tauranga waterfront.

April Sun

2010-04-26T17:49:00.005+12:00

Sunny days in Autumn are the best, the sun isn’t too strong to burn, yet it’s hot enough to wear tee-shirts and warm your bones through :-)

Each season has its own special advantages for a walk on the beach.

Autumn means the last holiday makers and the last swim in the sea and then the surfers with the extra thick wetsuits take up residence once again.

Tzipi enjoying autumn sun at Mount Maunganui

Poppies at the beach

2010-04-25T14:09:00.003+12:00

The 25th April is a half day holiday in New Zealand.
Anzac Day is about honouring the memory of WWI veterans who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey.
ANZAC stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps.
here's more info – thank you Wikipedia :-)

Tzipi and I had all the best intentions to get up early to go to the dawn parade, unfortunately our hard day of house hunting yesterday caught up with us, and the best we did was to hear the air force plane do its fly by at the end.

We did pop down to the Cenotaph later on in the morning to see the poppies.

And then Andrew took us out to Yum Cha for lunch.

Which was a nice relaxing end to a frantic weekend!
Tomorrow we're out for lunch with friends, maybe a spot of shopping or to the beach if the day is as lovely as today :-)

Tzipi's 1st day Topsy Turvy

2010-04-21T18:16:00.004+12:00

Tzipi arrived safely from France yesterday, luckily missing the big volcano ash hoohah in the Northern Hemisphere.

After a great nights sleep to help with the jet lag her trip down under started with a couple of tastes...

a taste of the outdoors, a visit around the orchard and a rest in an avocado tree

and a taste of classic Kiwi lollies, she's currently enjoying a bag of Pineapple Lumps for tea (she's on her hols so it's okay!)

And she caught up with a fellow flutterbutt - Clear sky, (currently convalescing after loosing an arm in a car accident, he's just waiting for it to be found, learning to do everything with the other hand has been fun!)

For the next wee while we will be sharing all of Tzipi's experiences of being topsy turvy :-)

Crazy Days and Sunshine

2010-04-15T10:06:00.002+12:00

5 weeks ago I decided that I needed a change, so I resigned from my job and threw myself at the mercy of the Universe.
Andrew has been great, encouraging me to do what makes me the happiest….
Of course my ideal would be to create constantly, however it has yet to pay for the lifestyle we're accustomed too!

Lucky enough the Universe was watching my back and I now have a fab new job, which I start in 2 weeks.
The new job means a move north closer to Auckland.
So far we've discovered that country cottages in spitting distance of the city seem to be a little lacking in their availability, crazy days :-)

Our blog has been honoured with 2 awards lately, which is so cool!
So'll spread them out a bit :-)

We were honoured to receive the Sunshine award recently from http://theartofzencrochet.blogspot.com/ and http://raigecreations.blogspot.com/

Here are the rules of this award...

1. Place the logo within your blog or post.
2. Pass the award on to 12 bloggers.
3. Link the nominees within the post.
4. Let the nominees know they have received the award by commenting on their blogs.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award

Here are 12 blogs that I love to read that bring the sunshine in :-)
http://krishenkavintagetreasures.blogspot.com/
http://alteredpages.blogspot.com
http://areleldesigns.blogspot.com
http://bellalinadesigns.blogspot.com
http://whentrulestheworld.blogspot.com
http://thecrochetloft.blogspot.com
http://jeanneselep.blogspot.com
http://redberrycrochet.blogspot.com
http://reloveddesigns.blogspot.com
http://fairrosie.blogspot.com
http://dropstitchblog.blogspot.com
http://softearthart.blogspot.com

And Tzipi is on her way here from France as I type!
Hurray!
Watch this space :-)

I've been window shopping.....

2010-04-07T13:55:00.000+12:00

A Softearth Koru For...

