Wool on Sunday...

I noticed that Janine from the Rainbow Hare blog had just written a post for Wool on Sunday. As it’s been ages since I wrote any blog post, I thought I’d make an effort to remedy that situation. I have been pondering on the fact that I don’t seem to have done much in the knitting and crocheting situation this year, but I looked through photos on my iPad and found that perhaps I’d been a bit harsh with myself. 

Early in the pandemic, I did some Christmas knitting...I made some knitted decorations. The photo is masked with a call out as some of the recipients of these read my blog. 😉

Because of the increased demand for warm items for the needy in the community, for many months I focused on joining donated squares into blankets for distribution. To this end, I also crocheted the most granny squares, I’ve done in many a year...with that ultimate goal of providing yet another blanket or two for Knitting for Brisbane’s Needy to distribute. 

In the next photo, I have sewn some donated circles on donated squares. The circles were a bit wonky and squaring them up would  have also made a square that was a bit open. 

Some more of the blankets I put together for K4BN; I used bright colors, that’s for sure! 

I think that my tally for blankets was 11...but it could have been more. 

At one stage I started a baby blanket using oddments of yarn. The plan was to make it to donate to K4BN, but a week or so after I started I found out that my nephew and his wife who live in Sydney, had had a new baby daughter about 6 weeks before. ( my brother thought I knew so didn’t bother to tell me...hmmm 😜)  So the newly started blanket suddenly became baby Zali’s gift and I quickly finished it ready for posting. 

And then there was the throw that I knitted for our parish art and craft show, which this year was all online. DH warned me that it probably wouldn’t sell as being a photo in an online catalogue isn’t the same as seeing such an item in ‘real life’, but I wanted to feel as though I was contributing to our parish’s main yearly fundraiser. And it didn’t sell which meant I could take it to Sunday Stitchers that month as my Show and Tell. And of course, I have a throw available to give away if the need arises. At Sunday Stitchers, the lovely Helen took this  next photo of me holding up the throw. 

With the restrictions on meetings due to COVID-19, our regular Knit and Natters were discontinued for a time. Eventually a very, very small number of venues were reopened with strict protocols in place and with very restricted numbers. But at one Knit and Natter, we started bringing a chair and having an alfresco Knit and Natter beside the car park of the library venue. ( With the social distancing regulations, only 4 of us could meet IN the library...so that would NOT have worked!) 

And in these strange times I decided to use as my knitting bag, a bag I bought from the merchandise counter at The Addams Family Musical. It seemed appropriate 😉😜

Wool on...any day ending with a ‘y’.

From February 2016 I wrote dozens of monthly posts titled Wool on Sundays. The idea of bloggers sharing posts about fibre arts such as knitting, crocheting and stitching was the brainchild of Janine who organised the link ups through her delightful Rainbow Hare blog. 

Times and directions change, and this forum for sharing ‘yarny’ projects is no longer a formal monthly feature. And even though I’ve been a bit slack at blogging in recent times, I’ve found that I really miss chatting about projects. So here’s my version, Wool on any day of the week! Lol

In a previous post written in the last month, I showed some photos of blankets made for Knitting for Brisbane’s Needy; a combination of crocheted squares given to me and some granny squares made by me. The solid squares made by my friend Susan were perfect for a plan I’d finally come up with on how to use a big bundle of crocheted motifs that had been passed on to me a few years ago. 

Originally I thought I’d square them up by crocheting more rounds. But I went off that idea as the motifs were quite thin which I thought would not make the resultant blanket warm for the homeless. So I’ve stitched them to the solid squares; the stitches disappearing into the crocheting, so the backs of the squares are neat. 

All the squares laid out ready to be joined together...

Finished blanket ready to keep someone warm. 


A few months ago I bought some Bendigo Woollen Mill’s Classic 8 ply online. It took a while to arrive which wasn’t surprising as on the BWM Facebook page they showed a photo of huge wire bins full of parcels ready to be posted. The company had been overwhelmed with the support from knitters all around Australia. And apparently the orders are still coming in  as witnessed by this recent FB post. 

Some incredible statistics there! And this is what I’m making with my order...the variegated Shepherd yarn was in my stash...completely forgotten about for a number of years too 🙄😉

It’s lovely working with wool again. 

Wool on Sunday; July

Once again I’m joining Janine from the Rainbow Hare blog here, in posting about yarn related activities in the last month. Janine has been working on a sweater but also writes about the building project in her garden. I’ve managed to work on a number of projects during the last month which probably explains the dust that has appeared on wooden furniture...and other housework neglect. 

