Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Jan 25, 2012, 6:54 am
Why not? Here are a few more photos from Bruges, Belgium, last September. The view from the top of the Belfort. Quite a climb. Well, hello.
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Jan 23, 2012, 7:52 am
In my family we always make Christmas and birthday lists to help each other choose gifts (though we like surprises too). One of the things my sister wanted was a fabric cover for an A5 diary. She had seen some on madeit, and I would have been quite happy to buy her one there, if I could have found a...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Jan 15, 2012, 6:13 am
The other day I was hunting in my wool cupboard for something when I came across a packet of lavender scented cedar balls. They are supposed to be a moth deterrent (both the cedar and lavender scents are allegedly unappealing) but I'm pretty sure they don't do much good sealed in their packet. These...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Jan 9, 2012, 6:05 am
This Christmas present for our littlest nephew was a collaboration between my sister (she's here too) and me. I knitted the doll and she brought it to life by adding the face. It was a joke that instantly became an excellent plan - I sent her the link to show her what I was making and said 'don't wo...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Jan 2, 2012, 5:21 am
I had plenty of lavender left after making the eye pillow, so I took the opportunity to make a few little lavender sachets for presents. The lavender came in a big bag and it was a bargain because it was still on the stalks rather than just petals. It was a bit time-consuming pulling the petals off ...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Dec 30, 2011, 7:38 am
Hello! I hope Christmas was restful, tasty and fun for everyone. It's time to get on with the parade of Christmas gifts. As ever, not everyone got something hand made, but I came up with as many simple quick(ish) things as I could. My grandparents had a wonderful old quoits set that we used when we...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Dec 20, 2011, 5:32 am
I am in the midst of an intense couple of weeks of crafting fever. I have to be careful when I try to describe this to people. It's hard to explain that I am stressed and tired but not unhappy and in fact it's my favourite time of the year. I always end up overcommitted and overstretched before Chri...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Dec 7, 2011, 7:02 am
I don't really draw or sketch, beyond the occasional inept diagram in my notebook to help me remember an idea. Yet I still crave a nice set of coloured pencils when I see them in the shops. I gave in last weekend at an op shop. I walked in five minutes before closing and found a massive plastic zipl...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Nov 25, 2011, 9:09 pm
The event I attended was in a theatre near the town hall. I had time for a 5 minute wander before lunch break was over. There is a very tidy rose garden... Oh, here's a path, I wonder where that goes? It goes towards a massive hole in the ground. I had no idea about this sinkhole in the middle of...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Nov 24, 2011, 5:35 am
Last week I had a work trip to Mt Gambier, and managed to carve out a little bit of time to be a tourist. Very close to the town is the stunning Blue Lake. The lake sits in an extinct volcano crater and changes colour at different times of year. I don't think I saw it at its most turquoise colour, ...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Nov 14, 2011, 6:27 am
Then I found Armytage again. The 'Side Saddle' colourway reminded me enough of the old 'Sticky Date' that I just had to order several balls of it and make more brown pears. Indeed, these are brown/white/grey pears, but I'm just as happy. I certainly could manipulate the striping to just get browns, ...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Nov 9, 2011, 6:01 am
This is my new favourite brooch, made by Carly Altree-Williams. There are available here. I think it is delightfully surreal. And I always kind of wanted to wear glasses. In fact I'm the only member of my immediate family who doesn't.
