...and a Brown Owl In A Pear Tree!!!

In A Pear Tree, a cardigan. Photo Credit: Cathy Rubin.

Well, thank YOU all so much for your fantastic entries to the Little Brown Owl 3rd Birthday Giveaway this week!!  For those who didn't see the announcement on our Facebook page, the winner was Shanon Engel and her new baby due to arrive this winter!  Congratulations again, Shanon - I'm really looking forward to creating something lovely for your baby to wear. 

 

'Little Brown Owl' hand-dyed wool from Tangle & Stash.

Shanon has chosen to have the gorgeous hand-dyed 'Little Brown Owl' coloured wool from Tangle & Stash knitted by me into a cardigan for her new baby. Not just any cardigan, the In A Pear Tree, the cardigan designed by the one and only Cathy Rubin from The Barbarian Horde!

It is a specially-designed cardigan to suit those first few months of baby's life when they grow soooo much, and so fast, with cute design features to give it an individual style.

I'm really looking forward to getting started on the project, and I'll be keeping you all updated with the progress.  It will take me longer than it usually would as I'll be fitting it in between other orders ;)  hehe  Stay tuned for some pictures next week to see how it's coming along!!

Lori xo

♥ ♫♪ Hooty Birthday to Little Brown Owl ♪♫ ♥

Who doesn't love a birthday celebration?!! ♥  Today is the 3rd birthday of Little Brown Owl - three years since I decided to listen to my friends and do custom knitting for a whole bunch of lovely people I didn't know!  Wow, what a full-on, crazy, busy, hectic, fun, exciting three years it's been!!

So, what could be better than a Birthday Giveaway, just for you - all the wonderful people who have stayed with me and asked me to knit them all the things!!  Recently I was shopping a new yarn store I found on Facebook, called Tangle & Stash, as you do... and what did I find, but some hand-dyed wool in a colourway I just couldn't refuse - "Little Brown Owl".

 

So I snaffled it up and tried to figure out how I could use this lovely unisex yarn to create a prize for someone... Now, my time at the moment is pretty limited as I have a whole bunch of woolly orders coming up to winter, some gifts to knit, showcases to knit for, a family who all need jumpers and cardigans for winter and a 4yo who wants "sparkly socks" for her upcoming birthday!

So, here's the plan... rather than me knit something and it be the wrong size, I'm offering up a FREE custom spot as a prize to a randomly chosen entrant using this OOAK "Little Brown Owl" wool from Tangle & Stash!!!  AND - the winner gets to choose what they'd like knitted with it!  Perhaps you'd love a Milo vest, or a Hot Shot vestee, a Mud Puddles, or a Tama.  The options are almost endless - but please check out my available styles - here - and see what you like the look of!!  Sorry, I know there's a lot of choice! lol

 
So, what do you have to do?  Simple!  Like my Facebook page - Little Brown Owl, follow this blog, and comment below saying which style and approximate size you'd like to win (size will be confirmed with the winner following the draw).  Entries will close 8.30pm AEST Tuesday 30th April 2013.  I will use random.org to choose the winner.  Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy!!

***Important Edit***: I have about 434m of this DK/8ply machine-wash wool available here to use (although I may also be able to find a matching trim colour in my stash), therefore some larger garments won't be possible, nor would workable cloth nappy covers be possible (due to the machine-wash treatment of the wool).  If you're not sure if a pattern will work, please ask - and if I notice anything in the comments that isn't possible I'll let you know so you can make an alternative choice.

I can't wait to see what you choose to have knitted with this - good luck!!! :D

Lori xo

You spin me right round baby, right round.... o.O

 

Wow! Two blog posts in a week! Yes, I'm going for a record! Well, not I'm not... and if I was I'd be sure to miss by a mile, but it was a nice idea!!

This is what I got up to yesterday in between eating Anzac biscuits, knitting and school and kindergarten drop-offs and pick-ups:
 
 

 
Winding my way through the wool I really need to knit up in the next week...after I finish the project currently on my needles (which you'll get to see on the weekend)!!  I do have an overabundance of knitting projects happening right now, but I'll keep plugging away and I know I will get there :D


Here's a photo of the dreaded yarn winder I have that makes winding yarn a real chore that usually involves me yelling, growling, stomping and telling the family to leave me alone while I'm in the process of creating yarn balls.  I do need to get a new one, and I got lots of advice on that recently, so I look forward to showing you a new one as soon as I get it!!




