Made By Hand

Satisfied Mind Silver and Onyx Drop Earrings

New works in progress

A finished custom made bracelet and pendant in progress, featuring shells the client brought back from Vanuatu

Re-stocking the bowl of beads for the French Market in West End on the 21st of December

'Made By Hand' is a weekly creative show and tell, with an aim to foster community, conversation and inspiration.

My aim is to craft a life of homemade, home grown happiness. 

So, what are you creating right now? Join in by leaving a link below.

It's been a productive week at the bench this week, with custom orders, client repairs, new stock and more beads being produced. I feel like I am on a bit of a roll at the moment - fitting in bench time each day, crossing things off my to-do list, sketching out new ideas - and it's a good feeling. 

Our little bump is 15 weeks old now and another ultrasound showed a healthy, strong, little person. (The bleeding has stopped, for now, and I have my first high risk hospital appointment next week. I feel that I am in good hands.) So I am trying to squeeze in as much work as I can, without over doing it, before my bump gets so big that I can no longer fit behind the bench. When that happens, I will be picking up my knitting needles and focusing on some wee hand knits and an ambitious baby blanket! If you are interested in a custom make in the near future, I'd say the window of opportunity may close in about three months.

Has it been a productive week for you?

My Creative Space

I collected up my odds and ends of yarn, picked up my hook and started on a little project yesterday. A simple and practical project. One of the simple joys of crafting and homemaking. Crochet cushions for our new cane chairs. A few more evenings on the couch and they should be ready to add a touch of handmade colour to our front deck.

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Joining in with My Creative Space.

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Did you see Belinda Marshall's work featured on Design Sponge today? Congratulations Belinda!
A sweet interview with Kate about Living in Dayesford
Swooning over Sophie's lovely pics
Pip has a fabulous hexagon crochet tutorial over here

My Creative Space

An oobee from Maze & Vale scraps, and the diy oobee

I really couldn't resist. I'd had in mind to wait until Emerson's first birthday in February to make up the diy oobee kit I brought. Her first handmade softie for her first birthday. But I couldn't wait. Her first handmade softie for her first Christmas? Absolutely! 

So last night my sewing machine sat on the dining table and while Cohen played Lego and Emerson crawled around the legs of the chairs, squirreling away scraps of fabric, I cut and stitched these dear little oobees. Leslie had been so kind as to include some large scraps of hand printed fabric. I stitched them together to make one piece of fabric and it was the perfect size to make another oobee. I finished him off with a mustard coloured felt face (but forgot to remove the pencil marks on his face before taking these photos!) This sweet scrappy oobee will being going to live with a little boy who has just turned one.

I love how they have turned out. I don't think they could be any cuter. And I love having another handmade gift to wrap and place under the tree.

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Joining in with my creative space.

My Creative Space

Three years ago I left a comment about a brooch on a blog post (the last brooch). A post I found through My Creative Space. I inquired about the price. Kylie wasn't yet selling her beautiful wares, but she wanted me to have it anyway. And I still have it. Cohen was just a baby then. I remember nervously going to my first mother's group wearing that brooch for a bit of added confidence. I met one of my very good friends for the first time that day. She recalled a couple of years later that she had first noticed me because of my brooch.

A few months ago, Kylie saw a hot water bottle cozy I'd made and commissioned one for herself. It was a lovely compliment. I have been knitting away here and there and was pleased to stitch the buttons on yesterday. Just in time for Kylie's arrival home from a working/holiday to London, Berlin and Paris. I sifted though a tin of op-shopped buttons until I uncovered these. An old pair of metal Eiffel Tower buttons. They seemed just the thing. 

It seemed apt to post the finished cozy here too, in My Creative Space.

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More Creative Spaces here.

Ravelry.

My Creative Space

My parents had a little bottle of sand art on their shelves that always fascinated me as a child. I remember collecting sand and soil where ever we went in attempt to create a bottle of my own. I think I enjoyed making these little jars with Cohen just as much as I would have when I was a child. We used this tutorial from flax & twin. It was messy fun and we are both super pleased with the results. Aren't they sweet?

