and, and, and, and...

and then we....and also.... this is what this post is going to be like, rambly, shambly, all over the place. bit like myself at the moment! So, I warn you now there will be no linking of one random piece to another, because really I have several things to show and tell and no intelligent or witty way to present them, so you are stuck with this! (It is also because I have started this a few times and had no luck so now you just get the quick and dirty version).

My new dish cloth (starting with the elegant!). Purchased from my favourite soap shop, which is very frenchesque.
The artist is swedish illustrator Lotta Glave Why aren't more dish cloth's this pretty? Has my brain ticking over about the possibilities of printing designs on to the wettex, but not sure how to get them waterproof - any suggestions? And you should see some of the other beautiful things Lotta has designed - I would like one of these please. (my birthday is only a few weeks away - hint, hint!)

Anyway, next I found this fantastic photo taken by Miss L, when I was downloading the latest photo's.

It is of our grape vine which covers the next door neighbour's wall, and presents a stunning wall of green in summer and spring, beautiful reds and yellows in autumn, and bareness in winter. But this photo has made me look at it differently, for its own beauty.

And, I think I mentioned Mum being here, finishing wip's for me (three cheers for Mum). So, Miss L, myself and Mum headed up to Wangaratta during the week to check out the Stitched Up Festival. It's about a 3 hour drive from Melbourne, so we decided to stay a couple of nights, so we could also check out the surrounding area. Although the festival itself was small and quaint, it was nice to visit. I would however, recommend visiting the Bendigo Sheep and Wool show rather than trouping up to Wangaratta - but that is just my opinion. We browsed for a while, then sat by the fire and added a few rows to their scarf knitting challenge. I would love to show you pictures, but photos were not allowed. Shame. If you do find yourself in this part of Victoria though, there were also a couple of good fabric/yarn shops which helped to add some new goodies to my stash.
Also, at the festival Miss L and I paid $2 each for a lucky dip. I got a little paper bag of brightly coloured fabric, and Miss L scored a little bag of green hued wool. She was so excited about all the knitting she could now do, now she had her own wool, that I was coerced into buying some children's knitting needles. Below is a photo of her progress. Not bad for a 5 year old.
She has since pronounced that "now I can knit" and has shown no further interest in adding any more stitches. oh well! As it is still school holidays I guess there are just far too many other things to be doing.

And school holidays is still my excuse for not finishing much lately, but starting several new things, running out of time on some due dates like the Doll Quilt and really just enjoying the complete haphazardness of our days. I have managed to add a few new scrap bundles to the shop - vintage japanese silk and some hand dyed yarn from Marta's, but everything else is on a FWE timeline (finish when ever!). I have'nt forgotten about this month's giveaway either, and am currently assessing my craft books - the give away pile isn't nearly as high as I had hoped! Oh well.