Op shopping in Adelaide

After my visit to the South Australian Museum I managed to squeeze in 3 op shops...no suitable beer mug/tankards here...

Corvus bennetti

At the wonderful South Australian Museum again. I took in all the fabulous works on exhibit in the 'Waterhouse' prize. Lots of glass artists among the finalists.

Oaks and acorns

Woodland tankard

Heather stellar beret

Despite my sewlution, the Calendula Audrey in Unst (CAIU)I find myself starting a new crochet project. I bought some yarn at Stitch n Time in Phillip ( oh wondrous Suburb) because I have identified a gap in my wooly wardrobe, well it has only just appeared as a friend from Sydney who needed to borrow a warm beanie when visiting last weekend took it back with her...so while the weather is chilly (-6) the other night I need something other than my Selkie beanie which is rawther too lacy to keep my noggin warm.

After flicking through Ravelry I came across the Stellar beret...which it seems is going to be as much as a challenge in crochet as the CAIU is in knitting. Yikes, crochet patterns are full of more jumbo jumbo than knitting ones.

Stellar beret by Linda Permann

Learning how to do a magic circle

A surprising day out in Phillip...

The first year of my BVA (studio Glass) I gave my Dad a very wonky blown glass 'beer mug' for Father's Day (in September here in Australia). It became a bit of a tradition, you can see my progress in glassblowing through 4 years of 'beer mugs'. This year I'm out of class and I do more casting than blowing...

So I had this idea to make Dad a cast 'Display' tankard for this year's Father's Day. I thought I would find a tankard I liked the shape of, make a rubber mould of it, pour a wax, add some design elements and then cast it in glass. I have decided to go for an English woodland theme. Oak leave and acorns with, if it works 3 woodland animals; a fox, a hedgehog and a squirrel.

So I have been searching all the op shops in Canberra for tankards of any description as long as they 'fit' my aesthetic (see pinterest board dad's tankard).

I have found 2 specimens so far...

The surprise about the suburb of Phillip is that I went there for op shopping and found, 2 sewing machine shops, 1 fabric shop, 1 yarn shop, 1 beading shop, (2 paper supplies shops I didn't even get around to looking in) and a few decent looking cafes...in one of which I had an excellent coffee (not the easiest thing in Australia's Capital City).

I was pleasantly flabbergasted, mostly because, in Sydney Spotlight and Lincraft have driven out the independent stores. I bought yarn, industrial sewing needles and oil (yes I do want a litre of it) browsed fabrics, buttons and beads and found somewhere that will take a look at my aged Elna.

Awesomesauce!!

Old dressing table redo

Over the last few weeks, here and there I have been 'doing up' a grotty old dressing table that I bought for $20- at the Green Shed at Mugga Lane. Missing it's mirror, one foot and metal? handles (which seemed to have been angle grinded off) with a stained and scuffed dark veneer, it wasn't looking good. However all the drawers and workmanship is sound

Our bathroom /ensuite is quite minimal in design and storage, and with our bedroom having a decent amount of space at the end of the bed, I thought I would, for once in my life have a dressing table. I can stash away quite a lot of bits and pieces in those huge drawers and once the bedroom walls are painted white/cream I think it will look bright and fresh.

I'm planning on casting my own glass drawer pulls, though I am having trouble deciding on a theme. The other part I am having trouble with is deciding a shape for the mirror. hmmmmm.

sanded up to 320 and waxed.

ebay vanity set, brush and comb turned out to be practical!

wiped and vacuumed

Cleaned with sugar soap

a quick sand for 'tooth'

1 coat of white paint

1 coat  of  Dulux's colour 'Magnetic magic' which I mixed with a bit more white

distressing finish half done

My namesake...

In the past I have been given many things that relate to hedgehogs because of my name...

hedgehog study for Dad's tankard

buttons at the Old bus depot markets

More buttons. However it may take longer to find a home for these fuzzy cat buttons. The teal selection are dyed by the Camelot yarn people.

Let's twist again...

I stayed up until 1am to finish the twisted rib section on the body of my Calendula 'Audrey in Unst'. Though it can be seen that some of my twisted rib is dancing. Twisted ribbing involves knitting or purling through the back of the stitch. This technique raises the rib slightly making the design more prominent. You can see that every now and then (or more often) I have totally forgotten if I was twist purling or knitting creating a shifting twist. Ah well, one lives and learns...my next one will be better.

I will only frog if the mistake is major

The ocean at the end of the lane at my doorstep

My BF said he had ordered me a book. I thought nothing further of it until arriving home in the dark after a long drive from Sydney. There was a parcel.

I have been waiting for this for a long time...thank you!

Buttons, thrifted.

Don't you love it when you buy something for the stash, just because...and very shortly you find yourself actually using it...vindication!

A few weeks ago I checked out one of the larger 'vinnies' (short for St Vincent's op shop) in south Canberra. I left with a pretty good haul, all the items fitted and were in good nick, only the skirts got chopped a foot. The haberdashery section was quite small but there were quite a lot of buttons. I bought a few packets at 50cents and a dollar I grabbed anything that even vaguely appealed to me as buttons are usually expensive.

I found some real mother of pearl shirt buttons (I call them that because they are small), all the rest are plastic apart from a set that may be some sort of woody stuff.

My mum used to work in the rag trade and I remember thinking that mother of pearl was kind of boring but now I rarely see them on RTW clothing, plastic being the norm.

This morning I discovered that one of the buttons on my thrifted orange cord skirt was missing and the gap was filled marvelously with one of the larger tortoiseshelly vinnies buttons that may I say is a better match than the original. I also may have found buttons for my Calendula Audrey in Unst. The small square purpley ones

selection of button from Vinnies

small textured purpley ones that I might use for my Audrey In Unst

I liked the replacement button so much I have now matched them

Calendula Audrey in Unst

So at last I have cast on my Audrey in Unst and started on the twisted rib (had a conversation with the other half about the name...as a Scot he is confused about the link with Unst and Lace, not about Unst lace makers but his own memories of Unst I think). With the gauge problem I have decided to go with the needles the pattern suggests and add 4 rows every 10 cm's as the gauge width is perfect and I don't know what else to do.

These leggings are really warm! Great for a Canberra winter.

Poppies

make me happy. Bought them last weekend at the Canberra Farmer's Market along with out first Truffle purchase. (they have lasted well, still pretty on Friday)

Gorgeous colours, awesome crinkles, love watching the petals emerge from those hairy buds.

Mythago autumn dreaming

Journal sketches for a new project