GDITC swap present finished.

Sorry, but this is all I can show for now.


GDITC stands for Girls Day in the Country. It is a day out organised by Kerry of Cottage on the Hill in Nundle, New South Wales. I went for the first time last year to keep my friend company on the road. She had been the previous year and the drive there and back is a bit long on your own. It is just over a 1200 km round trip. There is a guest tutor and it is Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched again this year. Yeah!
There is a large (and growing) contingent of bloggers. Many conversions to blogging happen at this meet. I was one. The bloggers organise a swap. Last year, it was something small that began with N for Nundle. So there were needlecases, notebooks and other nifty things. This year it is some thing small, made using an Anni Downs pattern.
I've finished mine with weeks to spare. Very unusual, as I'm usually doing it all at the last minute. I am a bit concerned I will forget to take it.
The other thing that will be big this year is a display of many of the Gardener's Journal quilts
made by the people on the GJ SAL blog. (See the button on my sidebar.) I am looking forward to seeing all the different versions of this quilt. I only have to quilt and bind mine. Only, she says! Maybe this will be what I'm doing at the last moment.
I have also joined OPAM 2011 -One Project A Month. I'm hoping by joining I'll be a bit more motivated. We'll see. ;-)

Take care everyone,
Kayly

In My Garden.

We live in a house built in about 1963 on a small block of land. So my garden is not large, just the right size for the amount of work I want to put in. It gives me great pleasure, so I thought I might do an irregular series of 'In my Garden'.
At the moment, in my garden, I have white flowers.
Wish we had smell-o-puter. The ginger, jasmine and mock orange provide a heavenly scent.
I'm no spring chicken, so I get a big kick out of learning new things. That's one of the things I love about blogging. I have just spent time learning how to make the above photo collage.
I think I'll be angling for a fancier camera soon.
Take care,
Kayly

A January Finish!

It might not be much, but at least it qualifies as a finish. The shawl has dropped a bit (opened up) more since it's been on the hanger.
I saw this pattern at the Jenny King Crochet stand at a recent craft show. The sample was made up in a brilliant blue thread - recycled sari silk respun.
I used a bright pink thread - 'Brilla' - a cotton/ viscose mix.
I took a while getting used to using the recommended hook for this project. It uses a 16 mm (Q) hook size! It was like crocheting with crowbar!!!!
The shawl should look good over a white or black singlet top.
I have been working on my swap gift for this year's Girls' Day in the Country at Nundle. I'll only be able to show a sneak peek as it is a secret. We had to use an 'Anni Downs' pattern as Anni is the guest tutor again this year.
I've also finished my Gardener's quilt top. Now for the quilting. Lookout Nundle, I might even make it.
Take care everyone.
Kayly

Fresh Hope and Gum Tree Designers

Look what I just found. (Yes, yes, I know I should be downstairs with the ironing.)
A great give-away.
The Gum Tree Designers designed this BOM for the benefit of Fresh Hope. It is part of a range of patterns put together by Creative Abundance and many Australian designers for the benefit of this wonderful organisation.
Fresh Hope is just that a new start for women with drug and alcohol dependency problems. It's different in that it allows mums and bubs to stay together while working through programme.
The Gum Tree Designers have a complete set to give away. Click on the above photo or the Gum Tree logo in my side bar to take you to their blog.
Thank you Gum Trees for designing this quilt and for giving the pattern to Fresh Hope.

Take care everyone,
Kayly

Quiet Week.

DH had the last week off. He didn't want to, as he had plenty of work to do and we wanted to save his holidays for a few long weekends later in the year. He works for a large corporation and the edict was everyone out for the week. It's been a quiet week with all this rain.
So I have been able to finish all the stitcheries for the Gardener's Journal. Now I need to applique the hearts, make the last 2 blocks and put the top together. I'm looking forward to seeing how it comes out. DH pottered in his shed and made a possum box.We have also been to the post-Christmas sales. I got a couple of tops and a new roasting pan. In other words, it was somewhere to go while it rained.

This is this year's Christmas jigsaw. Nearly finished.

We made the most of the 2 fine days we have had. Plenty of washing and the lawn got mowed. We also went to dinner at this restaurant - Watt at the Powerhouse. The Powerhouse was once just that the Brisbane City Council powerhouse. It was decommissioned many years ago. Most of it was dismantled. Someone was smart enough to realise its great potential. It is now an entertainment precinct with 2 good restaurants. This one's on the level of the walk/bike way. So people can just stop for a drink and small bowls of food, and enjoy a great view of the river, or like we did enjoy a delicious 3 course meal. I wish I had taken a photo of my entree. It was a tomato tarte tatin with goat's cheese and a salsa verde. Simply Divine.
DH is back to work tomorrow, so I had better go and iron his shirt. Ironing is not my favourite thing and, boy oh boy, is my ironing pile huge. I wonder if there is blog to encourage people to do their ironing just like this one for WIPs.

Have you got a dryer????

It is very unusual for bird to sit on this verandah, especially when we were just on the other side of the window doing the dishes. It kept following our movements. Poor thing seemed to be after a bit of attention and maybe a bit of sympathy. It's raining again. Dad and sibling were looking for food out in the rain.
I just checked the weather report. Half of our state of Queensland is now under water. To put it in prospective for my overseas friends, the area in flood is bigger than the US state of Texas or bigger than France and Germany combined.
Our thoughts and prayers are with my fellow Queenslanders as they battle the floodwater and the mud and devastation it will leave behind.
Take care everyone,
Kayly