Knitting Projects

I have been fairly obsessed with knitting this winter deciding that my stash of yarn needed to be dramatically reduced. I found a cardigan that I started knitting for my daughter when she was about 10years old....she is now 32!!! Hmm guess it will get completed one day. I have completed quite a few projects and donated to KOGO a Melbourne based group that supply hand knits to local charities to distribute to those in need.
http://www.knitonegiveone.org
Then I made a few jumpers for my girlfriend's grandson which he is wearing this winter even though they are a little big:)
He is going to be a big brother very soon and as his parents have been told it will be a little girl I have started to knit some pretty cardigans for her for next winter.
I should have taken photos of all the other garments but oh well from now on I will remember to do this.
Here are some of the cardigans I have made over the last week or two.

I even made a little beanie to go with this cardigan.

I used the pattern for the boy's vest to make a long sleeved jumper also.

PVA technique

This week I have been playing with a technique found in a Craft Stamper magazine,( not sure which month) and I have changed it a little. The technique requires you stick down with PVA pieces of paper randomly as a background, then add stamped images cut out and glued on or stamped on. This is all covered with PVA and while still wet sprayed with Distress reinkers mixed with water. I used my Dylusion spray inks instead for a brighter result.

Elmer the owl

Last sunday we decided to go for a drive to Yarragon (115kms away) in Gippsland to buy some locally made soap which we use all the time. While we were there we wandered around the Town and Country Gallery. We have seen some lovely artworks there over time. Well we saw this fabulous wooden sculpture that just made me want to reach out and touch it. We wandered around looking at some nice paintings but kept being drawn back to the sculpture. We left to find some lunch in a nice little cafe in the laneway nextdoor. Over  lunch we discussed whether the sculpture would fit on the wall in our hallway. So after lunch we went back for another look and to do a quick measure of its size. Roughly 1.5 m high and about 85cm across. We have 3m ceilings so he should be OK. We left the gallery with the sculpture wrapped in bubblewrap and headed home. Upon our return home Mike made a paper template of Elmer as we had now called him as he is made of elm wood. It was decided he would fit perfectly and the hook on the wall (which previously held a painting) was in just the right spot for Elmer. Up he went and now observes us coming and going.

backgrounds ala Dyan Reaveley.

Everyone was enamoured with Dylusions spray inks at Paperific. I thought NO I don't need another prooduct to add to my already enormous collection so studiously avoided them at the time...silly me...LOL I did buy some stencils (thanks to my mate Pauline Laing for leading me astray yet again!) and while researching ideas for using them came across Dyan Reaveley's blog and well I got hooked didn't I! I had a go at making my own spray inks with dye inks..and it worked but having to make them up in small amounts each time I want to use them proved to be a bit of a pain. Well I have ordered a complete set of Dylusions ( not to mention some stamps and more stencils) and hope they arrive in time for a play day planned at my friend Marion's next saturday.
Here are some cards made using my own home made spray inks. I love the bright colours.

Tulip die image cards

Time to show what I have been making since Paperific which was held on 31Aug-2 Sept at the Royal Showgrounds in Melbourne. It was a great weekend with interstate friends flying in and 4 days spent rushing around to different stamping shops, attending the fair and eating out. It was great to catch up with stamping friends both local and interstate...even met a few I only knew from online:)
It took a few days to settle down and get out all my new goodies to play with. It has taken even longer to get around to producing cards from these efforts.

Here are a selection of cards made with Memory Box die cut tulip.