Launching in 3..2..1...

Ahoy! So my filling came out and now my tooth hurts and the prints got messed up and I forgot to take money out and it's all a bit of a mess over here. So without great further ado I fancy telling you about the name for my label and the little logo I designed.

I hope you like it. It is all designed by me, and I'm proud of my silly self. And I made a website too, but then I broke it. As aforementioned it is all a hot bothered mess.


I am looking forward to share more with you in the next few days. Really it's all about playful things, made mainly out of recycled materials, and also organic fairtrade cotton and merino wool from Noo Zooland. And it will in the future be about getting kids involved in the making-of-clothing process. Oh yes. But for now I need an ice pack on my cheek.

Thank you for your lovely comments on my wedding photos. You are kind as.

Who's Bad

And so it continues. Infantile high-five! Luckily there are some nice ones. 

These were taken when we somehow managed to blab ourselves onto the Langham's roof terrace pool area where it was humid as all hell and our friends nearly dropped their photography equipment into the spa pool (and I exclaimed: "oh no! it's wet". DUH woman. DUH. )

And then we decorated.

And then some. 

And now I get to unsubscribe from all the wedding blogs.

Win! 

Slow A'Cookin

Working hard. But found some time to sample the new slow cooker, one of my favourite wedding gifts.
I make Caponata quite a lot, a delicious summery dish from Sicily. I made it in the slow cooker and it worked quite well but the vegetables were a bit mushy. I think I need to use the slow setting instead.
But it was nice to have the vegies bubbling away and enjoy a cup of tea! And then back to the sewing room.

PS: I don't use the Cook and the Chef recipe but it looks yum! I make my caponata by heart and I always add cinnamon and some pine nuts. Yum!

Fit To Print?

http://www.no-vacancy.com.au/fit.html

Here's something groovy happening on the weekend on QV square in Melbourne. I will definitely try and go along!

NO VACANCY GALLERY & QV PRESENTS: FIT TO PRINT!

This December, No Vacancy Gallery and QV Melbourne present FIT TO PRINT a one-off exhibition and weekend printmaking demonstrations to be held in QV Square that showcase Australia's finest emerged and emerging printmaking artists. In total more than 40 artists' will present different print techniques and processes including - Screen- Printing, Linocut Printing and Gocco Printing - with featured works making for the perfect gift this Christmas.
FIT TO PRINT the exhibition will open on Thursday December 9 and run to December 23, 2010 in the No Vacancy
Gallery, Jane Bell Lane, QV Melbourne.

The FIT TO PRINT printmaking demonstrations will take place on Saturday December 11, Sunday December 12 and
Saturday December 18 from 2.00pm to 4.00pm in QV Square.
On Saturday December 11, QV Square will host an interactive Screen-printing Demonstration. Exhibitors from the FIT
TO PRINT exhibition will demonstrate the screen-printing process in a marquee in QV Square. Screen-printing pushes
inks through a blocked out stencil imposed on fine woven mesh to create a sharp clean image onto a chosen material
such fabric and paper. Works of art will be on sale and are priced from $20 to $200. (See image from Robot Academy)
The following day,
Sunday December 12, QV Square will host an interactive Linocut Printing Demonstration. Exhibitors
from the FIT TO PRINT exhibition will demonstrate the linocut process in a marquee in QV Square. Linocut is a
printmaking technique where a design is cut into the linoleum surface with the raised (uncarved) areas representing a
reversal (mirror image) of the parts to show printed. The linoleum sheet is inked with a roller and then impressed onto
paper or fabric. Works of art will be on sale and are priced from $20 to $200.

Saturday December 18, QV Square will host an interactive Gocco Printing Demonstration. Exhibitors from
the FIT TO PRINT exhibition will demonstrate the Gocco printing process in QV Square. Gocco printing uses the
exposure of flash bulbs to thermally transfer an image onto a screen where inks are then pushed through to leave the
stenciled design on a chosen material. Again, works of art will be on sale and are priced from $20 to $200. (

Two dollars from every print sold over $20 from December 9 to December 23, will be donated to the Asylum Seekers
Resource Centre.

