A cute response

I saw this graffiti tag with a response outside Meet Me At Mikes (Brunswick Street, Fitzroy) and thought it was cute enough to share.

A sneak preview

Here's something new. It's obviously not finished yet... not even close.

A knit and yarn

Cheesy post title, I know, but that pretty much summarizes my evening. Here's a sneak preview, and let's just say I'm a little bit excited about my latest project. Thanks to my stitch 'n bitch girls for being awesome <3

A city I call home

There is so much I love about Melbourne - the people, the food, the markets, the art, the streets... I took this photo around Christmas time last year when I was still living in the city, it wasn't my favourite part of town but had a nice vibe on a warm summers night.

>> My knitting circle is convening tomorrow night so I'll hopefully have some kind of progress to report instead of all these distractions!

A vintage wallpaper

I found this adorning the walls of a cafe a few months ago, and was so inspired I took a photo. I really love these patterns, and found many like it on Second Hand Rose (they're based in New York City, of course).

>> All photos I post are my own. Yes, sometimes I'll be lazy and post things I already had, but these are my moments captured in time. I hope you like them.

A bargain hunter

Market shopping has been successful two weekends in a row! I want to visit St Andrews market soon, but here are the latest purchases closer to home...

Paisley silk scarf ~ $5, Camberwell market
White cable knitted jumped ~ $3, Camberwell market
Vinyl record bowl ~ $12, Rose St Artists market

A sewing machine

This is my new Husqvarna. It's actually an old machine that was handed down to me, but appears to have unlimited sewing potential. I can tell that we are going to be friends.

A fringe

Unfortunately there's no knitting show-and-tell today, but I do have a new fringe! Somewhat inspired by Zooey Deschanel (of Almost Famous, and She & Him, among other things). In other news, I'm picking up my sewing machine tomorrow, which has been in storage for a few years. I'm very excited. Promise I'll keep knitting too.

A recurring dream

If only I lived in New York City... I could wander through Central Park wearing cute mittens every day, not to mention check out the yarns and classes at Gotta Knit! *sigh*

A poem

It's not really a poem, just a sentence put together on my fridge using Magnetic Poetry words (we have the Artist and Rock & Roll kits). Hours of entertainment for house guests. Huge distraction from knitting.

A quarter, perhaps?

Cast on, but not forgotten! The brown moss stitch scarf is about a quarter of the way through... mostly because I keep switching between projects. I'm hoping to finish it by next week (putting that in writing doesn't guarantee it will happen, but it might help).

A mixtape of sorts

I usually listen to music when knitting (and pretty much the rest of the time too), so here is a selection of my favourite songs for a rainy day... like today.

A market weekend

I went to the Camberwell market on Sunday and picked up some bargains. The necklaces aren't knitting related at all, but I just had to share! The wool came from a stall which sold nothing else, so it's got to be good, right? ...and the needle bag was actually a present from one of the afternoon Stitch 'n Bitch ladies. Speaking of ladies and markets, I highly recommend Old World New Vintage <3

An afternoon in the country

Today my knitting circle merged with another for an afternoon Stitch n' Bitch (also the title of a great book). I probably spent more time ogling impossible patterns, sipping tea and eating baked goods, but it was a wonderful afternoon nonetheless. In other news, I've joined Ravelry! I'm still exploring so I'll tell you more about it soon.

A black beginning

After discovering that black & white held together creates an ugly, mushy grey, I embarked on a simple black scarf - this time more of an accessory than means for warmth. The yarn is Moda Vera "Trinity" (70% acrylic, 30% mohair) and I'm using size 5 (5.5mm) needles. I invented the stitch myself: one row purl, next row k2, p2, k2, p2 etc, then repeat both rows over & over until finished. So far, so good, but there's a long way to go.

>> Ravelry #710... I'm getting excited!

A nerd at heart

This is a tribute to my Mac. I'm finding it so easy to look up patterns, sort photos, share stuff with friends, and now with the world... or anyone who wants to look. It's reasonably amazing.

>> Ravelry update: still #1674. What's going on over there? Let me in!

A girl about town

Over the past few weeks, I've seen this gorgeous shrug as a work in progress but tonight (at the Next Wave festival launch) was it's first outing as a finished piece of loveliness. Yes, I am green with envy.

>> Ravelry has me at #1674... oh, the suspense!

A few things of mine

Since progress on the knitting front is minimal today, here's a photo of some things I already own - I guess this shows my style, and what I'll be working up to. Where they came from?

Beanie/hat ~ Otto Tootsi Plohound
Knitted dress ~ Decjuba
Strawberry mittens ~ Dangerfield
Crocheted scarf ~ Target

>> I'm now #2605 on the Ravelry waiting list... *sigh*

A hop, skip & a jump

Today I bought more wool: deepish red for fingerless mittens, and black/white for another scarf in a new pattern, inspired by Lady Melbourne. I'm getting a little ahead of myself with 3 knitting projects at once, but I like the variety! ...and won't start any others (for now). There's more maths involved than I thought - like gauges, counting, needle sizes & different weights of wool. Hopefully soon I'll be able to design my own clothes! Ahem. First I'll keep learning the stitches...

>> My place in the Ravelry queue has moved up to #3611.

A tease, such a tease

At first I thought I would post my own knitting instructions, with step by step photos, but have since realised how many there are already (most better than mine would be). It seemed a shame to waste my arty snaps, so here is just one... Meanwhile, I stumbled upon these gorgeous fingerless mittens today, and while looking for a similar pattern was recommended Ravelry. Again, I'll let Wikipedia explain what it is, but the waiting list is currently 4,746 people long... who knows when they'll let me in. I'll keep you posted.

A work in progress

Reading while knitting is tricky, but doable. I decided to multi-task at the laundrette tonight, with Frankie magazine and project #2: a brown scarf. I'm using the same type of yarn again, but this time it's in moss stitch (k1, p1, k1, p1 etc). If the knitting abbreviations are lost on you, here is a good reference page - it even has some how-to videos!

A new kind of garter

This green scarf is my first finished project, knitted entirely in garter stitch. I used size #1 (7.5mm) needles, and Marvel 8ply acrylic yarn. It actually took a few weeks, but shouldn't have. I'll be more dedicated to the next project. If you're starting out, try the Lion Brand 'Learn To Knit' page and, as usual, Wikipedia has a comprehensive explanation too. All links mentioned in Thousand Threads will also be available on del.icio.us.

>> The person in the photo isn't me, and I have since taken my scarf back for neck-warming purposes.

A thousand thread journey begins with one stitch...

This knitting set was handed down to me a few years ago, then sat idle in my cupboard, forgotten. I recently moved house and rediscovered the pretty floral case, opening to an extensive array of needles, pins & gauges. With a little help from some knitting-savvy friends , my local Spotlight store, and a second-hand book, so begins my journey into a Thousand Threads...