$15.00

$3.00

$22.50

Party Dress For Barbie

viridis

$18.00

Sweet Felt Butterfly...

cloak-bagger

$10.00

Fabric Babushka Doll...

s4sh4

$40.00

Glass Spider Ornament

sylph_glass

$16.00

Retro-style Peg Bags!

manukablue

$15.00

Coffee Plunger Cosie

swirl

$25.00

Berry Cinnamon - Han...

sweetescape

$4.50

Pattern To Make Duct...

blendy

$10.00

Felt Rose Ring

wildguava

$15.00

Lessons learnt from a cycling holiday

2010-04-06T08:00:00.004+12:00

The Otago Rail Trail has fabulous scenery and is almost impossible to catch on camera, even more so if you don’t get off your bike first

When crocheting flower chokers for all of the ladies (9) on the tour whilst on the bus, try not to get too detailed, it takes forever, the shoulders and neck suffer and you will feel queasy going around corners

After the first 70 km’s it’s easy to believe that the seat has no padding, don’t believe this and leave the bike out in the rain over night, that seat is really a sponge

The heel of the hand is the place that takes most of the pressure so when making your own cycling gloves put reinforcement on that bit

When you are the youngest on the tour it can be a little embarrassing to be the last to arrive, do lots of practice

It is a fantastic achievement, totally breathtaking and I highly recommend it!

Cycling gloves, zips and perculated coffee

2010-03-29T08:57:00.004+13:00

Yesterday I perculated my morning coffee on the stove for the first time and just wanted to share that it tastes way better than when it's plungered :-)

Here are the prototype cycling gloves...

It was harder to sew the leather on the palms than I thought, a sore finger and my lack of patience with sewing showed in the end result... not quite as tidy as I'd have wanted...

The holiday starts tomorrow..... we'll see how they go!

Yesterday I spent time on the interent looking at crafty stuff. I've more more than enough ideas ping ponging around in my head I really shouldn't do that :-)

I had picked up a couple of cool looking zips at FASH the other day one which got transforned into a brooch....

The other brooch I though was quite fun and I've added it to my felt shop.

I really need to used up some more of my buttons, perhaps inspiration will come whilst cycling :-)

FAS*H

2010-03-27T13:21:00.003+13:00

It’s blog carnival time again with the etsy bloggers team. The topic:

Cabin Fever - What do you do or what are you looking forward to doing to escape the doldrums?

We are heading into Autumn, the air has started to chill a bit, and next weekend daylight savings ends, the clocks go back and the evenings become shorter

At the moment I’m actually really looking forward to the autumn and winter, cold rainy days mean I can stay home and create constantly. For some weird reason I always have a sense of guilt staying inside when the weather is lovely.

I’ve been keeping a note of all of the crafty ideas floating around in my head, and I’ve been collecting bits and pieces to add to an ever growing collection of ‘things to use creatively’.

For the past couple of years we have been to FASH which is held at our local town centre. It’s like a destash, mainly for sewers. And luckily enough it was on today!

These are some of the fab bargains I’ve picked up to add to my colection...

A mental step backwards

2010-03-26T11:50:00.002+13:00

I love yarns, the colours, the textures and the inspiration of what might be.

This months featured etsy blogger is Vicki of DizzyDragonflies.

And looking at Vickis' shop

http://DizzyDragonflies.etsy.com and blog http://knittingdragonflies.blogspot.com has made me take a mental step backwards.

Vicki knits and she spins and dyes her own yarn........

Her blog has some amazing pictures that show how she progresses with the dying

And her shop has the results........

This one is called Tropical Waters and reminds me of the harbour around Tauranga :-)

Flax Flowers

2010-03-18T21:03:00.002+13:00

It was my mams birthday last weekend, so this weekend my sister and I are going to her house to cook dinner. We're having a curry night, with dahl, onion bahji and other curried yummies :-)

Yesterday I learnt how to weave flax into flowers as the Maori do. So this evening I've made a small flax flower bouquet for my mam (since I'm potentially going to be unemployed in a few weeks and we are being thrifty hahaha).

I am only a beginner, though I am quite happy with my first wee bouquet , I added some beads to the centres and as the flax dries it will have more shades of green.

Scarfies

2010-03-17T18:21:00.004+13:00

The students in Dunedin are nicknamed Scarfies.

I must be channelling a Scarfie at the moment - all I can think of making are scarves!

I have made the cycling gloves, I just need to do the padding bit (I bought some leather elbow patches to chop up and sew on) and of course the fabulous flowers.... with only 2 weeks to go I really need to get these finished and give them a trial run (which would also encourage me to hop back on the bike for a practice too!)

We had fabulous green cup cakes today for St Patricks Day - very talented people that I work with (wish I'd taken a photo!)

