little sunflower jumper

A simple child's jumper in worsted Luxury yarn from Bendigo Mills in the delightful colourway, Sunflower.

As the days get shorter and nights longer and the last of the Autumn leaves fall, surely a big cuddly toddler wrapped in wool the colour of sunshine will help keep the wintery blues away.

I’m really happy with my first knitted children’s garment. Even though I didn’t understand the pattern on the neckline and ignored it completely, the garment still came together nicely.

I cast on for size 2 but realised the jumper was too small when I finally made it to the sleeves. I unraveled (internalising the pain while I did this) and cast on for size 4.

Much better and worth unravelling for. Archie looks so cute but most importantly it's nice and loose and warm and comfy for our snowy winters.

What have you been making?

Joining in with all the happy makings at Keep Calm and Craft On at Frontier Dreams and Yarn Along at Small Things.

19/52

Max: He gathers the fallen Autumn leaves in a great big pile, as if to collect for mulching, but then with great anticipation he throws the leaves up in the air and screams in pure joy.

Archie: Curiosity in his brothers' skate park scooter, he is thrilled in a guided joy ride.

Joining with The 52 Project.

chill out wrap

Because isn't that what grandma's do? Chill out:) This is a modernised version of the granny shawl from The Chicks with Sticks. Perfect for Bubby (grandma) because truth be known she's a busy little bee and could in fact, chill out a bit more. It will be a nice surprise on Mother's Day when she finds it in her post box.

I used Stellar yarn in the colourway Garnet from Bendigo Woollen Mills. Bamboo and wool are a match made in heaven. It's so smooth and silky to knit with and nice and warm at a bulky weight.

When I was growing up the mother/daughter relationship was tough especially the teenage years. I had to break down cultural and language barriers. Living in a trillingual family with three different religions had it's hurdles. Food made from scratch and handmade things however have always bypassed any misunderstandings. It is one language we all understand: It tells the recipient that they are loved.

How will you celebrate Mother's Day this year?

Joining in with Keep Calm and Craft On at Frontier Dreams and Ginny's Yarn Along.

mirabelbunanza

When I saw the call out for handmade bunnies over at Meetmeatmikes for The Mirable Foundation, I knew the Easter bunny I was going to make for Archie should go to a little peep that needed it more.

I used a pattern from a borrowed library book, Crafty Creatures by Jane Bull. I gave the bunny a waldorf twist with a felt crown and some woollen hair. Unless I plan on becoming a finger contortionist anytime soon I must remember to print out that pattern larger next time. I had an awful time turning the tiny sewn pattern pieces outside in and stuffing them.

Bunnies are due in by the 15 March 2015. All the details are at Pip's Mirabelbunanza post.

If you know of any charity sewing/crafty makings throughout the year, please let me know. I'd  love to help. I can always fit in time around home duties for small acts of kindness. It always feels good to do good doesn't it?

orphaned joeys sew need pouches

After the bushfires a couple of months ago there was a call out for handmade cotton mittens for injured and burned Koalas. Now Wildlife rescuers are in need of soft cotton pouch liners for orphaned joeys. These were super easy to whip up. I made 5 sizes with a thrifted soft cotton flannette sheet.

If you would like to help, sign up here and thereafter you can download the pattern and get the postal address. Quick and feel good sewing.

bathing bird summer survey

Last winter I participated in a volunteer bathing bird watching survey.

The research is used to look at which bird species are using birdbaths to drink from and/or bath in, the changes between seasons (winter versus summer) and how garden habitats and what we do might impact on what birds visit us.

The Bathing Birds survey runs for 4 weeks starting on Friday the 23rd of January and finishing on Monday the 23rd of February.

Would you like to join in? Only for folks  and birds living in Australia:)

All you have to do is observe your bird bath for 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week. It's fun, you can involve the kids and you get a fancy new title, Bathing Bird Citizen Scientist.

For more information and registering, visit Bathing Birds website.

koala mittens

After the recent bushfires in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales cotton mittens for burned Koala paws are needed. Koalas are often the first victims to perish in a bush fire. Wildlife rescuers find survivors with severe burn injuries to paws, claws, face and ears. It's not uncommon to find koala babies sitting in trees crying, distressed and alone. Doesn't this just tug at your heart?

This post at Down to Earth alerted me to a call out from the International Fund for Animal Welfare group. Handmade cotton mittens are needed for burned Koala paws for daily changing of dressings and application of burn creams.

Finally when the children were asleep and I cleared the dining table, I washed and dried some fabric from my stash and whipped up some soft cotton mittens in the wee twilight hours.

You can download the mitten pattern and find the postal address at IFAW

Update: The call out for Koala mittens has been incredibly successful. Immediate attention is now needed for other Australian native wildlife: Pouch liners for possums, kangaroos and wallabies. A new pattern for pouches will be uploaded soon.