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Oct 25, 2011, 8:11 am
I had a wonderful day trip on Sunday, a drive in beautiful weather through stunning country (particularly going through the Moss Vale area which is always so green) to visit my sister at Bundanon. There was a long stretch of potholed gravel road to get there - and of course to get out again - but it...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Oct 19, 2011, 6:28 am
I was a bit surprised when my recent description of a conversation with an experienced basket maker sparked a few comments about how unacceptable it is to discourage someone from experimenting. It honestly hadn't occurred to me to be discouraged! I may have made too much out of what was actually suc...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Oct 14, 2011, 7:24 am
A couple of months ago I attended a one-day beginner workshop run by the Fibre Basket Makers of the ACT. We made a little mat - which would also have been the base of a basket, if we had time to learn how to turn the corner. I'm quite happy with my mat, flaws and all. It's like a large coaster, and ...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Oct 7, 2011, 8:09 am
Earlier, I mentioned my plan to knit a To Eyre shawl during my recent trip to the UK. First, I had to find the wool for it, and I wanted something from the UK, not imported. Of course I didn't really need much excuse to visit as many of London's wool/yarn/knitting shops as I could. And it was worth ...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Sep 28, 2011, 9:14 am
The work of Bruegel(s), Bosch and Magritte - he has a whole gallery - wasn't the only art we appreciated in Belgium. There was a lot of interesting architecture - in particular, Art Nouveau buildings are something to look out for in Brussels. We had a coffee in the rooftop cafe at the amazing Musica...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Sep 26, 2011, 4:27 am
Three of our five days in Belgium were spent in Brussels. One of our first destinations was the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History. Some of which looked a lot like the museum at our own Australian War Memorial.... but some rooms had quite a different feel! Some startling relic...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Sep 21, 2011, 7:23 am
When I packed for my recent trip to the UK, I took only one knitting project. The honeycomb lace scarf was small to carry and more than enough knitting to keep me going. It hadn't gone so well on an earlier trip to Melbourne, but after weeks of messing it up and a fair bit of tinking (undoing knitti...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Sep 14, 2011, 7:05 pm
This amazing building houses a Laura Ashley shop. It was a very warm day, and we didn't see many of those, so it was great to see people out in their summer clothes. We took a canal tour which was excellent value. Unlike the Amsterdam tour boats, these ones are open to the elements, they just have...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Sep 4, 2011, 9:04 am
Goodbye Wales. For now. We stopped *somewhere* along the road, in mid-Wales. After rain all day yesterday, it was a great sunny day for driving. Goodbye Welsh mountain sheep. There were sheep everywhere in the mountains, including on very steep slopes, often wandering con...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Sep 3, 2011, 8:26 am
(The red dragon leads the way) Hello from north Wales! Unfortunately, I don't seem to have any photos here which capture the amazing northern Wales mountain scenery, though we have driven through a lot of it. I just love being in alpine country. Wales is littered with railways of vary...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Aug 27, 2011, 9:46 am
I'm into the last third of my long service leave now and so lucky to be spending some time in London. (Alternate view) I had to take this picture, because I am one of three girls and when we were small we used to dress in matching outfits. However they were ne...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Aug 18, 2011, 9:22 am
For this baby cardigan I went back to a pattern I've used several times before. This time I decided to omit the built-in garter stitch button band, and instead pick up and knit a ribbed band. I wanted a v-neck and didn't completely love the way the garter stitch looked, the last time I did tha...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Aug 15, 2011, 8:49 am
I realised I left out part of the story of the wedding present blanket. The picture above shows the first square, which was close to finished before I ripped it back, leaving only the centre orange and pink sections. I'm pretty sure that those bizarre maroon and brown stripes actually lo...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Aug 14, 2011, 9:23 am
I believe common wedding present etiquette is that you can have up to a year after the wedding to get organised. And if that's true then I made it in plenty of time. The wedding was last October. I can't remember exactly when I started knitting, but it would have been around that time. &...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Aug 6, 2011, 5:37 am
It may have been a rainy day but we did get to watch the flare run (plus fireworks) from our apartment.
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Jul 27, 2011, 9:33 am
I was in Melbourne the week before last, and am finally getting around to processing photos. My sister took me to Borscht, Vodka and Tears and I ate a lot of (delightful) pierogies. My dad and I went to a football match at the mighty MCG for the first time. Look at this weather! Is that not the pe...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Jul 21, 2011, 8:20 am
Rhonda asked for photos of the bracelets on my wrist, and I am happy to oblige. They seem to go with my casual vibe these days (I'm still on long service leave).
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Jul 20, 2011, 8:39 am
I know I saw instructions for this method somewhere online in the last few weeks, but I can't find any trace of that tutorial now. Luckily I remembered the basics of the method from when I first read it. It's a three-strand plait (braid) with beads placed in the middle of the plait on every second c...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Jul 4, 2011, 5:22 am
Okay, I'll admit it. I am on long service leave and have been for a month. Not that you would know it from my output. I seem to be doing just a little more of everything (reading, sleeping, socialising, exercising, knitting, felting, mooching around), none of which adds up to anything substantial to...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Jun 26, 2011, 8:55 am