Lori xo

Anzac Biscuits with the Owlets

This week on Thursday April 25th it's ANZAC Day here in Australia - a special national day commemorating major military action by Australian and New Zealand troops in World War I.  For those of you not from this part of the world, we also have a very yummy biscuit to mark the day - Anzac Biscuits.  Did I mention they were YUM?!! 

Our littlest owlet is helping make Anzac Biscuits at kindergarten tomorrow, however as she is on a gluten-free and dairy-free diet she unfortunately won't be able to help eat them :(  So today we are making our own Anzac Biscuits using our fabulous Thermomix and this recipe.

   

   

We substituted Nuttelex for the butter, and our own gluten-free flour mix for the plain flour.  This time around the flour mix consisted of sorghum flour, tapioca starch, rice flour and xanthan gum.  

The biscuits were perhaps a little on the runner side than I would have liked and they spread a bit too much.  At first I thought we needed more flour or less liquid next time around, but as the last bit of mixture sat in the bowl waiting for a free oven tray it firmed up.  Next time I'll either put the mixture in the fridge before cooking or just let it sit there for a while first. 

So were they a success?  Um, well I guess the fact that Mr Owl devoured them (he has a thing against gf/df/everything-free food) and that there are only about 6 left from the batch of about 2 dozen means that the taste test was a huge success!!  And that Miss 4 can proudly take her home-made Anzac Biscuits to Kinder tomorrow and feel a part of it all.

Lori xo

Sew while the iron's hot!

I know the phrase is "strike while the iron's hot" but I have no time for striking right now! ;)  Too much fabric/yarn, too little time. It's always the way, it seems. 

So today I'm heating up not the proverbial iron, but the real deal!!

 

The fabric is sorted and coordinated, measurements made, rotary blade cutting, and pretty soon I'll be hearing the familiar vroom of my late Nanna's old sewing machine (yes, it's older than me, but probably a darn sight more reliable lol) as I work to create something both beautiful and functional. 

 

So now I must put down the computer, pick up my pins and get to work.  

 

Stay tuned for the next instalment of my exciting sewing escapades ;) What could I be making?

♥ Lori

Knitters Anonymous

"Hello... My name is Lori and it's been 5 days since I've knitted anything..."  Yes, that is kind of how I'm feeling right now.  Although for the first time in ages I have this sort of feel-like-knitting-but-don't thing going on.  I really do want to knit.  But I think my hands are embracing the rest and my body is in survival mode with today's crazy hot weather. 

My brain knows I should be knitting, knows I'll enjoy it, knows how much I need to get done - doesn't want to leave it to the last minute (and boy is it congratulating and thanking me for saying no to that latest test knit opportunity).  My body is drained, tired, weary.  It's like this when I'm really ill - knitting makes me feel worse.  The one thing that usually relaxes, amuses and inspires me all at once tends only to repulse me when I'm not well. 

 

However, my brain is correct - I do have a lot to get through, so I need to stop procrastinating with household chores (shouldn't it be the other way around?) and get the needles and yarn out and get knitting!!  Now, if only I could decide whether I wanted to start with the layette, the two-at-a-time baby cardigans, or the baby cardigan test knit....

Lori xo

~ Bind off 2012...Cast on 2013 ~

What a knitting year! My crafty hands have been the busiest they've ever been, and even then I feel like I should have knitted more :P  I've completed about 65 projects and have 4 currently sitting as WIPs (work in progress) to be completed in the New Year. 


In total I have managed to knit my way through 12,900 metres (14,701 yards) of yarn this year - my aim was at least 12km (although I was secretly hoping for 13km... but I just really need to sleep tonight, so I don't think I can do the last 100m!), so I'm pretty pleased to have broken through that number!!  I've heard about people running that far....so far all that is a mystery to me... hmmm, maybe that should be something to aim for next year! lol  Hey, I could knit 12km while running 12km!!  Now it's just getting ridiculous. Can you tell I'm tired? ;)


Following on from this year of knitting, I now have custom knitting bookings already keeping me busy up to July!!  However, there is one big difference this year to next year - I have actually made space in my calendar for myself and my own friends and family.  I look forward to sharing my new year of knitting and creating with you - a lot of it will be personal, selfish creating, so I hope you don't mind ;)


Another aim I have for 2013 is to spend more time crafting with my two girls. They both now have a yarn stash and are keen to get knitting - but I just never seem to have any relaxed knitting time to teach them - I'm always rushing off to finish the next order.  I'm very much looking forward to sharing their crafting journeys with you in the coming months.
  

I'll leave you with a snap-shot of my favourite knitting projects for the year; thank you so much for being a part of it with me.  Happy New Year!!!! ♥

Lori xo