Getting back into the swing

Finally the unpacking has gotten to a stage where I can actually find my way around the studio :) It's not quite there yet but I can at least get an 'art fix' whenever I need it now.
I've been having some spinning lessons run by the local spinners group and I think I've fallen in love with yet another craft ha ha. So far I've learnt to card, spin, ply and skein my fleece. A little birthday beanie is now on its way to a young grommet surfer pal of mine.

We Made It!

Well we did finally make it here to Tasmania. Weary but happy :)
Apologies for not posting much as we travelled but Capt Courageous was on a mission to get from one side of this huge country to the other and he was let's say 'very focused' ha ha. This meant no time for sightseeing or art!
'Frodo' our little van who can, could and did yay :) Very proud of the ol' dear. Here are a few highlights of the trip. Sorry not much but all we could think of at the end of a days traveling was SLEEP and that included the furry children. Princess Polly-Esther and Sir Bowie the Brave were just as exhausted as us by days end. I know they certainly took the lion's share of the caravan's bed for which I can vouch was like sleeping on an ironing board :(
Anyhoooo here's a few travel snaps...

Vastness

Wow our country is huge! Capt Courageous let me drive across the Nullabor so I could cross it off my 'bucket list' but was a bit of a white knuckle ride hahaha. If I never see another road train it will be toooooo soon! Having said that tho, all the truckies we encountered we're nothing but courteous and helpful :)
Eucla was a lovely oasis in the desert with lovely views of the Great Southern Ocean.

Domesticity in Esperence

Made it to Esperence and cooked up a yum dinner in our wee van. Unfortunately the weather has been pouring down so didn't see much of the areas spectacular scenery :( but at least it's cool. The van has no aircon.

We're Off!

We're off to cross the continent from WA to Tasmania :) loaded to the gunnels and furry children on board. Frodo is the name of our 'little van who can'. Lets hope when we get to our new home in Tasmania that we will be able to say it was the 'little van who could' ha ha :)
Will be posting along the way so you can keep up with our travels or travails.

Moving is the pits!

Packing packing packing yuk yuk yuk! But the carrot on the stick for me at moment is that it will all be worth it in the end :)
Studio and sewing room all packed up so not much happening in the creativity dept except a bit of crocheting and stitching until we arrive at our new slice of Paradise. We will be traveling across the continent in our little caravan 'Frodo'. Accompanying us will be our two furry children, Princess Polly-Esther and Sir Bowie the Brave. Should be quite the adventure..... Eeeeeeek!
Anyhooooo have packed a small arty crafty suitcase to keep me occupied along the way and will keep you posted of our travels. Should be a hoot....or a complete shamozzle either way it will be an 'adventure' :)

Flax Hat...First Draft!

Well it was hard going but I finally finished the first flax hat. The fibre was very tough but softened up enough for me to crochet after soaking overnight in the bath tub. Was a bit hard on my arthritic hands so I will try the greener leaves next time and see if that works any better.
Oh and just a tip, make the hat larger than actually required as the flax fibre 'shrinks' as it dries. I think the cowboy hat I've created will be too small for its intended recipient (victim?) now Doh! Oh well back to the drawing board ha ha :)

Flax Hats???

I made a crocheted cowboy hat for one of my grandsons recently which sparked orders from two other of my grandsons :)
This time I've decided to try crocheting them from the leaves of our NZ flax plant growing in the garden.
I use the older dry leaves from around the base of the plant. The fibre needs to be soaked in the bath overnight to soften it enough to be able to use it. Not sure how it will go... We'll see...

Patching over Problems

I'm such a klutz most of the time and I'm always dribbling something down my shirts :( soooo to disguise my blunders I get creative with patches.
For instance I spilt some of my delicious hot choccy down the front of an ol fav tshirt. It's been through many dye pots and print experiments but the stain did not blend in with all the other chaos on the shirt. The stain had a slight resemblance to a gecko in shape so I enhanced it with needle felted merino roving and some beads n buttons etc.
I keep a stash of pretty patches, old doilies n stuff in my sewing box to cover stains, repair tears n holes or just to funk something up. My pal Sonni makes lots of these patches and I often barter with her for a little stash of them. Stitch a few up and swap amongst your mates :)

Nuno and Hemp

Finished the nuno felted crocheted top I started the other day. I made the back from hemp/silk fabric I had previously Eco-printed using India Flints methods. This was them hemmed and collared with needle felted merino roving. There was a little pucker in the back seam I only noticed on completion so I needle felted a small gumleaf of coloured merino roving over it to disguise my awful sewing skills ha ha....