Photo Competition

I entered the above photo in the Eureka Skydeck competition and I CAME THIRD!  It was one of two photos I submitted (I actually preferred the other photo of Flinders Street Station in B&W, but that didn't get a mention).  I forgot about my submission until I received an email saying they chose this photo (along with 12 others) out of the hundreds they received.  Not only will my photo appear in their 2014 calendar but I won a dinner for two on the Tramway restaurant.

Tea Cosy

Recently I enjoyed a High Tea at a quaint old shop and they served their tea in a teapot (naturally) covered with handmade tea cosies.  Well, I just had to duplicate the tea cosy, which was not a complicated process, and viola, here is the outcome.  It is virtually the same tea cosy apart6 from the colours, with the same buttons and pattern.  All in all, it took about 2-3 hours to knit and sew.

Wedding Horseshoe

My gorgeous friend is getting married tomorrow and always prefer to give something handmade rather than bought, so here is a very simple lace horseshoe for her.  I'm not sure if this type of thing is her "cup of tea" but we will see.  Here's to a long and happy marriage to the couple!

Christening Lace

A lot time in the making but I finally completed three metres of christening lace (bobbin lace) using the Springett's christening lace pattern.  Whilst there was not a great number of bobbins, the lace took hundreds of hours to make because of the length.

My next long term project will be wedding veil lace.

Sock Along, Week 3

Ah, the heel is complete.  Thankfully when wearing my socks you won't see it!  One side looks fine, the other side, mmmmmmmm better to not comment !

Great Gatsby Wedding

I attended a Great Gatsby wedding shoot yesterday and here is one of the hundreds of photos I snapped.  I generally don't review my photos taken at a shoot for a few days, I find I critique them better if I leave them sit for a while (so the momentum, or excitement, has waned a little).

The lace on the dress and the parasol was magnificent, not sure if it was hand or machine made, but in any event the bride looked stunning.

Sock Along, Week 2

My sock is progressing well and I am still up-to-date, which is a bonus.  I am really enjoying the cables/ pattern and think it looks very effective.

Next clue is our heel, I always find this a little cumbersome using one needle but I manage to do it.

Irish Crochet Mat

Another finished project - slowly getting through them all.  Here is an Irish Crochet mat.  The roses are very easy to make and I find them interesting because they are dimensional.

Sock Knit-Along

I am participating in another sock knit-along at Knit Purl Hunter http://knitpurlhunter.com/kal/.  We get a weekly clue to knit toe up socks.  I purchased some sock yarn today - I don't think I really need more yarn - Naturally Waikiwi which is Merinoo/Nylon/Alpaca/Possum in a lovely purple shade (do I really need another pair of purple socks, or anything purple really; just because it is my favourite colour!)

Here are my socks at the end of week 1, the toe is now complete.

Sourdough Workshop

A long time between posts.  I've been doing a little too much photography and not much else.

I attended a Sourdough workshop over the weekend at http://www.prickleberrysourdough.com/; I highly recommend not only the class (which is in Ballarat), but their food accompaniments.  As a bonus Prickleberry Sourdough will be opening a cafe in a couple of weeks too, serving delicious homebaked food.

We made a couple of different loaves (including an olive and sundried tomato loaf).  I now have a culture (reminds me, I must date it and see if we can keep it going for a long, long time - the record is over one hundred year).  I am very keen to continue making my own bread, although being a family of six we do devour quite a bit of bread throughout the week.

Here is a montage of the day.

LP Cake Stand

Searching for different sized records was the hardest part of making this cake (or petit fours) stand.  I never realised how versatile the vinyl LP was, now it can be moulded into many interesting items from bangles, fruit bowl, book stand, even a handbag (which will be my next attempt).

TIAS 2013

I completed (and almost on schedule) the 2013 Tat It and See Challenge by the very talented, and generous, Jane Eborall.  Have a look here http://www.janeeborall.blogspot.com.au/ to see her wonderful tatting.

The challenge was provided in short segments, 11 in total, and here is a collage of the progress throughout the challenge:

.. and the end result - a pram:

Larundel Mental Asylum

Went to Larundel in Bundoora this week.  This "mental asylum" was built in the late 1930's and decommissioned over a decade ago.  Today there is a new housing estate at the back of the old derilict buildings.  Armed with my camera I candidly took photos of the five or so remaining buildings which are riddled with graffiti and shattered glass.  An eerie yet exciting day trip.

Playing with a "ghosting" effect - if you look carefully you may see the ghost on the right side of the following photo.

Reflection

2012 was an interesting year with many highs, celebrations and one or two sad occasions.  I am certainly looking forward to a brighter year, roll on 2013........

Here are some of my favourite photos from 2012.