I was determined to finish a rainbow throw that I was making for DsD3 and I did. 

She is so busy with her work that finding a good time to hand it over became problematic so the handover happened when she dropped in to a Trivia night that DH and I attend, on her way home from work. She needed a ‘joy boost’ and I like to think my efforts helped with that. 

In the last month I got to work on my usual contribution to our parish art and craft show...you guessed it...a knitted throw! 

Here’s the progress so far with just over 2 weeks to go until the show...all good for a finish on time. 

At Knit and Natters and Trivia Nights I’ve been crocheting squares...15 to be exact as that’s the number  of squares needed to add to the 15 squares made by Susan W, from Sunday Stitchers. 

Susan also gave me 2 balls of this variegated yarn and I used these 2 with gold/yellow and red yarns. The colours in the variegated yarn look a bit like the indigenous colours but it’s actually a navy or ink blue not black. ( it’s the colours of the Adelaide Crows footy team) . I think a needy indigenous person will love the blanket that Susan’s and my squares will make. 

These squares plus the bundle I wrote about last month have still got to be joined but it’s comforting to know that that will be done quite quickly when the knitted throw is finished. 

Years ago ( probably the 1980?) I knitted some kite shapes from a pattern published in a booklet in the Australian Women’s Weekly. The shapes came out very small so I experimented and made them larger. It was an on off project for years and I trialled various ways of sewing them together; eventually crocheting around each shape in black and then sewing them together. 

This photo has to have been taken before I had my cataract operations in 2009 but I suspect it’s possibly 5 years before that. 

I gave the blanket to a friend’s young daughter who had lost a finger in an accident...it was a perfect gift as E loved it. ( she’s just recently had her 21st birthday) 

After I gave that blanket away I started making another lot of shapes; every ball of 8 ply that I’d buy, I’d make one shape. Then for whatever reason, I put the project away. And came across it a few years ago.

But I couldn’t find the pattern and for some reason I struggled to work out the pattern from the pile of shapes...very disappointed with myself! 

And then last week on the K4BN Facebook page someone posted a photo of a throw made with those same shapes in that rib pattern. A few people commented on the photo and I wrote that I’d lost the pattern. Within half an hour I had a copy of the page of that booklet from another member of the group. I was so happy and grateful that someone had kept a pattern published in 1972!! 

I hope it doesn’t breach copyright rules to share it here ©?

Wool on Sunday

Joining in with the monthly Wool on Sunday over at Rainbow Hare.

With the cooler weather the knitting charity that I support  has been inundated with requests for warm items, especially blankets, beanies and gloves. 

Over Easter, I set to and joined some bags of donated squares into blankets...

And then there was a bag of smaller squares with a different style of granny square design. It made a lovely knee rug...

The lady who gave them to me normally joins her squares into rugs but she felt like a break from joining after donating quite a few of her rugs to the group. And I certainly didn’t mind helping out. 

I also had been storing some blankets that I’d made up in the warmer months from squares crocheted by a friend. Because so many items that left the K4BN storage shed for distribution , there was now room for more donations. 

These beautiful and warm blankets won’t be in storage for long; they will be distributed very soon. 

A total of 9 blankets made from the bags of donated squares that I’d been given to join. 

And at the moment I’m away interstate for a few days and in spare moments I’m using up some US variegated yarn that a friend brought back as a gift for me years ago, to make a baby blanket; most probably an item for K4BN.

And that’s Wool on Sunday for May 😄

Wool on Sunday

Joining in with Rainbow Hare blog for Wool on Sunday. I had planned to write about other yarn related things that I've been doing this last month, but in the last day or so I've changed my mind. Instead I'm going to write about an incident in which my past caught up with me...in the nicest possible way.
It all started when I joined my Newmarket Mums group for our monthly coffee the Sunday before last. Pictured are some of the treats we bought 😉

. One of those friends said she had a message for me. Apparently she was having coffee at a local café when she was approached by a woman who asked her whether she had been a teacher at this particular school. When my friend said yes, the woman (Daphne) introduced herself as being a parent of children who attended the school in the 1970s-1980s. Coincidentally I had been a teacher at this same school at the same time and after some chit chat Daphne asked if my friend was still in touch with me and if so, could she please pass on a message to me.

So with all the Newmarket Mums listening intently, the message was passed on. Daphne  wanted to let me know how much she loved a crocheted rug which she had bought at a school fete. Then the memories came flooding back and I shared the story with my friends. I had made that rug!