Scarves from the Seventh State

2010-03-14T13:51:00.002+13:00

In a pub somewhere in the north of England approximately 25 years ago…..
“I hear that you’re emigrating to New Zealand. You must be flying to Sydney then, it’s just over the Sydney Harbour Bridge isn’t it?”

Geographically challenged or a soothsayer?
Today on the news there is talk about New Zealand becoming the 7th state of Australia.

It’d be an interesting process that’s for sure….
For example: When Australia claim New Zealanders as one of their own (Phar Lap/Crowded House/Pacifier/Russell Crowe to name a couple) there is such an uproar.
Imagine having to sit back agree that they are Aussies?

The comments on this article should make for an entertaining read.

Freeform crochet scarves from the potential 7th State might look a bit like this :-)

Drum Roll Please.....

2010-03-06T17:03:00.003+13:00

The Mittens:

What d'ya reckon?

Too girly?

Too sickly sweet?

Cute?

Fabulous?

OMG you truly are loosing your mind?

Either way I'm going to put them in the Felt shop

mmmwwwwhahahahahahaha

An Interview

2010-03-03T14:58:00.007+13:00

So, Gill, you've had three weeks away from home, living in a motel room with a suitcase half full of yarn. What have you made??
Well..
I’ve made some really cutesy green cotton lacey fingerless mittens which I trimmed with some pretty vintage lace and some frayed pretty green cotton
Then I made a couple of pairs of granny square mittens which I also trimmed with some lovely vintage lace

Where have you got this lovely vintage lace from?
We love it when friends have clean outs and get rid of all their old bits and bobs..... Scroungers? I don't know what you're talking about, is that a shop?

What’s the next crochet project?
My idea for the next couple of nights is to crochet some cycling gloves with lots of big flowers on them for the cycling trip.
I made a start last night and the night before and the night before that too, and then undid them because I couldn’t see how they might look in my head. The picture is too woolly (ha ha ha!) so today I’m looking over pictures to try and solidify it.

Where do you look to see these pictures?
As well as google images I also have a couple of fav places on the internet to look at:

http://www.crochetpatterncentral.com/directory.php
www.etsy.com
www.ravelry.com

So Gill, there's one more week to go.... do you think you might go insane?
Hmmmm, I've heard it's not far away, however I've had a few trips out and about, (some places twice) so I think I might just hang out in my motel room now with all this lovely yarn and crochet a lariat

Is lariat another name for a noose?
Lalalalalalalalala

Where in the world?

2010-02-26T08:17:00.001+13:00

It’s the Etsy Bloggers Team blog carnival for February

“Of all the places in the world, where would you like to go and why?”

The answer?
Egypt.
To see the Pyramids and the Sphinx.

I can’t stand sand between my toes and yet it would mean going to the desert
I have an enormous fear of boats, and yet I want to cruise down the Nile
This desire goes against all that I would look for in a holiday, and yet it remains
I’ve been wanting to do this for as long as I can remember
Why? I have no idea

Perhaps I was an Egyptian in a previous life
It’s definitely a strange kind of pull, makes for some great day dreaming though

February'ness

2010-02-16T14:15:00.003+13:00

Flying by!

I'm in the beautiful South Island with work for the next few weeks - the weather is lovely and not humid like the north which means I might get some crochet projects done (or at least started :-) )

The etsy blogger of the month of February is TiLT Creations - www.tiltcreations.etsy.com

I have a weakness for shoes and bags and TiLT is all about the bags.

I have to admit to spending a lonnnngggggg time oggling some beautful pieces.

I'm a bit of a spot lover........

Happy day :-)

The Humble T-Shirt

2010-02-05T12:30:00.005+13:00

Is not so humble after all....

I was playing on the net recently and discovered Generation T

I’m probably quite slow at catching on to this since even Martha Stewart has recycled a t-shirt into a shopping bag.

If you click on the picture it will take you to the tutorial on how to make one for yourself

Anyway I ordered both of the Generation T books and am busting to make a few grocery shopping bags and I also want to crochet with yarn from old tee shirts too :-)

Googling ‘how to make t-shirt yarn’ brings loads of results, and I particularly liked how straight forward this one was:

http://www.craftpassion.com/2009/05/recycle-tutorial-making-of-t-shirt-yarn.html

Happy Crafting :-)