Christmas star

Christmas star
Originally uploaded by inakid

I have been making a few Christmas decorations lately, a few for a swap and others for fun. This star was easy and quick.

Mini tunisian hat

Mini tunisian hat
Originally uploaded by inakid

I had a go at tunisian crochet. First attempt was not quite right but I worked it out without too much trouble. I used Christmas Lily Sugar Cream.

A couple hats

My big boy models a hat

beflecked hat

My littliest boy models another.

Window Pane blanket

Crocheted blanket in Anchor Magicline 10ply cotton. This is a travel / lap blanket for my daughter.

It was fun to make.

 

I am quite happy with it.

5-Hole-Window-Pane-Pattern

Toddler yoked tee

 

I love the yoke style of knitted jumpers. Knitted in beflecked 8ply BFL from the pattern Maxi top. I did make some modifications and the sleeves are finished off with a single crochet edging.

Chunky granny

Chunky granny wip
Originally uploaded by inakid

My work in progress is this big granny square which will hopefully cover our bed. It is all bulky/chunky eco wools including Cascade Eco, Rowan Purelife and a little alpaca. I love it so far.

2012

I have seen this twice. Any truth to the message, I am unsure. But the movie was quite fun and though I found it unbelievable I found it very interesting.

Quick things

Av bee
Originally uploaded by inakid
Crochet is so quick now that i know how, I can make things fast and off the cuff.
Av wanted a bee and so he has one!

A bag crocheted from string for oranges.

 

I used up the last of my own coloured aran organic merino making a newborn elf hat. It is very cute. 

30

In the afternoon after T's marching we travelled to Wangaratta for a get together to celebrate my sister in law turning 30. It was warm yet a relaxed time.

J was given some bubbles and he adored them. He is now 14months and has been walking 6 weeks. I have so many shoes yet he is not keen on them. He did wear real shoes and actually walked in them.

The kids were fascinated by the pool table and had their first go at playing.

The weather is crazy. Its hot, its cold, its warm, its not.

St Johns Ceremony

My daughter was involved in marching out for St Johns cermeony to thank and award St John volunteers.

It was held at the Governor's Mansion on a cooler morning than most this month.

My daughter is the youngest in her region. She was spoken to by the Governess who asked her where was her uniform. She doesn't wear one because she is a junior cadet.

We then had a BBQ organised by Rotary which the kids loved.

Comfort Mum and Bub

I wanted to make something similar to Shalom with 2 skeins of Cascade Ecological wool. I tried to crochet something similar but I wasn't happy with my attempts. I decided to do a prayer shawl that I could also use as a blanket.

It was quickly made and used just one skein. I think its big enough.

Furoside shawl

Just a few pics of my awesome boys modelling a crocheted shawl from Noro Furoside and Plymouth baby alpaca. I might redo the lower edge in another yarn but I love it all the same. The textures of each yarn are the opposite, the alpaca being super soft.

 

Green Neighbours

Neighborly again. This time in the suggested yarn (Lamb's Pride). I much prefer Lanaloft that I used last time but I still liked the end result. Noro again for the collar and stripes. I did 10 stripes to make it a tad longer.

 

 

Again it fits Av and J. N hasn't tried it on yet. I left the armholes unfinished which I actually like, surprisingly. I used a flat button with another on top and I like the effect. I also made the button placement on the other side albeit unwittingly.

I love this on Av.

When only a song can say it

Head Hugger

I love these colours. So much fun to work with.

 

Its Lily Sugar and Creme with black for hdc and multi for the dc.

The pattern is Head Huggers.

The awesome 4 - mid November 2009

Stretchy socks and hat

 

Socks and hat crocheted in Fixation.

Community Festival

We got a pamphlet in our mailbox which Av promtly stole and looked through. It was for the local community festival and he had spotted the kids cooking session. He was so excited about going and I thought why not? He was not quite old enough (targeted for 5-15 years) but N decided he would go too so it was worth going.

They started with pizza topping. I think it was overwhelming for Av though N really got into it and took it very seriously.

They also made berry muffins. Av came into his own when he carefully put his mixture in the pan. The teacher came over and was so amazed by this that she awarded him a prize. He was taken aback by the attention and went shy. He was too cute apparently.

N also got the same prize (sushi making kit) for answering a question about leafy vegetables.

The muffins looked delicious and the pizza was good too. 

They each got a showbag and all this for free, I thought that a great deal.

There was free entertainment and much to see.

N had a go at hip hop dancing at the workshop. He was given loads of attention and he was really keen on it.

We were joined by J and Dad.

The boys got a ride in a teacup!

It was a fun and worthwhile day.

Menstrual cup pouches

I made one (uterus shaped) for me and the berry one for my daughter for when her time comes. The uterus shaped one is fantastic, fits my mooncup snugly. Not that I need it at the moment, but its nice to be prepared.

Crocheted in 1824 cotton and the green is Anchor Magicline.

Bulky hat

 

Bulky hat crocheted in Bernat felting wool. Fast and fun.

