What to swap next?

After the success of our May Mug Cosy Swap we've decided to make swapping a bi-monthly ritual.

I'm all for swapping, it gets you making things you wouldn't usually make...making the mug cosy was the first time i had to negotiate crochet with fastenings.

We'd love your say in what we make and swap next, the options so far...

1. Decorative pot holders like these ones from Foxes Lane

2. Cosy Beanies (practice knitting in the round...)

3. Pretty brooches - do you like these knitted pencils from Kandy Diamond?

(for practicing sculptural kniting/crochet -flowers etc.)

4. Arm warmers (to practice knitting to fit the body -without the difficulty of fingers!)

PLEASE VOTE FOR YOUR CHOICE!

over on the right hand side of this page...

Mug Cosy Swap

Sydney Crafternoon had it's first swap today, each participant knitted/crochet/felted a mug cosy and wrapped it up ready for swapping at today's Crafternoon. All the cosies were put into a paper bag and pulled out at random...

I only managed to get a few pics...and most of them were blurry...but the smiles say it all!

What shall we swap next!? 
(there is a poll on the right hand side of this blog where you can vote!)

p.s you can see my finished mug cosy here

Our fellow Sydney stitching groups.

Sydney Crafternoon was started to fill the eastern suburbs crafting group void, and yet so many of our members ask if i could please...possibly...pretty please...make the meetings where they live...? 

So, i thought it might be time to mention some of the other knitting/crochet/crafting groups around town:

Sydney sity klickers meet on Saturdays at Barmuda cafe on Australia St in Newtown. (my favourite part of newtown just down from Newspaper Taxi!. They are well established, and have been running since 2002.


Brown owls is originally a Melbourne crafting group, but they have recently branched out to other states (including NSW) and now run crafting nights at Lane cove, the Inner West and Sydney's CBD.


Sydney Stitch n Bitch meets at Harts Pub every second Monday at 6.30pm or so and at Manly Wharf Hotel every second Tuesday at 7pm or so.

Morris and Sons SnB meet on a Thursday night from 5pm and when they get thirsty they move to the Lobby Bar at the Swissotel on Market Street, Sydney CBD.

Rubi & Lana knitting group meet at Bar Fresko, Gordon every other Saturday from 11.30am.

These are a few groups i have seen around...
have you visited any of them?
Do you go to a group i haven't mentioned?
Do you attend a number of crafting groups?

In Theory...you could do a Sydney craft crawl across the week:

Harts Pub on Monday night, Manly on Tuesday evening, Brown owls on a Wed night, Morris and Sons the Following night, Saturday morning in Gordon! then over to Newtown for an afternoon with the Sity Klickers...then over to Pocket Bar for Sunday Crafternoon! Phew!

Victoria Mason and Kootoyoo present...

I have coveted the amazing creations of Australian jeweller Victoria Mason for some time now. Her sweet silver jewellery takes every day items and turns them into tiny, precious, wearable objets d'art.

I recently saw that a teeny tiny crocheted granny square made by the crafty blogess Kirsty of Kootoyoo was turned into a most amazing silver spoon by Victoria, for an exhibition at Melbourne's Hand Held Gallery called 'One Cup - an exhibition of 48 teaspoons'. It blew my mind a little, okay a lot...take a look -

 See the entire process over on Victoria Mason's blog Earl And Cookie.

Isn't it amazing?! Can you imagine how cool it would be to stir your cup of tea with a spoon like that?!

Well I'm not sure if a spoon will ever be available for sale but soon a necklace version of the granny square will be available for sale - how awesome is that?! So we can wear a little silver version of Kootoyoo's granny square around our neck at all times! AND she's even giving one away over on Kootoyoo's blog!! Cue brain explosion! *hyperventilates with excitement*

So I'm going to head on over to Kootoyoo's and enter the comp now! Who's with me?!

knitting and unrequited love.

The other night at my favourite monthly musical soiree i was surprised to find a pile of beanies on the front table...
 

Talented singer songwriter Ange Takats learnt to knit in the round, and make lovely stripey beanies while pursuing unrequited love in a small town in Ontario, Canada. (she moved back home and he later married a perky blonde figure skater - in case you were wondering...). This canadian - unrequited - knitting - love story later became a song...

The Knitters Curse

I found a bag full of random things

that I acquired when I lived with you

knitting needles and dusty balls of yarn

and a printed email or two

the last photograph of us together

standing in a cornfield

I am wearing a purple scarf

you are wearing that green beanie

that I knitted for love that I knitted for you

hoping the stitches would pull us through

now you're marrying a figure skater

and a life of simplicity

she looks perky and sporty and blonde

the exact opposite of me

I am certain she could skate loop-di-loops around me in the ring

but when she's listening to Nina with you

are there goosebumps on her skin?

does she knit for love? Does she knit for you?

does she knit for love and will her stitches ever undo?

me and my unravelings

red and yellow, green and grey

these balls of wool keep getting in my way

tangled up in my desire to please

I'm casting off this curse

I'm waiting for release

now I don't knit for love, I just let love be

It's going to take a gentle man

to unwrap me 

Check out her album, if you fancy - it's full of warm, real music and lovely knitting artwork adorns the cover.

It's funny how knitting pops up in the most unexpected of places...