These are a few more projects we would like to try soon -

Sidewalk chalk spray

Coloured rice art tutorial
Baking soda and vinegar experiments
Balloon bongo, rice shaker and guiro
Simple Summer time tents
Bubble wands
Rain Stick

Any suggestions to add to our list?
What have you been creating lately?

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More Creative Spaces here.

My Creative Space

Although I have been mainly knitting of late, I did finish this crochet ripple cot blanket for a friend's gorgeous baby girl. It was lovely to get out the hook again. It really is so much quicker than the needles. And I do believe that every baby needs a handmade blanket.

Pattern: Lucy's Neat Ripple Pattern

Improvised border: Alternating three double crochet with one double crochet between each row

Ravelry.

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More Creative Spaces here.

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Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a $50 gift voucher from inHomewares.

My Creative Space

This sweet interview with Alicia Paulson lead me to an old CraftSanity podcast. I spent a relaxing hour listening, knitting and drinking tea while both children slept. It was such a lovely and inspiring way to spend my Mama time for the day that I repeated it yesterday with Amanda Blake Soule's interview. 

In this way I finished the 'Autumn Leaves' top for Emerson. My first ever girls knit. I really enjoyed working on this piece. It wasn't too difficult, though it challenged me a couple of times, since I am still learning. I'm glad to have picked up some new techniques and I'm really pleased with how it has turned out.

Do you listen to podcasts? Do you have any that you would recommend, crafty or otherwise?

Pattern: 'Autumn Leaves' by Nikki Van Der Car

Yarn: Bendigo Woolen Mills Luxury 8 ply in 'Purple Storm'

Buttons: Vintage from the stash

Ravelry.

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My Creative Space

The 'Autumn Leaves' knit for Emerson is taking shape, while a few more rows have been added to the blanket. 

Bringing a bit of the season inside, and trying my best to go slowly and allow my body time to recover from the surgery.

Ravelry.

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More Creative Spaces here.

My Creative Space

A blanket for Emerson, like this one I made for a friends baby, when I first announced my pregnancy.

Ravelry.

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More Creative Spaces here.

My Creative Space

As the 39 week mark approaches, I am still here knitting, reading and waiting. The back and front of the raglan sweater are finished and I've begun on the sleeve. In the past week I've made my way through 'The Slap' and 'The Seamstress.' Two rather large volumes I highly doubted I'd have time for when I picked them up from the library. (I love ordering my books online and getting a text message when they are ready to be collected at the library. Sometimes you just want to keep library visits quick with a toddler in tow.) 

I'm feeling a little emotional and frustrated about our camera today. It's funny how attached one gets to ones camera, is it not? My dear camera comes with me everywhere and is always ready at a moments notice to capture a toddler smile or an interesting cloud. Unfortunately our beloved Lumix has incredibly bad timing. The shutter button will only depress with all sorts of super human effort, making most photos blurry as a result. It has thus been taken off to the repair man, a month out of warranty, and just before the impending birth. I feel quite a bit naked without it already and I have little hope of it making it's return in time for the birth. Thank goodness for sisters cameras, though things may be quiet here on the blog until I get a chance to borrow it.

Hope all is well with you and many thanks also for all the lovely comments of late.

Ravelry.

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More Creative Spaces here.

My Creative Space

It's been almost a year since I knitted my first ever garment, a vest for Cohen, and posted it in 'My Creative Space.' Hooray for recording such moments through blogging. The differences between these two vests amaze me. From miscounting my stitches on that first vest, and making the vest too large, to learning how to calculate a smaller chest size than the pattern offered, so that the cabled vest fits Cohen now. Or crocheting around the neck for fear of picking up stitches, to picking up many stitches around the neck and arm holes to make the ribbing. Needless to say, I'm quite pleased with how this little vest turned out and how much my knitting has improved. I also think a three year old in a vest is a pretty cute thing, though I may be biased.

I'm feeling inspired for the next knitting challenge...

Pattern: 'In the family', Vintage Knitting Book

Yarn: Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic Wool 8ply, Green Tweeed

Ravelry.

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My Creative Space

I started this 8ply cabled vest for Cohen on Monday, after convincing myself that I would just cast on and knit the ribbing before returning to the 4ply raglan cardigan. Just to see what the wool was like. But It's knitting up so quickly. And the raglan cardigan? Um, well...

