Pink Paper Pinafore

Slip - crochet and knit installation for the Christchurch Arts Festival

Thanks to the patience of Carina I learned to crochet this weekend just gone. By 'learned to crochet' what I really mean is that I can do one very basic flower pattern. But still, I can crochet something. It's a big step forward.

I'm notoriously competitive and the slip project has a leaders board AND prizes but my beginner status forces me to just relax and enjoy the experience of crocheting some sweet little flowers knowing that the gold medal belongs to someone else. Rumor has it that someone has done over 130 flowers!

Mel and Simone have both posted some pretty photos of their contributions.

Millie x

Baby Blanket Progress Report 3

The baby blanket continues to make progress and the pattern is starting to emerge now which is extremely satisfying. Sadly progress will be forced to slow for a couple of week as last night reality sunk in that Craft 2.0 is but weeks away and sock monkey production requires some serious attention!

Millie x

The Social Media T-Shirt

I know it's kind of ironic to post this on in the self indulgent realm that is blogging and I'm pretty sure blogs have their own special place among the spectrum of behavioral disorders but this tickled me regardless.

And could they have found a more perfect model? heh heh.

Millie x

28 Years of Age.

I turned 28 yesterday. Not old, I know, but apparently old enough to be asked by several people whether I was having any "issues" with getting a year older. I can say with all honesty that I've never had any pangs of concern on the birthday cycle - I guess I'm just really lucky to have gotten to 28 without feeling any regrets about the choices I've made for my life so far.

I came down to Christchurch for the weekend and had a lovely ladies lunch with some girlfriends and dinner at a Japanese restaurant with the Mr.

My coworkers treated me to drinks and flowers on Friday before I left Wellington:

Mr. Millie found a very smashing red gift:

And this card made by my friend Rachel just had to be shared. Those of a delicate constitution or under the age of 18 should avert their eyes now... or maybe just don't look too closely.

Millie x

The new faces continue...

A couple of new faces have joined the ranks of the sock monkey gallery. I'm pretty sure the gold and white striped guy will find his way to a very special home - hopefully with someone who is still fond of disco and traffic light cocktails.

I also added these two faces to my own collection. They are prints from this talented duo whose blog I've been reading for a while. If you're into your animals personified then you might like their work too.

Millie x

Flying Wellington to Timaru.

This weekend I flew from Wellington to Timaru to visit my parents. Flying to a tiny domestic airport is a special experience - if you fly Wellington to Timaru it goes a bit like this:

1 plane. 20 seats, 10 down each side - the plane could only flatteringly be described as a pencil.
2 pilots. One of which also served as the usher, the safety demonstration and the baggage handler - as in, when we arrived in Timaru he unloaded the bags and pulled (yes pulled, no motorised golf cart thing) our bags on a trolley into the terminal.
3 people to greet me at the airport.  Mr. Millie told me he was staying in Christchurch to go to the test match with a client but surprised me at the airport with my mum and dad.
4 dollars. That's how much my flight cost. Go Grab a Seat!

Millie x

Baby Blanket Progress Report

So, here's the progress so far on My Knitting Project. Doesn't look like much but that's the third ball of yarn you see before you so many of hours of progress have been made I assure you. Perhaps surprisingly to some, a whole ball of that progress was made at Craft and Cocktails on Saturday night.

So far this pattern has been a very positive experience. I've only had to undo 1 lace row and the great thing about the pattern is that every second row is a plain knit row so it's a great "buffer" against mistakes and you don't risk loosing stitches as you undo yarn overs or knit togethers.

Millie x

More New Faces

Because I buy most of my socks wholesale these days and I have to buy a minimum of 6 pair - per colour - at any one time I'm usually reluctant to buy a colourway unless I think it'll be popular and generally pleasing to many.  However, when there is a sock sale going on at a certain big purple department store chain I can let loose a little and buy just one or two pair of any old sock I like, safe in the knowledge that if no one else likes the colour I'll only have one little fulla left sitting on the stray monkey pile.

Letting loose = buying socks with abandon? Hmm, I should probably get out more.

Theses little guys are the fruits of last week's sock sale and this weekend's labour.

   

    

Millie x

My Most Ambitious Knitting Project Ever

So, here it is. The most challenging, the biggest and the whitest piece of knitting I've ever attempted.

Using 3ply and 3mm needles cast on 346 stitches...

It's a lovely vintage pattern for a baby blanket that my Grandmother gave me about a year ago. I've wanted to do it ever since and now that I know 4 people with babies brewing there's never been a better time to give it a go.

Updates, tears, sleepless nights and hopefully ultimate success to follow.

Millie x

Craft & Cocktails

On a cold craft night at the Southern Cross it came to us as a flash of brilliance.

"How about a craft night on the weekends?" said Sue
"Craft and Cocktails!" said Miss Millie

And so it is. Saturday from 6pm and The Hawthorn Lounge.

It will be lovely and relaxed and very civilized. We promise.

Millie & Sue x