I'm back!

It has been very quiet here on the blog, but I expect that is going to change very soon!

Our eldest son has moved out - he has gone to the Netherlands, where he will start at university in September. I miss him, but we keep in touch via Skype, Messenger, Instagram etc, and we will see him in December, when we will finally visit the Netherlands again.

In the meantime we have taken over the room that was his bedroom (our small bedroom is now a study) - and that means that I finally have room for my sewing machine again!

 I'm so excited, and I have plans for so many projects! The first one will probably be a new cover for the sewing machine, for this one is not looking very good after 16 months in the garage...

I also want to make a quilt! Yes, the first one since 2017! Stay tuned...

The reason why I haven't posted anything here in the last three months is that I've spent all my free time studying, instead of creating. I've started a Bachelor of Arts at Open Universities Australia, majoring in History and Art History. I'm so enjoying it! I've just finished an essay for my Australian Art course about Grace Cossington Smith, one of the early Australian Modernists. I had never heard of her, but now I adore her work! Her painting Trees (c. 1927), pictured above, is probably my favourite, but there are so many other painting and drawings that I love. Like this one, Things on an iron tray on the floor (c. 1928):

Or this drawing, part of her magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge series, Great white ship at Circular Quai (1931-1932):

 You can read more about her here - and a Google Image search will bring up dozens of beautiful artworks. Enjoy!

Embroidery

Last week I read A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier, one of my favourite authors. It's about the life of a single woman (one of the so-called surplus women) in the 1930s in England. Embroidery and bellringing are important themes. It's beautifully written, and very thought-provoking. I highly recommend it.



I had just finished the cardigan I showed in the previous posting, and was trying to decide what to crochet next. But after reading the book I decided I really wanted to give embroidery a go. In my craft stash I found some muslin fabric and embroidery hoops (from when I used to sell screenprinted fabric stretched in hoops in my Etsy shop Blue Jacaranda). I bought some embroidery floss and was ready to start.



I knew what I wanted to embroider: a Lone Star. Even though I don't make quilts anymore, my house is still full of them, and quite a few of them are Lone Star quilts. My Classic Lone Star Quilt is on our bed, and my Lone Star Mini Quilt is hanging on the bookcase in the bedroom. I look at it every morning when I do the exercises for my Achilles tendon!



And when I look to the other side I see Mondrian's Lone Star Quilt, hanging on the wall in the hallway:



And that is the one I want to reproduce in embroidery. I really like the colours and the fact that it is so asymmetrical.



I started last Friday and this is where I'm at today. I'm enjoying the process very much - except threading the needle! And I've got lots of ideas for other embroidery projects, so stay tuned...

(there's also the crocheted Lone Star Blanket that I still have to finish...)

Scheveningen

Last week I had to make a quick trip to the seaside town of Scheveningen in the Netherlands, where a family member was admitted to hospital. Sadly he won't be going home again, so I had to clean out his apartment and organise lots of things.
Needless to say it was a stressful week, although thankfully some good friends came to help and it was lovely to see them again, even under these sad circumstances.
I brought my current crochet project (the Happy Whirl shawl) but didn't crochet a single stitch - during the day I was too busy and at night too tired (jet lag...)
I did go for an early morning run three times (not difficult since I was awake at 5am most days). It was cold (around 4 degrees centigrade), colder than it ever gets in Queensland, but invigorating! (and so good for my mental health)



I had to stop a few times to take photos of the gorgeous sunrises and the stunning sky:




(more pics on the photo blog)

Of course I bought some Dutch delicacies to take home to my boys (liquorice, spiced cookies, Saint Nicholas treats, syrup waffles). I also got some crochet books and bookazines:



The top right book, Haken met Joep (Crochet with Joep), is written by a 17-year-old boy called Joep who learned to crochet when he was six and now sells handmade beanies in his online shop. How cool is that! (I showed it to my boys, but sadly it hasn't inspired them to take up crochet).
The amigurumi book was a belated birthday gift from my sister-in-law. It's written by Dendennis, a Dutch guy who designs very original amigurumi.
And I'm sure the Scheepjes Yarn bookazines need no introduction, they are just chock-full of gorgeous projects.



Now I'm home again, exhausted and once more suffering from jet lag... I still haven't picked up my crochet hook but will do that soon - have to finish my middle son's amiguruME doll!

Jacaranda time

October is jacaranda time in Queensland. There aren't as many jacarandas on the Gold Coast as in Brisbane, but that only makes them stand out more. Here are a few pics of my favourite jacarandas in our area.







Meanwhile my Happy Whirl shawl is slowly growing:



The second colour change has happened! Can't wait for the purple to appear.



I have also made a start on my fourth amiguruME doll. Stay tuned for a reveal soon!

Melbourne

Last week youngest son and I travelled to Melbourne to watch his eldest brother compete in the Australian Gymnastics Championships. Unfortunately Hugo injured his knee on the fourth apparatus during the first competition and was pulled out. His team won gold on the day and thankfully he could join them on the podium, crutches and all!



