Pransellknit

Yesterday Matt, Mum, my sister and I went to the Australian Sheep and Wool Show held in Bendigo. It was absolutely freezing yesterday, even with Henry to keep my neck warm, so most of our time was spent in the sheds, with only a cursory glance at the sheepdog trials as we scurried from shed to shed. Like last year, there was a sea of Ravelry badges at the show, but this time I felt a little less intimidated. Perhaps 2011 is the year I’ll actually attend one of the events organised on Ravelry…

We didn’t get the camera out at the show, which is quite fortunate given the battery was pretty much dead when I took this post’s photos this afternoon. I apologise in advance for the photos — it’s a very dull and dreary day making natural light hard to come by.

Last year, I only bought one skein of yarn. This year, I also bought one skein of yarn. Funnily enough, it was Colinette Jitterbug, the same as last year, but this time in Vincent’s Apron. Vincent’s Apron was the colourway I became enamoured with at the show last year, but I didn’t buy it then because it didn’t fall within my yarn buying policy guidelines (only buy yarn when I know what I’m going to knit with it. It might not make sense, but I’m running with it). However, I could not stop thinking about it. Luckily, this scarf pattern came along, which I thought would look great in Vincent’s Apron. When I got to Sarah Durrant’s stand yesterday, I couldn’t find a skein of it anywhere, bringing on a cold sweat, but fortunately she had some in a tub at the back. So it only took a year of deliberation, but I finally bought the yarn I obsessed over at last year’s show.

In addition to the single skein of yarn, I purchased a Namaste Circular Case from Stranded in Oz. I wasn’t planning to buy one of these yesterday, but had been looking at them online for a little while. There’s an ongoing battle between me and my circular needles, and up to this point, the circulars have been winning. I’m hoping this piece of modern knitting organisational weaponry will help me overcome my circulars’ tangling and absconding ways.

The last of my purchases was completely on impulse, which is very unusual for me. I bought this beautiful woven scarf from the Bendigo Spinners Weavers and Handcrafts Group’s stand, for the princely sum of $25. It seems to be made from two different types of Bendigo Woollen Mills yarns — Rustic for the warp, and Mohair for the weft. It’s a bit prickly around my neck, so it’ll soon have a conditioner and wool wash bath which will hopefully soften it up. Besides that, I really love it. The colour is great and I like the herringbone weave a lot.

I feel a bit guilty for paying so little for it. Although I have absolutely no experience in weaving, I can’t imagine that $25 is sufficient compensation for the person who made it. Perhaps I should have offered to pay more? It’s quite a vexed issue.

So, there endeth my Sheep and Wool Show wrap up for this year. My purchases were pretty modest and pretty yellow, but I’m really happy with what I brought home.

Eleven months ago, we brought home an outdoor table and chair that was in need of a bit of love and attention. I posted a photo of them previously, but here’s a reminder:

With a few repairs courtesy of my Dad and some sandblasting, powder coating, new wood, bolts, paint and a generous dollop of procrastination, the poor old table and chair was new again.

I am so so pleased with how they turned out. Initially I had doubts about the yellow we chose, but once assembled, it goes well with the white. The colours we used were Taubmans Yellow Spark and Dulux White on White, both in semi-gloss.

Strangely, the most difficult thing to procure were the bolts. A major Australian hardware chain that is the place to go to for these kind of items only had bolts with the manufacturer’s logo on the dome. This simply would not do, so an extensive search commenced. Finally we found some logo-less bolts at an independent hardware store. They came in a brown paper bag, which made me happier than it probably should.

As there’s only one chair and two of us, another one (or two or three) chairs are needed to complete the set. On the upside, there’s more than enough paint left over — the smallest amount of paint we could buy was one litre, which was more than enough, even with multiple coats.

I could really get used to this furniture restoration caper. It seemed to take a lot longer than it should to finish, but I’m so proud of the end result. The perfect christening would be do sit outside in the sunshine with some tea and scones with jam and cream. I might just have to wait a little while longer for that to happen.

We loved it to bits.

We went to museums…

… and to temples

Ate crazy food

Shopped. A lot

Relived some of my childhood

Saw snow falling in Tokyo (a relatively unusual event, apparently)

and wandered around aimlessly.

We only really covered Tokyo and Kyoto in the two weeks we were there, but we’re very keen to go back and explore.

Our Japanese language skills are virtually non-existent, but we were able to get around fine. Everyone we had to converse with was very polite and helpful and we learnt to never underrate the usefulness of mime to get past the language barrier.