I'm getting ready to tackle a project that has been waiting in the wings for a long time - the Orenburg Honeycomb lace scarf by Galina Khmeleva, published in Piecework Magazine (May/June 2010). I started a swatch - mainly to see how the stitch pattern worked and if the needle size was appropriate. ...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Jun 22, 2011, 5:17 am
Here are some of the latest finished pears. I do have a few people waiting for some, but for now, while I build up a decent batch with a good choice of colours, they are decorating the coffee table. I've also been sequinning again. I now have a delightful range of transparent colours and sizes. The ...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Jun 18, 2011, 8:25 am
I have some time off work and have been making lots of pears. Moda Vera Mousse (70% wool, 30% soya) is good for felting and I tend to stock up each time I find it on special at Spotlight. I was there last week, a frustratingly mistimed visit, as I must have missed the big yarn sale by a day or two...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Jun 18, 2011, 8:25 am
I have some time off work and have been making lots of pears. Moda Vera Mousse (70% wool, 30% soya) is good for felting and I tend to stock up each time I find it on special at Spotlight. I was there last week, a frustratingly mistimed visit, as I must have missed the big yarn sale by a day or two...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Jun 14, 2011, 4:14 am
A few years ago, I knit a big red scarf for my sister. Then it was stolen at a party. I had more of the wool (Cleckheaton studio mohair) and wanted to make a replacement, but she wouldn't let me, she said it wouldn't feel right. I still feel that another big scarf is due to her, when the time is rig...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - May 30, 2011, 9:47 am
Three years ago, my sister was expecting twins and I made two little cardigans for them. She had the baby knits out the other day, as she is getting things ready for the new baby on the way. There's no immediate need to knit for the new one, as there are doubles waiting for him or her in a couple ...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - May 15, 2011, 9:20 am
The other day I took some more items in to the Craft ACT shop. They regularly stock my pears and bowls there, and they sell slowly but reasonably steadily, which is fine with me. It might be hard to keep up with faster sales, and I like knowing that they are there for people to see, even if they don...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - May 9, 2011, 7:16 am
This is Laura Chau's Bellevue cardigan, knit in Patonyle. The idea was this would be done before summer and perfect for the air-conditioned office. However other projects intervened, as they always do, and it was only finished a few weeks ago. I've worn it a couple of times but now it is a bit cold...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - May 2, 2011, 8:18 am
These pillowslips were a recent present from Mum. She made them of course, and the fancy plaited bit at the end is inspired by something in a really cool book which my sister and I bought for her for Christmas. (What goes around, comes around, right?) They are fraternal twins - one dark grey and on...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Apr 26, 2011, 2:36 am
Accompany two nephews and a niece (with my mum and grandmother) to Cockington Green Gardens so they can drive the trains (and ride on a bigger one too).
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Apr 22, 2011, 8:02 am
This is the Moderne Baby Blanket from the first Mason Dixon Knitting book. It's the first time I've tried the log cabin technique - you pick up stitches for each block so there is no sewing up at the end. I liked it, and would probably like it even more in wool. This is a bamboo cotton blend (Queen...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Apr 10, 2011, 7:21 am
Not to be confused with Afro Celt Sound System, who were also at Womadelaide. I saw them, they were very cool, but I was deep in the middle of the crowd and didn't take pictures. For the Afro-Cuban All Stars, however, we got a spot early, right at the barrier.
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Apr 6, 2011, 6:54 am
Yeah, I know, it's all Womadelaide all the time at the moment. (If you're sick of it, this is the second last one, promise) Rango is the name of the group, but it is also the name of a revived style of music and ritual, which was brought to Egypt by Sudanese slaves, a couple of hundred years ago. A...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Apr 2, 2011, 8:03 am
Joanna Newsom alternated between piano and harp. She is clearly super talented, though I can't quite decide if I like her voice. I'd heard some of her songs before, but definitely appreciated her better live. The lady was a good sport, she was attacked by locusts as they swarmed the stage at twilig...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Mar 31, 2011, 7:55 am
They are 17 Hippies, though there were only 12 in Adelaide. These pictures are from a workshop session on the Monday. Their music is a mixture of folk, pop and many other styles. They did more songs in French than German - apparently actually starting to write songs in German was a bit of a breakth...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Mar 30, 2011, 8:20 am
This is for Donna Lee, who commented that the weather always looks perfect in my Womadelaide photos. I assure you, it does rain, but when it does, I don't tend to have the camera out so much. This picture is from last year - I seem to have only briefly mentioned the weather - probably still blissed ...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Mar 28, 2011, 5:29 am
Prompted by Rhonda, I added a little info to the post below about who is in the photos. I didn't see Asa's own set - and after hearing her do a song during the Gala, I kind of regret that. 17 Hippies were enormously enjoyable and I took tons of photos of them during their workshop. Will post some of...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Mar 27, 2011, 7:38 am
If I wait any longer in the hope of putting together a comprehensive and coherent Womadelaide 2011 post, I'll never do it. So here is a start. Two pictures from the All Star Gala which is always on the last evening. The first one shows two of the members of 17 Hippies from Berlin. Unfortunately, i...
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Olivia S. posted an article on Dreaming All the Time - Mar 20, 2011, 6:33 am
I took a lot of photos at Womadelaide. Having just finished my course, I set my camera on manual and went nuts. And because I am pretty inexperienced at exposing manually, it sometimes took a lot of shots before I thought I was getting somewhere. I haven't had a chance to really go through and proce...
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