Gradually the details came back. I had made 2 knee rugs and donated them for sale and both sold. Apparently Daphne missed out on buying one and possibly mentioned her disappointment to one of the organisers of the fete. This person asked me if I could possibly make another one and I agreed. I also remember that the rugs were sold for $10 each and the Parents and Citizens Association also got that 3rd $10 from the extra one I made.

Daphne's message also went on to say that the rug was in perfect condition and that she had told her children that they were not to throw it out when she died; one of them should take over looking after it. Well...to say I was chuffed was an understatement!

When I came home I decided that I wanted to personally thank Daphne for her lovely message. A search of White Pages didn't help find a phone number...but then I hatched a plan using Facebook. I'm a member of a FB group which has members who went to this same school. So I asked if anyone was still in touch with Daphne's family or even Daphne herself. Within an hour or so I had a reply from a former student of mine who said she was a FB friend of Daphne's older daughter. This daughter lives in the UK but my former student said she would message her. It wasn't long before the daughter and I 'spoke' on Messenger and I had a phone number.

Next day I rang Daphne and we had a lovely chat. She said that she had bought the rug as a gift for her mother. Her mum loved the rug and treasured it apparently. When her mother died, Daphne reclaimed the rug and she iterated her instructions to the children not to throw it out when she herself passed away. I had no idea of the year that I had made it but Daphne was able to tell me it was 39 years ago in 1979.

By coincidence her daughter from the UK is spending a week here  and J very kindly took a photo of the rug and the other day sent it to me. It was a shock to see it...I thought it was a granny square afghan...but it was a hexagon design! But I guess it is a while since I made it so not surprising I'd forgotten the actual design! lol

The Tale of Two Tablecloths!

DD1 decided that she would like to use the tablecloth that her late paternal grandmother had made for her, at her wedding.
One problem arose...it needed ironing and DD1 doesn't own an iron. 😳. So you can guess who did the ironing that was needed can't you?

And I had offered DD1 the tablecloth that this same wonderful lady had made me for my 40th birthday, to use as well. At the wedding the first cloth was used on the gift table and mine was used on the buffet table.
I was going to take a photo of my cloth but I had found an old photo taken of that cloth, not long after I received it. It was such a special and wonderful gift.

And here are some photos of DD1's cloth...

My mother in law had been crocheting since she was 6 years old but it was only when my much younger brother in law left home in the 1980s that Elsie started crocheting tablecloth edgings in fairly fine cotton...intricate patterns from books that had belonged to her mother. Up until then she had worked in mainly wool and thicker cotton to make garments and rugs. Each of her 3 daughters in law received a largish tablecloth with a magnificent deep edging. Elsie had 10 grandchildren but only 2 granddaughters so my 2 girls were each given a cloth in their teens.
I found a photo of my mother in law working on an edging.

And here's a photograph showing another cloth that Elsie made for me as an engagement gift, way back in 1970. The edging she had made many years before that and put it aside. When I came on the scene, she embroidered a cloth and sewed her edging on...I've always treasured it!

Wool on Sundays...a 'hotchpotch' 😉

My little drawstring bag of yarn scraps and crochet hook has been getting a 'workout' recently...

Filling in time at the hospital

Or something to do with the hands on a recent long car trip where DH and I were fortunate enough to be 'chauffeured' by family members. ( more about that in a later post) 

So I have a nice little bundle of completed granny squares to add to the growing pile of squares  for joining to make blankets for the needy. ( and especially for the women's refuges that K4BN support.) 

When I got tired of making 10 inch squares, I just used up some little bits of yarn to make 'starter' granny squares, to be enlarged and completed at future Knit and Natters. 

And in other yarn related happenings here at my place, is this. Languishing in a storage cube is a UFO which was put aside when other projects took priority. It is a throw in purples and mauves that my daughter asked me to make for her friend. These two have been friends since they worked for the same firm in DD1's late teens. The last 5 years they have been housemates, but now Janelle has moved to a new place of her own. I'm hoping to get back to this project when 'Christmas is over and life is less busy'?? Well that's the plan anyway. I have put all the mauves/purples from my stash together with the partly knitted throw and all that loveliness is certainly inspiring. 

But I have a LONG way to go before it's finished though, haven't I 😉🙄

The 'crochet hook' saga...Wool on Sunday.