As vegetarians, we did have some trouble finding food but managed OK. Positive notable mentions include Deva Deva in Kichijoji, Cafe Proverbs 15:17 in Kyoto, Eat more greens in Azabu and the numerous convenience stores for their delicious and cheap kombu onigiri. A dishonourable mention goes to Disneyland — there was only one place that served vegetarian food, but it had to be purchased as part of a three course meal. Three course meals aren’t conducive to cramming in as many rides as possible into a day.

Craftwise, I did something possibly quite blasphemous. I did not buy any yarn. I did see some lovely (and not so lovely – Sean Sheep novelty yarn, to be exact!) yarn about, but decided to hold out for fabric. I came back with a lot of linen and could have come back with more. Next time, I’ll have to travel during warmer months so I can pack less and take more back! We also visited possibly the most wonderful shop in the world, Rollo in Kyoto which sold vintage trim, buttons and beads. It was a funny little shop, open funny hours, but if I was ever to open a shop, I would want it to be like Rollo. I loved it.

There is so much more I could say about Japan, but feel I have rabbited on enough. However, I’d like to finish with some tips for people who are planning to visit Japan in the future.

Travel

If you are planning to spend most of your time in Tokyo, think carefully about buying a Japan Rail Pass. They can be used on the above ground JR lines, but are of most use if you plan to tour around Japan. We purchased 14 day passes, when we should have bought a 7 day pass for use when going to Kyoto.

When in Tokyo, I highly recommend getting a Pasmo or Suica card for travel on the Subway. We were lucky in that our hosts had some spare passes we could top up, which meant we didn’t need to worry about buying subway tickets. If you have an iPhone or iPod touch, I highly recommend Tokyo Metro 09 to help with commuting from place to place. It works offline, so doesn’t cost you anything data wise, and we found it very very useful. The app cost AUD$1.19.

In Kyoto, the best way to get around is by bus, using a 500 yen daily pass in conjunction with a Bus Navi, a map with all the routes and major sights.

Food

As mentioned previously, we did have a little trouble being vegetarian, but we still ate well. Happy Cow has good listings of vegetarian/vegan places to eat, and we relied on it heavily. There is an app that uses Happy Cow listings, but requires the use of an internet connection so we didn’t use it while away.

If all else fails, there are convenience stores everywhere, which sell really quite cheap and pretty healthy food. We ate a lot of onigiri and plain inari, but didn’t get sick of it.

Shopping

There seems to be an insatiable appetite for shopping in Tokyo, and it’s really hard not to get swept up in it. The guide we relied on most was the Tokyo Shopping Guide from Asking For Trouble. There’s also a great Tokyo shopping post on The Lark.

Sights

It’s really quite hard to come up with a ‘must do’ list, but some of the highlights for us were the Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka (buy your ticket before getting to Japan), the view from the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi and Ginkaku-ji (temple of the silver pavillion) in Kyoto. A special mention must go to Hakone, a day trip from Tokyo. There is lots to see and do there, but it’s worth setting aside a good portion of a day to see the Hakone Open Air Museum. It’s one of the best museums I have ever been to, hands down.

Despite the above list, possibly the best thing you can do while in Tokyo or Kyoto though is just wander around. You can stumble across some wonderful treasures.

So, that’s our Japan trip summed up in one, very long for this blog, blog post. If you’ve ever considered going to Japan, I highly recommend it. It’s a really wonderful place.

Once upon a time, I had a little idea that combined two things I’m interested in; video games and vintage home furnishings/decor. This idea percolated in my mind for years until Matt gave me all the things I needed to turn my idea into a tangible object.

My Duck Hunt flying ducks have sat finished for a bit over a year now, but didn’t post them because I thought people might think them a bit naff. I’m obviously over that now (it’s my blog dang it, I’ll post what I want to!).

Once the images were scaled, they weren’t difficult to put together. In fact, the trickiest part of the process was making sure all the beads had melted together. I don’t have the best iron which probably didn’t help matters.

Unfortunately my ducks’ current location is flat on a mantlepiece as finding a good way to get them up on the walls has been surprisingly difficult. The ducks are pretty delicate so falling off the walls would not be good at all. Another challenge was finding a spot to take these photos, as it seems the walls here are riddled with picture hooks.

The biggest motivation for posting this project is because its one of those projects that I should have done ages ago, a recurring theme on this blog. This year I’d like to try a few more of those types of projects, ones that don’t necessarily take up that much time, but always get set aside for one reason or another.

