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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Contemplating the Possibilities

On Friday night, I met up with three girls from high school and had a post 20 Year Reunion reunion which was very interesting. While none of us had been particularly good friends at school, we very much enjoyed each others company at dinner and discussing the difficulties that each had felt while at school and were glad those times were over.

Knowing that these three girls each had their own girls, I knitted each a headband and presented them during dinner. I do have photos of the mothers wearing these, but I am not sharing!

I am told that each of the daughters loved the headbands!

On Saturday morning, my husband woke me at 5.30 am and it was wake the family, pack some clothes and into the car and off to my cousin's farm to assist with some stock work he had to do. On the trip down, I knitted, while my husband and cousin worked in the sun with 700 sheep, I knitted inside, while his wife did bookwork on the computer. During the night, I knitted. I also sewed. Buttons and seams!

My cousin's wife also went into town on the Saturday to get some vaccine for the stock work and while there we went and looked at the house that we are contemplating renting next year. Unfortunately, she also got a flat tyre while there, with a nail in the tyre.

This is them bringing in the stock, a streak of fresh white wool, having been sheared recently.

On Sunday, there was less knitting as I went and helped catch sheep and was assured by my cousin it was much faster with an extra set of hands on board.

Then it was back to the house for a sausage and sauce sandwich and into the car (with some knitting) and home again.

So today I have sent a message to the convener of the local monthly markets, wondering what is required to participate, and I am contemplating the possibilities for next year.

Knitted Headbands

Aside from posting pictures of lavender things, pulling the Christmas tree out early from the cupboard under the insistance of my children, who have now put it up very nicely, thank you, I have been knitting and sewing headbands for my daughter to sell at her Stewart House fundraising day at school.

These are knitted on 4.5 mm needles, 7 stitches, using My Friend Kylie etc pattern in my patterns ---->, using SURPRISE .. Lincraft Surprise Yarn. Two balls knits up about 9 each. I knitted one of the first couple with 9 stitches, but 7 stitches works fine. I then sew together and add a button. Big W have great bags of mixed buttons by Beutron for about $7.  Hopefully they will be well liked and bought by the handful!!

Here's a closer picture. I took this one first, but the modelling tree was getting jealous and needed a showing as well, particularly as it now wearing red dangly things.

If you look even harder at this photo, you might see I have a little cardboard cut out in the shape of a flower with $2 on one. Not sure if this is what we will agree on her charging. Maybe $3. When I was at Lincraft at Macarthur, I bought the cutter as I thought it might be good for price tags to attach. Turns out Arnotts BBQ Shapes packets are the ideal thickness for pressing. Breakfast cereal packets are too thick!

And the hydrangea flower is looking like this, this morning ...

With a sister blossom looking like this ...

The colour of the flower is dependent on the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. I don't put anything special under my plants, it is just what the runoff does to them ...

The Sydney Headband

Okay, posting this one so I don't forget the pattern which is easy, fast and absolute magic. This one takes advantage of yarn overs which I have finally mastered this year after years of knitting. I can't believe I was too scared to do them ... One scarf and three head bands later....

Instructions

Using DK or 8 ply yarn, in my case Carnival Acrylic,

Cast on 9 stitches on size 8mm needles. Knit four rows.

In the 5th row, Knit 1, on the 2nd stitch M1, knit remainder of the row.

Keep increasing in the second stitch of each row until you have a total of 21 stitches.

Knit next row. Purl following row then commence patterning.

(1) A. Then Knit 2, *yarn over, knit 1* to end of row, Knit 1.
B. Purl next row.
Repeat row A. then row B.

Then Knit a row, Purl a row.

(2) Repeat rows A. and B. twice.

Then Knit a row, Purl a row.

(3) Repeat rows A. and B. twice.

Then Knit a row, Purl a row.

(4) Repeat rows A. and B. twice.

Then Knit a row, Purl a row.

(5) Repeat rows A. and B. twice.

Then Knit a row, Purl a row.

Then Purl 1, Purl 2 stitches together, Purl rest of row.

Continue decreasing in each row like this (using Purl) until you have 9 stitches remaining.

Purl 4 rows of 9 stitches.

Cast off and stitch cast on and cast off seams together using a wool needle.

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