An educational evening

I learnt a few things at stitch 'n bitch tonight ~

1. How to cast on so it makes a pretty braid, rather than a twisted cable
2. Boys can generally bitch, but not stitch
3. I'd like to make just about everything in the Rowan magazine

>> I'm not sure how well you can see in the photo, but yes, there were plenty of male knitwear options in that magazine, and no, I don't think it was the clothes they were looking at...

An apology

Please forgive my tardiness; I've been out and about all weekend and am now in desperate need of a good night's sleep. Lots of crafty, knitty, sewy, pretty things coming up though... I'm looking forward to Monday, for once!

>> Creative birthday wall art spotted on Saturday night.

A space to create

It's only small, but here is my creative corner... looking at it now, I think it needs more colour and random ornaments.

>> This desk theme is somewhat inspired by kootoyoo and On My Desk, although I won't post again until there are prettier things on it (hopefully Wednesday!).

An admission

I'm not going to lie; I spent a good portion of my evening watching Dawson's Creek.

A table

I don't have too many regrets, but here is one - a retro style, zig zag coffee table at the Lost & Found Market for $75 that I did not buy.

>> I've started a Google Map for all the shops & markets I like in Melbourne (those Google kids really have thought of everything, huh?)

A burst of nostalgia

This is the house I grew up in. It may look ordinary, but to me it was the most wonderful place in the world. It has since been knocked over (after we moved out), so what you're looking at here is a home that no longer exists... at least in the real world.

A game

1. henry door, 2. churros, 3. Down, 4. the highway is my home, 5. looking at you through the glass, 6. a cosmopolitan trinity, 7. Before Sunset, 8. Sticky Toffee Pudding, 9. I Wanna Grow Old with You, 10. Zimbabwe Sunset, 11. bookshelf, 12. Cuteness versus the Storm

>> The rules:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker.

>> The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

>> Game rules courtesy of Lulu at Home. I've found a few others who have played, like Meet Me At Mikes, anyone else?

A lazy Sunday

Tonight I'm off to see The Surly Mermaids at The Empress Hotel. The rest of today has been (and will continue to be) reasonably unproductive. I love Sundays.

A present

Today this scarf found it's new home with Lady Melbourne! Knitting types can find the pattern for it here, however I plan to make some slight design changes and post the updated version soon...

A tower to the sky

Hello Friday! Things are looking up.

A reminder

Only a few hours til I'll be seeing this band live at The Evelyn Hotel on Brunswick Street. No doubt you can tell I'm excited!

A plug

I actually made this flyer for The Mad Feeling. They're playing at The Evelyn Hotel tomorrow night. Doors open 9pm, they're on stage at midnight. What would Amy Winehouse do?

A piece of art you can wear

Here's a sneak preview of jewellery from Architectural Glassworks in East Kew. I'm a little bit biased but I think it's lovely!

An animal theme

I didn't mean to put up so many animal-related photos, but how can I help myself with these adorable bundles of cuteness?! They currently belong to Gingerbread Mafia, but may be looking for a new home...

A gingerbread scene

To make gingerbread you will need:
~ 1/2 cup sugar
~ 3 cups plain flour
~ 1 tsp bicarb soda
~ 2 tsp ground ginger
~ 125g butter
~ 4 tbsp golden syrup
~ 2 eggs (beaten)

Then what to do with it all?
1. Rub butter into the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, bicarb & ginger)
2. Add warmed golden syrup (30 seconds on high in the microwave)
3. Mix in the beaten eggs
4. Bake at 190 degrees celcius for 10-15 minutes
5. Loosen on the tray while still warm
6. Ice with royal icing
7. Create dinosaur traffic jams**

**Step 7 is optional, but highly recommended.

>> Recipe courtesy of Gingerbread Mafia, of course :) While looking for the royal icing recipe, I discovered a whole site dedicated to gingerbread houses, I'm tempted to try that next time!

A day behind

I've been trying to post every day but sometimes it just won't happen! Having a party weekend... should be back with something blog worthy tomorrow. Meanwhile, how good are lava lamps?

A lake in a park

Not just any lake, or any park... this is the Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir located in Central Park, New York City. Here's some trivia: It's 106 acres, 40 feet deep and holds more than a billion gallons of water. Also in the background is the Dakota Building.

>> A recent trip to New York has left me with a number of photos begging to be shown off, I can't help myself! I'd say I'll try to hold back, but that would be lying. Expect more.

A zebra scarf

My first attempt at designing my own knitting pattern! It's a lot shorter than I had hoped, but once the first half was finished, it was basically locked in. I might try to create a version 2.0 at some stage, but for now, here is what I did:

Stitch: garter
Needles: size #6 (5mm)
Yarn: 1 ball black, 1 ball white (about 50g each, not sure ply)
Pattern: Cast on 20 stitches in white, k4 W, k36 B, k6 W, k24 B, k10 W, k16 B, k14 W, k 14 B, k14 W, k14 B, k14 W, k14 B, k16 W, k10 B, k24 W, k6 B, k36 W, k4 B, cast off.

>> Abbreviations: k=knit, W=white, B=black, number=ROWS
(eg. k4 W = knit 4 rows white)

A conversation

This was a street art discovery I made on Flinders Lane in the city. Cute!

A splurge

I was supposed to be productive today but instead I went shopping... whoops.

Hooded jacket ~ Sportsgirl
Black skinny jeans ~ Just Jeans

A pair of elephants

These guys were outside the nursery on Brunswick Street yesterday. I couldn't see any practical use but would love them for my courtyard all the same.

An eye for music

You will discover I adore music and everything that goes with it. These pedals belong to the guitarist from My Disco (a Melbourne band), who I saw at the Corner Hotel back in March. Tonight I'm off to see !!! (Chk Chk Chk), and while I'm plugging bands, everyone should check out The Mad Feeling cause they are rad.

>> Anything I link to is also on my del.icio.us page for all you nerds.

A black and a white thread

I'm knitting too slow: my high hopes of a finished project are instead another work in progress (the last scarf for a while). I'm hanging out to try my hand at fingerless mittens when these are done!

A museum exhibit

I'm not sure what to call a pair of moose... meese? This was one of the exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

>> Latest knitting project is almost finished! I might have a photo to share tomorrow.

A love of colour

There is no explanation for these, only that I wanted to add some more colour to the page! Other colour fiends should check out Kuler for some interesting colour sets...

A seamstress

I'm slowly working my way up to super seamstress status, what with the yarn, needles, sewing machine and now a tape measure! My most recent knitting project has involved some maths, including a gauge swatch to determine how many stitches/rows there were per inch. I've found a better explanation at Howstuffworks, in case mine makes no sense.

>> Seamstress is also the name of a bar in Melbourne with sewing decor strewn throughout, and beers handed to you in brown paper bags (in the basement, at least). Also worth it for the Aesop soap & hand cream in the bathrooms.

A night of fog

Did anyone else step outside after 11pm in Melbourne tonight? It was amazing.