Purple Power

I was looking for something to make with 184grams of handspun wool from Ridge Didge @ Yarn collective. This is a simple crocheted shawl/wrap. Its not very big but I think its great anyway. My kids agreed to model it for a good photo each, I am grateful!

And hubby too.

Feminism and motherhood.

I read with great interest these two articles 2002  2008.
I grew up wanting to be a mother. A career never interested me. Not sure why. I would say I wanted to be a teacher, a childcare worker, a youth worker or anything to do with children. Really I just wanted to be a Mum but you can't say that. You have to make something up! I was never told I could be whatever want (something I tell my children) but rather told that I couldn't do certain things for totally irrational reasons. I wanted to be a youth worker. You can't, you aren't confident enough. I wanted to be a writer. You can't, you don't have what it takes. Maybe I am weak for listening to them but I am glad I did. It would have not been what I really wanted to do. I didn't want to marry just anyone or just have children at any cost. But at 21 I did fall in love and marry. I had my first child at 22 and though my Mum cautioned against getting pregnant straight away, our marriage survived and its stronger now.

http://bluemilk.wordpress.com/2007/10/29/what-does-a-feminist-mother-look-like/

1. How would you describe your feminism in one sentence? I am not a part of a movement, I am my own person. I don't belong to any group or label. But I feel strongly that as an individual I can make an impact and I have rights. Its all about human rights for me.  When did you become a feminist? Was it before or after you became a mother? I have no clue- I am only starting to realise that I am and I believe it impossible for me not be interested in my rights! I have always been interested in human rights so its the same to me.
   
2. What has surprised you most about motherhood? I didn't expect to learn so much.
   
3. How has your feminism changed over time? More aware of the need for it, still trying to understand it. What is the impact of motherhood on your feminism? The balancing act - we all have value, nobody's needs are more important than anyone else's needs. So though I attend to my children I have to look after myself too.
   
4. What makes your mothering feminist? My children are equal with me in their value as is my husband, we work together as a family, I am not their slave, I am their mother, my husband's wife. How does your approach differ from a non-feminist mother’s? Honestly have no idea. What is a non-feminist? A misognist? How does feminism impact upon your parenting? I aim for equality and fairness. I question anything and everything whenever I can.
   
5. Do you ever feel compromised as a feminist mother? It is a balancing act. Do you ever feel you’ve failed as a feminist mother? Yes, no one is perfect.
   
6. Has identifying as a feminist mother ever been difficult? Yes. Its not something I talk about much. Its still something I am trying to work out. Why? The general consensus is that feminism is no longer necessary and we should be just be happy we have the vote. That is why we need feminism, we are far from equal with that attitude. We are given the impression all is well with us and we don't need to fight and we are should get on with our lives. The powers that be don't want us to indentify as feminists as it ruins their status quo.
   
7. Motherhood involves sacrifice, how do you reconcile that with being a feminist? Yes that is the balancing I realise. I need sleep, my child needs my care. I have learnt to meet in the middle ground and its something I have to think about in the big picture.The way I parent facilitates as much as possible the needs of our family as a whole.
   
8. If you have a partner, how does your partner feel about your feminist motherhood? He has only started to realise I am a feminist but is not that surprised. He has commented about those crazy feminist hippies. He married one and its changing the way he thinks and we are working more as a team than ever before. What is the impact of your feminism on your partner? We have more respect for each other. He sees my needs are just as important as his, that women are human and the issues that women face affect us all.
   
9. If you’re an attachment parenting mother, what challenges if any does this pose for your feminism and how have you resolved them? I think it makes it easier in some ways. Helps keep a better balance. If I feel connected to my children then I can address their needs and wants, in turn they feel more confident and independant and I feel more whole too. I still feel as though at times I don't have personal space or me time but it comes around and it is important to me. My children's well being is of utmost importance so its just a matter of prioritising, which is the challenge. Its not meant to be easy.
   
10. Do you feel feminism has failed mothers and if so how? In some ways yes, because the belief that feminists can't be mothers or don't want to be is wrong. We need the free thinkers and the questioners to be procreating. We need stronger families and it starts with mothers. Its sad to me that the biggest feminist issue is largely being ignored ie. Birth.  Its the beginning, it is everything, it is so important and it involves women solely. Personally, what do you think feminism has given mothers? Perspective....

Why do you like photos so much, Mum?

I enjoy reading other people's blogs as they articulate so much better what I want to say. I don't feel that confident in what I want to say so usually keep it brief. I have found it helpful to answer questions people put out there on things that interest me so I might put them up. There are some things that are so very important to me and the right words are hard to find. Most of the time I have my children here so they are the priority and I can't write clearly anyway without interruption. At the moment I am feeding J while I try to protect myself (he likes to tweak) and write this. As much as I multi task, its never perfect. There just isn't enough time in the day.
My 6 year old asked me why do I like photos so much. I explained that sometimes a picture can say 1000 words. Much easier sometimes to post photos than write essays.

So though some of my photos aren't that great, its the moment and it says more than I can say in words.