He had an MRI the next day which showed that his ACL was torn. Bad news, as this means he will need surgical reconstruction followed by 9-12 months of recovery. He's taken it in his stride however, and has signed up for a judging course, so he can still go with his clubmates to the State Club Championships at the end of June, and judge instead of compete. He also hopes to do some coaching this year. The brilliant photo below was taken by one of the photographers of WinkiPop Media minutes before his injury, high-fiving his coach after a succesfull rings routine:



Hugo's injury understandably put a damper on our stay in Melbourne, but Robert and I did get to do some sightseeing and met our Dutch friends for dinner, which was lovely. It was Robert's first time in Melbourne and he loved seeing the autum colours - something we don't have here in Queensland! (more Melbourne pics on my photo blog here)



I took him to Hosier Lane to see the street art, but he wasn't very impressed - he called it Stinky Street!



We did like this painting (more street art photos on the photo blog here):



Here is another kind of street art - an art deco mosaic constructed in 1933 by Napier Waller on the facade of Newspaper House in Collins Street (more art deco photos on the photo blog here, and some art nouveau photos here):



We really liked the cubes in Flinders Street:



There was even a crocheted one!



I had brought a ball of yarn and a hook but didn't do any crocheting. We did visit my favourite shop in Melbourne, Morris and Sons:



I bought some yarn as a souvenir ;-)



Love the warning on the label!!



All in all we did have a good time, but were happy to go home on Sunday (Hugo flew home on the same day with the Queensland team). Robert hopes to go back to Melbourne in December for the ballroom dancing championships!

Easter

How was your Easter weekend? Mine was perfect - my yarn arrived on Thursday, so I spent a lot of time crocheting diamonds, while listening to an audiobook or watching Netflix (got through series 1 of Victoria over the weekend!)



I made twenty-three background diamonds - only 157 to go! (or more if I want the blanket to be rectangular instad of square...)



It was wonderful to have a break after the hectic first term of the year, settling in our new home. We are very happy here on the Gold Coast but it has been exhausting; new jobs, new schools, new clubs, finding our way around, making new friends. Especially doing all that for the second time in just over a year...

However, we didn't just stay at home and relax - we decided to explore some of the beautiful Gold Coast Hinterland and went to Mount Tambourine on Sunday and to Springwood National Park on Monday. There we did the 4k hike to the bottom of the Purling Brook Falls - it was very muddy and slippery after all the rain we've had, but well worth the effort!



You can find some more pics on my photo blog.
My youngest son has taken possession of my old DSLR and brought it along as well. Love this photo my husband took of the two photographers in the family :-)

Diamonds

Not much to tell - I'm still making blue diamonds to add another round to the Lone Star. I have done 30 now, 24 more to go! On a very good day I make five or six, but usually only two or three, so it takes a while.
Still loving these blues - they really are my colours :-)



A while ago I ordered this book by Amanda Perkins:



I discovered her work on Ravelry a while ago and loved it, especially her Severn Sea blanket and Zigzag Crochet Blanket. In her book I read that she used to make patchwork quilts and art quilts, which may be what appeals to me in her work! The book includes 10 patterns but Amanda encourages the reader to create something unique with the block patterns she provides, rather than merely copying her blankets. It has useful chapters on colour, equipment and techniques, and is full of gorgeous colour photos. I'm finding it a great source of inspiration and can highly recommend it!

The first posting of 2018

Happy New Year! After a lovely holiday in Canberra and Girraween (pics on my photo blog) we have touched down on the Gold Coast. Our possessions had been in boxes for almost two weeks and the quilts were a bit musty smelling, so I hung them out in the yard to freshen up:

My sewing room is ready for action, but I haven't had time to use it yet... However, today I have unpacked the last box, tomorrow the boxes will be picked up by the movers, and on Monday the boys go back to school, so I hope to start creating again soon! I did a little bit of crochet while we were camping, but not as much as I had hoped to do. I did read seven books though ;-).



I've found a yoga studio just around the corner from our new house and discovered that my Pineapple Bag is perfect for carrying my yoga mat!



And last but not least, after 11 years we finally have a pet! (until now we were never allowed to have one in our rental houses). This is Barney, an adorable 9-year-old part Long-haired Dachshund, part Blue Heeler, that we found at the local animal shelter and adopted.



We've all fallen completely in love with him, and he has taken possession of the Rainbow Floor Cushion:



Did anyone say dog portrait quilt?...

Road trip to Brisbane

Last week, when the boys had school holidays, we drove down to Brisbane. We met up with old friends and visited our favourite places, such as New Farm Park (photo above), where the jacarandas were blooming. It was so good to be back!



In New Farm I took a few pics of some gorgeous art deco buildings (more pics on my photo blog):



We also spent some time in South Bank. I love the bougainvillea there:



A typical Queensland thunderstorm rolled in while we walked past the Streets Beach. I'm very pleased with this photo!



I did a lot of crocheting both in the car and in our B&B at night...



... and came home with this pile of granny squares. Only a few more to go and then I can start to assemble the Sea Colours blanket!