Hooked on hats

I'm a little bit obsessed about crocheting at the moment and when Retro Mummy shared her pattern for her gorgeous crocheted hats I couldn't resist.

And it's dead easy. No tears, no tantrums, no unravelling .... phew!

I managed this hat for Eliza on Sunday afternoon.

She loves it and is actually wearing it! Yay me .

There's no stopping me now ... Despite some long days at the office I couldn't wait to get out the hook in front of TV and get cracking on another one. So over the next couple of nights in front of Masterchef I produced this one for my niece as a little surprise for when I see her this weekend.

Corrie's pattern is super fast and super easy for beginners like me.

And don't they look lovely?

I've got one more on the go for little Georgia .

I can't wait to get a picture of all three girls in their hats.

Run Melbourne

We're feeling pretty pleased with ourselves (and a little bit superior too). Last Sunday, Eliza and I joined the seething crowd to Run Melbourne.

Well .... 'run' might be overstating it, for me at least.

Eliza can rightfully claim to have run Melbourne. For me it was more like brisk walk Melbourne..

So while others were enjoying a Sunday sleep in and contemplating a cooked breaky, we were limbering up for a quick 5ks on a freezing morning, with rain threatening and an arctic wind that ripped right through us.

We joined other families from our school at the start line ...

Boy was it a long way to the start line!!!

About 17,000 people were at the start line .... that's that red banner in the distance. Squint and you can just see it.

The run was started in waves. Finally it was our turn. The horn blasted, the crowd surged forward and we were off .... The little girls started to run and so did some of the mums. I had nooooo hope of doing that so I chatted the whole way with one of the dads. We figured our job was to bring up the rear. And that worked well.

Here we are at the finish line. Eliza loved getting a cup of powerade around the track. "That's a great service!"she reckons.

I finally caught up with the mums at the finish line.

Special mention to Donna for keeping up with the girls and a big shout out to Niki who ran a PB for the 10k event.

But a 5k walk (as brisk as it was) was enough for me.We made it back home before the rain came down. A hot bath to warm up and then a cup of tea .... and then some crafty loveliness.

Ahhhhhh

Come back soon to see what I made.

Thrifting Gold

Is there an Op Shop God? If so, she was smiling on me this weekend. In a child free moment (because I was doing the supermarket shopping, which is 'soooooo boring Mummy') I ducked into the retro shop across the road to check out their goodies.

Look what I found!

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Successful Dressmaking - The Complete Book of Dressmaking, fully illustrated with step-by step instructions, by Ellen and Marietta Resek.

Well I couldn't leave it on the shelf. Could you??

Again there was no publication date, so good old Google had to help me out. According to the national catalogue this book was written in the 50s, possibly 1956 and published by Colorgrave Publications - the printing arm of the Herald and Weekly Times.

The illustrations are priceless!

I love this picture. She's so pensive looking at the pattern - her lipstick is perfect and she's sitting so ladylike on the floor - with her high heels on. A quick check of what I'm wearing today reveals a more casual style - no high heels, no lipstick .... and a lot of fleece material!!!

Anyway back to the book. The introduction says it's intended to be a guide for dressmakers young and old, who's interest and keeness exceed their practical experience and confidence. Hellooooo ...... that's me!!!!!

The book is divided into three parts - pattern making, making garments, then creating and assembling a dress. And just as the cover promises, there are plenty of step by step illustrations to give me lots of help along the way.

The book itself is in excellent condition.The dust jacket has a bit of wear and tear .... but not too bad really. When I took the dust jacket off to see the hardback cover of the book, what a surprise.

Isn't this illustration gorgeous? A perfect pattern to embroider. Looks like that's my next project .... or one of them anyway.

Pop over to Her Library Adventures to see what other folks have picked up at the op shop this week.

It's a wrap!

The wrap vest is a wrap!

It's done.

It's over.

And the best part is I'm wearing my work.

The wool is quite chunky and as I stood in the shadows of the netball court this morning in barely 4 degrees, I was very glad it's so warm.

Thanks to Michelle from twoandsix for sharing her pattern and inspiring me to create something beyond a scarf!

Well done me and apologies to the family for the huff and puff when I thought I'd totally messed it up! Still, the wine and the chocolate was excellent compensation.

Work in Progress

Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

The simple wrap vest has turned into a bit of a marathon but the end is near.

I've learnt a lot about crochet ..... my ability to read or (misread) a pattern .... how hard it is to unravel crochet ..... how easy it is to drop a stitch every row, and just how quickly wool breaks when you pull it !!! Sigh.

Oh yes, dear reader, it's been fun.

(Memo to self: remember craft is relaxing and you're doing something for yourself.)

But on the bright side, after thinking halfway through that the vest wouldn't fit me, it turns out it will - so that's a bonus! Just a few more rows then I'll weave the ends in and have a lovely hand made vest to keep me warm.

It's not perfect, some of the row ends are a bit wonky, it's a bit short at the back ....but it's all my own work and I'll wear it with pride (at least around the house!)

Ahhhhhhhh ......

James and I grabbed some time together while Eliza was at ski school. We headed to the Onsen at Dinner Plain for a leisurely swim and a luxurious soak in the steaming outdoor pool.

It's such a strange feeling to be sitting in hot, hot water in the outdoor pool, as the steam rises and melts the snow in the overhanging trees .... which falls in cold, cold droplets into the water.

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It's silent ..... and a chance to just breathe in ...... and out ........ and in ........ and out ......... and do something called relax.

Ahhhhhhhhhh ......

Hold that vibe!

Snow Business

My blog has been a bit lonely this last week or so while our family took a break at the snow.

I'm a keen non skier - the result of growing up in Queensland and coming too late to the white stuff. But James loves to ski and a break at the snow is something he's done since Uni days.

Eliza also skies, so father and daughter have an activity they can do together ... and they love it.

This year, James' brother Nick and his boys Charles and Archie joined us for a family holiday. The snow was a bit sparse - and not great for cross country skiers .... but the nights were well below freezing (-5 overnight) so conditions were perfect for snow making. And for our guys that's all they needed for some downhill adventures.

And me .... it's a week of cooking hearty meals for hungry skiers and grabbing some peace and quiet for a bit of craft back at the lodge.