This weekend I went to a market as a seller for the first time. It was quite intimidating and I cannot fib, it was pretty nerve wracking (it probably didn’t help that I was feeling sick from a well-timed coldy-flu). It’s probably the ultimate judgement of your handiwork; would a perfect stranger pay money for a product you’ve made?

The day was not all about the hard-nosed world of commerce. It was also about seeing missed friends, meeting lovely new people and trying new things.

Apparently it was also about snapping up a couple of treats for myself.

Despite being in my late twenties, I still maintain it’s perfectly acceptable to wear bobbles in my hair (from Poppy, Bean and Bloss).

Also, despite having just about enough coin purses to start a museum, I still maintain it’s perfectly acceptable to buy more, especially when made from linen and vintage embroidery. (from a little red ribbon).

Besides the nerves and being worn out by the end of the day, a most enjoyable time was had. Hopefully I’ll be able to do it again someday soon.

While there’s not much progress to report on my knitting projects, I do have a new non-knitting project that I’m quite excited about.

It’s currently hard rubbish season in some neighbouring suburbs, and yesterday we came across this:

I have been pining for this style of outdoor setting for a few years, so I was delighted when the (now ex) owner gave us the OK to take it off their nature strip. Granted, there is only one chair and two of us, but it’s a start.

Matt was initially hesitant to take them, but I think I talked him round when I mentioned cups of tea, morning sunshine and programming outside. This, I’m hoping, will speed up the restoration process.

They obviously need a lot of TLC, particularly the table. The slats on the chair seem to be salvageable, but the wood on the table needs to be replaced. I am a bit concerned about rust, but we’ll see how it looks after a sandblast.

The things I love the most about them in their current state is seeing all the colours they’ve been in their lives. As for their future colour(s), you’ll just have to stay tuned!

The photos for this post were taken, what feels like, ages ago, and the brooch finished even longer ago than that. It feels like I haven’t been able to take a breath all week, but now I have a smidgen of time to post before I get back to the madness.

This is another Brown Owls project, designed by George. Mad props to George — I do think it turned out nicely. Her instructions were clear and the template worked well. She (the brooch that is) is yet to have its public debut, but I think today will be the day. Once I stop lazing about, that is.

While pondering this post, I decided that Brown Owls has been very positive for me. Knitting is the craft that I gravitate towards, but there are other crafts I’m keen to try but never seem to get round to it on my own. So far I’ve tried embroidery and making felt brooches, and not only am I pretty happy with how both of them turned out, I want to embroider more and make more felt brooches. Maybe once the craziness dies down.

I finished embroidering my little Dutch girl last weekend. She’s a bit wonky in places, but I don’t mind. It was my first attempt at embroidery and I’m pleased I stuck with it to completion.

I have another tea towel sitting on my desk, ready to embroider. The set that the Dutch girl is from, Loopsies’ Pretty Maids set 1, also has sweet girls from Bavaria, Russia, Poland and France. I can’t decide which one to choose next!

In other news, my partner had an iPhone/iPod touch program released in the iTunes app store this week. I was very hesitant to mention it here, and to’d and fro’d about whether I should say something. Ultimately, I’m very proud of him and the program he’s created and released, so I shouldn’t be embarrassed to say something on my blog, my personal space. It’s a program I’ve helped with from the word go, and I’ve been using for my knitting projects since December. So, if you are a knitter and an iPhone/iPod touch owner and are looking for a row counter, please consider Knit Counter or its free counterpart, Knit Counter Lite (both links to iTunes).

In both versions, you can have as many counters as you like, link counters together (good for if you’re knitting something with pattern repeats) and put in increase/decrease alerts for projects where you have to increase or decrease periodically (eg. if you’re knitting sleeves). You can have as many projects as you like for Knit Counter, and just a single project for Knit Counter Lite.

I’ve ended up rabbiting (excuse the pun, with Easter and all…) on a lot more than I intended to about the program. Full details can be found on his site, or on iTunes.

Learning new crafty skills, is a good, albeit dangerous thing.

Today at Brown Owls I learnt some embroidery basics. I felt completely lost when I first sat down with my tea towel, embroidery floss, needle and pattern, but with lots of help from lots of lovely Brown Owl ladies (sorry if I forgot anyone who gave me words of wisdom!), I was happily on my way. I think I’m starting to get the hang of it now – it certainly feels like I’m getting through sections a bit quicker, and I think the stitches are looking a bit neater and more even!

The only danger associated with embroidery, besides the inevitable needle-in-finger attacks, is that it will be competing with knitting (and occasionally sewing) for my attention. I feel so unproductive already without another crafty hobby!

It really is about time someone came up with a 30 hour day.