20% off sale

The Australian summer holidays are over and the new year is kicking into high gear!!

So I've put all my old stock

on sale at 20% off

but only until 20 February 2010

so drop on by and grab a bargain

on some handmade beauties!

Visit my kelgellcreations shop here.

one done another started

After work this morning I visited Lincraft as planned. I even purchased what I planned--and nothing more!!
I finally bought myself some 4mm dpns and sat down with a cup of milo in the appropriate mug (a christmas present that says 'knit one sip one' inside ^^) and cast on my snapdragon flip-tops as soon as I got home. I'm excited. The first seven rounds were easy. The three after that...oh my goodness. It's tricky juggling a cable needle. I understood the instructions well enough but I didn't get my yarn over's right and then accidently slipped my needle out of a few stitches. Once I managed to sort those out I realised I'd increased my stitches on the first needle with the yarn over mixups and had to back stitch the whole round. Arg! Ha ha. Oh boy. It took me so long to do those three rounds. I did increase by one somewhere but I've sneakily solved that one--fingers crossed. At least the instructions are well explained. It's just getting my fingers to work it. Fun challenge though and once I get them done they will be delightful to wear.

I also got my amigurumi panda together. He's a little cautious but he's a cuddly one and will soon be available for adoption in my store. He's been crocheted from a free Lion Brand pattern...with a few adjustments. The other buy from Lincraft was a 3mm bamboo hook so my next amigurumi will be a bit tighter stitched. Plans will soon take place but for now, I think I'll work some more on my snapdragon flip-tops.

panda in pieces

I've been working on an amigurumi panda since I finished making Squishy. I think the jellyfish I made for my newest nephew is simply gorgeous. He was my first amigurumi and I had fun making him so I'm making more. I finished crocheting all the pieces yesterday but couldn't find my wool needle to sew him together. I could use my crochet hook but it's easier to use a needle. Poor panda has had to lie around in pieces with me making plans to buy a new needle. But alas, I came across my wool needle today. Yay! So tonight I think I shall begin pulling panda together.

someone special's jellyfish

I'm thrilled!! My project is done and I love it!! I didn't expect to show you so soon. I had to hurry it along. I started it two days ago guessing I had a week or two before the newest member of our family would arrive. Turns out I had two days! Thankfully I found out early that my sister and her husband had already gone to the hospital and that I had today off. I've spent all day working on him and he's ready. Tomorrow he goes to meet my newest little nephew. So here's Aunty Kelly's welcome gift...a little jellyfish friend.

I dubbed him "Squishy" whilst making him. I couldn't help but think of Dory in Finding Nemo..."I shall call him Squishy and he shall be my Squishy". He he.

Despite these photos, he's actually a range of greens more accurately pictured here. I crocheted him from Moda Vera Lofty and Chantilly (basically acrylic but not nasty acrylic). I made his head and then the circle that closes him up under his frill. I then made the tentacles and attached them to the circle before stuffing and closing him up.
His tentacles define him as a jellyfish (and his frill) and I made each one different. I put two little bells inside each of the thick ones so they give a soft rattle. The curly ones add great texture and character I think too. When my nephew is up to it, I think he'll love grabbing and sucking them.

Gosh. He's just so darn cute. It took some playing to be happy with his eyes and I'm glad I added the smile coz he looked a bit menacing without it.

I like him so much I almost want to keep him but he's for that someone special--my new little nephew Zachary. Ü At least Squishy is staying in the family. Ha ha.

twitchy fingers

I've been eager to get crafting the last day or two but have been putting things off to do things I must. I took time today to do something to sooth my twitchy fingers.
Cast on sock two today. Yay. Gotta get it under way to make a pair by my birthday. Only got this much done before I got a phone call asking where I was. Forgot I was suppose to start work and hour earlier today. Oops.
And this Moda Vera Lofty and Chantilly is some new bargain purchase assigned a special project for a special little someone who will be joining us shortly. Break out my crochet hook and let's hope it's done for the little one's arrival.

