Colourful Fridays ~ Teal

We are going to pretend that today is Friday (because it is somewhere in the world) and that I didn't spend yesterday visiting op shops, fabric stores and supermarket and cooking a roast leg of lamb to have with a hastily made salad of rocket leaves, mixed lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, green capsicum and fetta cheese by South Cape and drinking Bella pink champagne with my husband, and friends Megan and Jamie and family ...

Above are the arm bands and cute swirly straw cups we have organised for my daughter to give to her friends for Christmas this year. These are to be complemented by lollies of some sort or another. The cups are from Kmart for $2 and when we saw them we knew they were perfect for gifts. The arm bands came as an after thought later, but fit perfectly over each cup. The cups also come in lime green and red.

Is it then cheating if I include the Willow brand (Made in Australia) kitchen utensils with teal handles I found yesterday at Vinnies at Bankstown for $1 each?

Or the colourful quilt which my husband's mother made for him as a child, which my children dragged out for the kids to sit on while they all watched movies?

Then I have scissors of unknown origin, but one suspects may have come via the daughter and school, a pumpkin dip dish from my Aunty Helen and some patchwork I did while at school which features part of my summer school uniform from my primary years and smells divinely of lavender ..

And how could I go by without mentioning some knitting ....

All while one should have been doing a  little more with these below ...

 But somedays you just want to kick back and relax ...

And think of the great day you had and your marvelous finds, which included at Smith Family at Bankstown ..  Table Eight Dress for $5 (with a slight tear in the split at the back which I found as I put on the counter and pointed out. Was $10), a small Marcs Australia men's shirt for $5, a Lowes small men's shirt for $5 with car prints and a Saddle Club skirt for my daughter for $3. The men's shirts look great under the dress!

For more teal, visit Daisy Quilts here! Also, thanks to Bev at Kainga Happenings for hosting while Robyn was away!

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You have to love Vinnies (2)

On Tuesday, we were at Bankstown to get my daughter's arm x-rayed, and while we waited for the films to be processed and reviewed, we went to Vinnies.

This is what $5.85 buys you on half price Tuesday! Bargain.

Two pairs of Queen Bee Size 9 (3.75 mm) knitting needles (thinking about the knitting a Patons Cossack Hat)
5 Patons Patterns from the '70s with groovy photos.
1 Crucci Pattern from the '80s.
1 old framed hand coloured photo of Lake Tuross on the south coast (complete with fingerprint on the photo)
Two kids videos - The Land Before Time - Journey to the Big Water, and Warner Bros Treasure Island, already watched. Several times.

I'm very glad to have a combined DVD / Video player still!


For more information on where Tuross Heads is, follow this link to wikipedia.

I have a friend. We'll call her Kelly.

Kelly isn't her real name, but she has long skinny arms and can't find a jumper to fit her and wants to know where to get a jumper custom knit for her or for people with a need like her.

I have a few suggestions for her:

•  http://www.etsy.com/

• http://www.ravelry.com/

• Go to your local Vinnies or other charity store and ask if they have an old knitting pattern section. Sit there a while, check what patterns they have. They are usually around 50c to $1.00 a pattern leaflet. Look for patterns in 5ply or 8ply Patons wool. Patterns from earlier decades seem to have fitted jumpers. Find one you love.

• Go to your local library and spend some loving time at call no. NF 746.

• Then ask all your acquaintances if they know anyone that knits for cash.

• Or see how other girls cope with their long, skinny arms. My suggestion is that if you love the knitted look, but think your arms are holding you back, go for a long sleeve lycra fitted t-shirt, the same kind available at Kmart, Big W or Target nearly every season and mix it with a hand knitted cowl, a knitted scarf, a shawl or a poncho, and perhaps a trench coat?

• I also happen to know that in the town where my friend works, there is a very good craft cottage in Cook Park. Go and have a chat, see if they have any custom knitters. In fact, looking at the website, I want to go there right now.  Park Guildry, Orange.

Hope these help. Looking forward to seeing you in wool.

My Vinnies Scarf

Here it is. The work in progress.


And the finished results...


Knitted on those 6.5 mm needles I bought the other day for $2. Notice how the needles narrow significantly as they get towards the plastic cord. Stitches jump down here and you have to push them back through and may potentially split the wool.

This used three of the Patons Totem balls which may have been partial balls to begin with.

The pattern is as follows.

Cast on 17 stitches. (I nearly always use a cable cast on).

*Knit first two rows.

Third row ... knit 2, purl 1, knit 2 together, knit 2 together, yarn over and knit 1, yarn over and knit 1, yarn over and knit 1, yarn over and knit 2 together, knit two together, purl 1, knit 2.

Fourth row ... purl

Then recommence pattern at *.

At the end I completed the pattern with a purl row, did a knit row and cast off.

I loved knitting with this wool ... it was vibrant, soft and scrunchy. Nothing quite compares to wool.

When knitting, make sure you knit it long enough to fold in half and poke ends through loop.

And I guess this scarf may have cost about ...hmm $0.60. Bargain. I love Vinnies.

This pattern is not to be used commercially or to be resold without my written permission.

You have to love Vinnies

I do. So there.

Yesterday I went to Vinnies at Riverwood without my son who was at kindergarten (far less stress to be in Vinnies without son ...) and they had a half price sale (LUCKY ME). I purchased two pairs of knitting needles for 50c each set, four balls of a retro yellow/black Patons Totem wool in shade 8785 complete with white, pink and orange labels for 50c for the lot, and several pattern books for around 25c each.

So if you see me with a thinnish yellow woollen scarf, you will know ... in fact I would probably post it ...

One book I bought is with patterns by Patons & Baldwins (Book No. R. 11) and has baby patterns called: "Bright Eyes" - "Little Man" - "Jean" - "Gaylia" - "Elizabeth" - "Primula" - "Pam" - "Joyce" - "Stardust" - "Marigold" - "Sweet Dreams" - "Jill" - "Pamela" - "Peggy" - "Mary" - "Diana" - "Coral" - "Heigh Ho" - "Peek-A-Boo" and "Heather".

If I think of it, I will post a photo.


They are of a time gone by when many (?) mothers knitted their darling babies and toddlers clothes. This book is heavily taped together with yellowing sticky tape, and well loved. Interestingly patterns of this age are held by the Australian National Library.

While I won't be knitting the baby patterns, the patterning of the stitches is of interest.

Interested in the Patons website?