As I mentioned in my last post, DH and I travelled to North Queensland last week. The main reason for the trip was to visit long lost family on my father's side. This year has turned out to be a 'real year of the family' for me after having my DNA tested late last year and we've had fun meeting or catching up with cousins throughout this year and travelling to a few places around the country has been a bonus.

So that's why early on Monday morning last week, DH and I were checking our luggage  into Brisbane Airport at 6am. Knowing that our Aussie airlines have relaxed those strict rules about knitting and crocheting on domestic flights, I carried a bag of yarns with me, fully intending to crochet on the flight, just like I did when we went to WA in September. Well...best laid plans and all that! 

The woman at check in asked me did I have knitting needles in my bag of yarn...I answered no, but  said that I did have a crochet hook. She told me that I MUST put the hook in my checked through luggage or otherwise the Security staff would confiscate it...hello??? 

Where did it say that on all the signs in the terminal???

I should have stood my ground but like a lamb I complied. But I did 2 things before my flight. I put a rant on Facebook and I sent an informal preliminary complaint to Virgin Airlines. A friend, after reading my FB post, sent me a screenshot from the airline's website. Ta dah!!! ( you may have to click/tap on the image to make it readable) 

I was actually amazed at how many items are now allowed on domestic flights. 

Now this same 'charmer' on Check In also claimed our hand/cabin luggage was 2 kg over weight and had to be checked through. Again, hello??? I had my toiletries bag in it and my zippy bag with eye drops and my iPad in this bag...I KNOW that didn't weigh over 7kg. ( Later when the plane was in mid air I realised that my iPad hadn't been put into flight mode! Ooh wah...but everything must have been okay as we did safely get to Cairns). 

By the time we reached Cairns, Virgin had sent an apology (of sorts), but best of all...I'd forgotten that a friend's son in law is high up in administration in Virgin. She contacted him after reading my FB rant and he apparently was quite angry at my treatment. He vowed to track down the woman and organise more training as she was lacking in customer skills and obviously had little knowledge of the airline's policies. 

You know what? I don't feel the slightest bit of guilt for getting that woman into trouble! I would never flaunt safety rules so to be treated that way, the 'Miss Goody Goody, scared to do anything naughty little girl' in me had felt quite bad. But I knew I hadn't broken any rules...*shoulder shrug*...

So it was a very determined woman who turned up at Cairns Airport on Thursday. I did however put my bag of yarn and the hook inside a tote bag. And there was absolutely no hassles or hold ups, either through Check In Baggage Drop or Security. 

And so it was that I was at the airport food court and I still had my crochet hook! 

And during the flight I crocheted granny squares without any interference! 😄

Linking up once again with Janine's Rainbow Hare Blog for Wool on Sunday. 

Wool on Sunday...

Monday and Tuesday of this week are the birthdays of DD1 and DD2 respectively. Yep they were born 3 years and 1 day apart.

And while tidying/decluttering  cupboards recently I came across some of the little knitted garments that my girls wore in the early 1980s. My mother in law knitted and crocheted a huge bundle of little garments which she brought up to Brisbane in a large suitcase. But I don't seem to have many of these left...I'm afraid it's a bit of a hotchpotch, but a hotchpotch of memories. 😊

A bonnet that was part of a set which included a matching matinee jacket and booties. 

My mother in law made 3 such sets; yellow, blue and white. ( boys dominated births in her family so most expected me to have boys...so no pink! Lol) 

Another blue cardi she made...

In the bag of baby stuff was one lonely baby bootie...no idea why I only kept one! It was crocheted by my MiL and she used cotton as we live in a subtropical climate.

The next item is also just one of a pair...and it's very special to me...

It's a crocheted mitten...and is quite large. The story behind it? When I was pregnant with DD1, I was teaching a Year 7 class. I had noticed that one of my students, Alison, would work on a crocheting project if she finished her work early. Little did I know then, that she was making baby mittens as a gift when I left to go on leave...how special. 

With such a lot of items made by my girls' Nanna, I didn't really knit much in the way of baby clothes but there are 3 items that I did make and these items were in the bag I found in the cupboard too.

A little jumper I made for DD1...

Another little top I knitted for DD2...

And a pram blanket I made before DD2 was born...the pattern was published in New Idea and used Patons Totem yarn. I made a few of these as gifts.

Linking this post with Rainbow Hare's Wool on Sunday.
I have decided to keep the 2 little jumpers for some of the teddies to wear, and the little blanket. I'm afraid the other items will be despatched...no room for being sentimental I'm afraid.