snap decision

I've been waiting and pondering how to use my skein of Aussie Silk Merino that my sister bought me as babysitting payment from the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show last July. It needed a special project and my original idea I don't think will work. And today I dropped by Ysolda's lovely blog and found my silk merino's project!
I've actually been eyeing these off for a while. These Snapdragon Flip-Tops are beautiful. Ysolda creates such wonderful designs. I purchased them today after reading her post about donating 50-80% of sales to help Haiti out of the devastation it's under. I decided it was worthwhile spending the money and I would use my waiting merino. They're going to be quite a feat. I'm sure to need help along the way. They will be the most complicated knitting I've attempted to date. But if I can complete them (and have them looking somewhat like they should) they will be delightful to wear.

You can check out Ysolda's great designs and find links to others who are participating in this Haitian help by clicking here.

half way there

Hey look! I got one sock done. It's a little....er...first timer but it's done and wearable. And it's only taken about...oh, 7 months of on and off knitting. Ha ha. That leaves me four months to make its mate. Hmm, better get cracking.

art work

My brother and his family just moved to Sydney (a good 10 hours drive from where I am). They hung out for a few weeks holiday before they followed after their stuff which was already up there. One of the days the four kids came to my house to do a project for me. They each painted me a picture on a little canvas that now hang together on my wall as a reminder of them.

Clockwise from top left: "Lots of Colours" age 4, "Aunty Kelly and me by the seaside" age 6, "Bushfire" age 7, "A Sunset" age 9.

new year's resolution

I'm not really into new year's resolutions. I don't save them up for the 1st of January. I make resolutions as I decide to whatever the time of year. This one just happens to be made as the new year rolled around.

Here I state: I resolve to finish my first pair of knitted socks by my next birthday.

I got a voucher last birthday from my now sister-in-law-to-be which I spent on sock yarn to have a go at this sock knitting I'd seen countless knitters involved in. This is currently where I'm up to. Progressing well enough...slowly. So my resolution gives me five months to finish this one and make its pair--including finding a basic sock pattern as I've lost the one I had originally. Wish me luck!

joy and pain

So I figured out what was going on with my camera. I had both sets of batteries charging last night so I tried the newest ones again. They still didn't work and that's when I realised I hadn't bought rechargeables. I meant to but the lithium batteries I spent quite a bit on were just the one use kind. Oh well. I put the other ones in and took a snap of some joy and pain.

The joy is my new crochet hook. It's wooden and pretty. I'm not sure of the greatness of using it yet as the wooden hook doesn't seem to be quite as smooth as metal but I certainly like the feel of it in my hand. I'll have to try it on some thicker, nicer yarn to really be able to tell. And that's the pain. As nice and bright as these squares are, they're made of 100% acrylic. *GROOOAAN*

christmas goodies

So Christmas is over and the presents are given. Now I can show you some of the making I did previously. I made hampers for the couples in my family with little knick-knacks and some yummy home cooking. There's nothing like home cooking. I baked star shortbread drizzled with white chocolate, mega chocolate chip biscuits and some lemon butter. I didn't taste the lemon butter but I hear it's good. The recipe I had made just one cup which was barely enough to fill each jar so I didn't dare lower the level. I do however like how the labels turned out. Just plain yellow paper which I used a corner punch on and scrawled the words with pen and dipping ink give it a bit of an antique look. Cute. Quite happy with the way it's all turned out.

I haven't been creating much lately other than that. I think I've been distracted with Christmas and the Twilight books. ^^ I did however teach my sister-in-law how to crochet. I taught her a few basics last time she was up and at our Christmas gathering I gave her a crochet book and taught her how to read the instructions and helped guide her as she crocheted a square. She did quite well too. I've been doing some squares myself today but my camera batteries are playing up so I can't show you. They're made with bright acrylic colours with my funky new crochet hook I bought to show by example while teaching. Unfortunately I think I'm spoiled against acrylic. It's just no where near as nice to use as the other wool I have. Oh well.

Happy New Year to you all too! Hope 2010 is a wonderful one for you and that you can learn new things and have fun adventures!