Ravelry.

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More Creative Spaces here.

My Creative Space

Completed back, front ribbing begun

I have been waiting on the arrival of some wool, but felt the need to have something on my needles in the meantime. Especially given all the moments to knit I have been finding lately. (Though who knows for how much longer.)

After completing my first ever raglan sleeve garment, I felt quite optimistic about trying another one, though for the baby this time. I discovered this old knitting pamphlet amongst some gifted knitting booklets and retrieved a ball of 4ply wool from my stash - which had been brought for a project that has since been abandoned. 

I love that this pattern has a 4ply and 8 ply version. If I can knit it with success this time, I dare say I shall be knitting it again in the future. I did have a fair bit of ripping out to do after I realised I had been K2tog, P2tog, when I should have been K2, P2tog for the raglan decrease. I'm also hoping that blocking it at the end will have the fabric looking less holey that it does at present, though perhaps it is the wool?

What have you been making?

Ravelry.

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More Creative Spaces here.

My Creative Space

Finished. Six embroidered linen napkins ready to be gifted to a lovely someone for Christmas. 

From the tutorial I shared here.

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More Creative Spaces here (or maybe not.)

My Creative Space

I've been feeling decidedly uncrafty of late, which is very unlike me. So it was lovely yesterday, while Cohen napped, Fiona and I cut, glued and talked in the uninterrupted silence that is a sleeping toddler. Fiona created a pink owl and I a blue one, using this pattern, while also honing our hot glue gun skills.

In Christmassy colours I think these would make great decorations for a table or windowsill. These two, however, shall most likely be making their way into the nursery. First I shall have to secure them from Cohen, who has been happily hooting at them and waving them around while singing "fly, fly!" Perhaps sooner rather than later at that, just in case they go the way of our keys and my phone and "fly" over the balcony to the grass below...

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More Creative Spaces here.

My Creative Space

Thanks for all your lovely birthday wishes yesterday! I had a lovely day indeed and will share photos of my adventures tomorrow.

In our creative space this week, Cohen and I have been making more wrapping paper. This time we collected leaves from the garden, blobbed paint onto baking paper, lay the leaves on top and pressed them to the paper. Perfectly pitched to the talents and attention span of an almost-three-year-old (next month in fact! I can hardly believe it myself!)

I have been thinking about further Christmas craft, but thinking is as far as I have gotten so far. I'd like to blame the heat and pregnancy for that. I made so many gifts last year, yet I can't see it happening this year. Rather than feel guilty about it or putting pressure on myself, I am reminding myself about the joys of having a simple Christmas and I am celebrating the achievement of home made wrapping paper too.

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More Creative Spaces here.

My Creative Space

Stitch by stitch the ripple blanket continues to grow. 

The mail man has brought with him a few books of late. 

The Rhythm of Family, Little Things for busy hands, Waiting for Baby and My New Baby.

New jam is a wonderful excuse for some early morning baking. Recipe here.

Anyone waiting on a jewellery order, I have been a little behind with the wedding, but all orders should be finished up today and tomorrow.

What have you been making?

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More Creative Spaces here.

My Creative Space

A bit of maternity stitching to fill the gaps in my wardrobe. Quick, simple and colourful for Summer. It looks cute with a belt pulling it in.

I used this Simplicity pattern and added an extra two inches to the sides and an inch to the bottom at the front to accommodate my growing tummy. Made from cotton found on sale for $5 a meter at Spotlight.

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My Creative Space

I had the best of intentions to have this blanket finished in time for the wedding. Especially given that I have had, um... twelve months to make it. But as it happens, I have some wonderful excuses, in that I have been continually sidetracked by other craft projects for myself.

The last week has seen me pick up where I left off with this project in that slim hope that it may indeed be finished in time for the wedding... or not long after. The only thing is, I keep thinking it would look lovely in the new nursery.

All in all, this makes me a naughty crafter, doesn't it?

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More Creative Spaces here.

My Creative Space

Hello little baby bump. Nearly 15 weeks and still sooo tired.

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More Creative Spaces here.