Just a minute... in April

Here's my April round up, as inspired by August Street:

Reading... the news online every day, when I really shouldn't. There's a lot of hype about this swine flu at the moment, not sure whether to be scared or not.

Watching... digital television now we have a set top box! (the late night poker is a favourite)

Listening... to lots of new music. On the list to buy is Phoenix, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Silversun Pickups, and Dark was the Night (a compilation).

Eating... soup, like the Spicy Moroccan Tomato & Chickpea recipe in my Vegetarian Bible. Cheap and delicious!

Knitting... scarves, slippers, mittens, and crocheting a giant granny square blanket. Phew.

Learning... to work for myself! I'm now officially a sole trader and loving it.

The Greenstore

As general household items are running out, I'm making the switch to refillable bottles. My latest purchases from The Greenstore (385 Brunswick St, Fitzroy) are shampoo, conditioner and laundry powder (you only need to buy the bottles the first time). They also refill things like window cleaner, spray & wipe, toilet cleaner, dishwashing liquid, hand soap and massage oil. Get into it!

frankie ~ issue #29

My favourite kind of mail arrived today: a magazine so good it warrants its own tag. Hello, frankie! I can't wait to read you.

Are you sure I wasn't alive in the 70s?

I went with a chocolate brown, mustard yellow and bright orange for my granny square - it was going to be lots of little squares joined together but I decided to do it this way instead (just getting bigger and bigger)... does it still count?

>> If you're inclined to crochet the odd granny square yourself, join Meet Me At Mike's A Granny A Day Til The End O May!

Psychedelic wall

Every time I walk past this wall I think I should really take a photo before it's gone... so today I did. I like the way graffiti is impermanent, but I hope this one stays up for a while longer!

Half a scarf

The vegan yarn scarf is coming along nicely - who knew bamboo could be so soft? It's actually a darker olive green than the photo suggests. I forgot about the curling issue with stocking stitch, but there's no going back now!

>> I've been meaning to embark on a granny square blanket ever since I learnt how to make them, and now I have the perfect motivation: Meet Me At Mike's A Granny A Day Til The End O May! I'm thinking oranges and browns...

The Coburg Drive-In

Possibly my favourite cinema in Melbourne is the Coburg Drive-In (155 Newlands Rd, Coburg). Last night I was there to see The Boat That Rocked, which seemed very appropriate... and had a great soundtrack! Think I might've been born in the wrong era.



>> Two posts in one night, I'm on a roll!

Dress Me Slowly

Dress Me Slowly (328 Nicholson St, Fitzroy) is a vintage and retro clothing store that's only been open a few weeks. There are dresses and skirts for girls, plus shirts and jackets for boys. I haven't bought anything yet, but intend to go back again soon!

>> Also added to my Google map of Melbourne Shops & Markets (a work in progress)

Baby blanket squares

With the Easter long weekend came an abundance of chocolate... and knitting/crochet! I actually can't take credit for these cute little crocheted squares - a friend of mine is making them for a baby blanket.

My own upcoming projects are:
1. An olive green scarf using vegan yarn (for my boy)
2. A fair isle beret (for myself)
3. A pair of fingerless mittens (for a friend)
4. The green velvet cushions (for my kitchen)

Learning fair isle knitting

Lately I've been making berets left, right and centre in my quest for a fail-safe crocheted beret pattern. Last night, however, I stumbled across this Popknits pattern for a Fair Isle Beret and instantly fell in love. It was motivation enough to start teaching myself how to knit in fair isle, and here are the results! No-one told me about reading the first line of the pattern chart forwards, and the next line backwards... but apart from that I figured out how to add in colours and create pretty pictures. Feeling very proud.

Lane sale day!

I organised a lane sale with a few other people who live along the same laneway as I do and despite warnings of rain, it was a beautiful sunny day! We sold quite a lot of things, but mostly it was good just to have cleared out the house.

Just a minute... in March

Late again! I need some sort of time-doubling machine at the moment (twice as much would almost be enough, right?). Looking back on the month that was March 2009, I've been:

Reading... tweets, including Ashton & Demi's! Can't help myself. Trying to limit the number I'm "following" though, so it doesn't get out of control like my Google Reader did. Ugh.

Watching... Madmen. It's SO good. I'd be quite happy as a 50s housewife, thank you.

Listening... to all sorts of things, especially The Flaming Lips since I have tickets to see them soon! If only I was talking about All Tomorrow's Parties, the New York lineup is amazing... *sigh*

Eating... lots of Japanese food like tofu don and vegetarian gyoza.

Knitting... is slowly creeping back now the weather's cooling down, although today would make you think otherwise! Expect more stitch n' bitch posts very soon.

Learning... that we can only do the best we can with the time and resources we have. Remembering that can be the hardest part.