ARTISTS INVOLVED:
Adriana Bernardo | Andrea Innocent | Ann Gee Neo | Aramas Ridge | Belinda Kemp | Ben Carollo | Bonsai | Beastman | Brooke Williams |Caitlin Sherwood | Cat Rabbit | Cat Macinnes | Catherine Campbell | Charotte Lance | Cougar Flashy | Edouard Mouy | Elise Hurst | Emma Leonard | Eugenia Tsimiklis | Eveline Tarunadjaja | Fee Harding aka Burntfeather | Gary Seaman | Gemma Jones | George Whelan | ghostpatrol | Glen Smith | Hayley O'Connor | Heesco | Jake Stollery | Jennifer Cossins aka Red Parka | Jeremy Ley | Jessica Tremp | Jessica Charlotte | Jessica McCausland | Joel Zika | Kaitlin Beckett | Katherine Hepworth | Katie Houghton-Ward | Katja Mouvlin | Keren Dobia | Lashna Tuschewski | Lauz Rigbye | Lazerfist | Leif Podhajsky | Leigh Rubin | Liesl Pfeffer | Mark Silipo | Max Plumley | Michael Fikaris | Michael Hawkins | Miso | Natasha Sim | Nathaniel Kiwi | Niels Oeljten | Noah Seldom | Raph Banks | Ria Green |Robot Academy | Ruby Aitken | Sally Shand aka Ragdoll Illustrations | Sarah Mair | Sarah Hankinson | Scizzorface | Sera Hocquard |Simon Attwooll | Steph Pryor | Sylvia Jeffriess | Tom Vincent | Toni-Anne Dowd | TWOONE | Vidad Narayan 

Send a little love to strangers around you

The other week I sent this to Pip. I have never met Pip because I feel if I did meet her I'd do the usual thing where I rant incoherently and hug inappropriately. And I would like her to not think I'm a strange person with a weird accent. Even though I probably am. It would be like the first time me and my friend Lucy met the Ink and Spindle girls and I stood awkwardly and patted the fabric and Lucy said "I want your life! If I didn't have a baby!" and it was all very odd. However, I did send Pip a gift, and I sent her a card telling her how much I love her blog, and how reading her blog really did sort of change my life. Sounds crazy, but it's true!
There isn't a hell of a lot of craftiness in my family and so I am an unnatural born knitter and have no innate nanna skills. So Pip really filled that gap in my life and I am really very grateful for that. She even inspired me to ask for a slow cooker for my wedding.

So why don't you go and send your favourite blogger a gift in the mail too. I personally think it's a great thing to do. But because everyone is very clever and I'm the last to catch on you are probably already doing that all the time.

PS: The image is from Pip's blog and the gift I sent her is a Figgjo candle stick holder or it may also be used as a flower vase I think
PPS: I recently found out that my great-grandmother was a dressmaker and hatmaker and had a store in a fancy street in Moscow until she had to flee because of the revolution. So I think I do have some innate craftiness! *high five*

I can do heaps of stuff in one weekend!

 We had a wedding - the third wedding  - the only one we had in Australia after we had two back home.

My mum helping with flower decorations

Purty with lace

Watching sporty people in the morning at Southbank before getting ready

The wedding was a very fun wash out! The weather was terrible. I spent most day in my hotel slippers. Who am I to wear my slippery heels when I can wear warm shlippery hotel slippers? We also had a final before-bed drink with our friends in a terrible Irish  pub at Southbank - I remember dancing to "Love Shack" in my dress and slippers and someone poured beer over me and I thought, that's the end of this dress then.

Stylish Wedding Shoes

The wedding excitement squeals are nothing compared to the amount of shrieking I did when I got my patterns back graded this morning. How pretty - how exciting - I love looking at them. I made them! Oh my goodness how exciting. I'm sure you won't think these photos of brown paper are that exciting but I do.

Yesterday I hungoverly popped into the Markit market at fed square to visit the lovely Ink and Spindle and lovely Harvest to have a wee chat. I forgot to take pictures but it was a nice and busy market.
And now I need to eat leftover chocolate wedding cake and enjoy the last days with my mum before she heads back home!

TA-DAAAA

I will be there! SELLING STUFF. Looking awkward. Bits of loo roll on my shoe. Chocolate on my face. No doubt about that.

I will be at a stall for past students organised by the Harvest ladies. I am sorry to go on about this but how enormously nice is that??? It's SO good for me because it means I can dip my 9.5 toes into the market water and see if I can handle it. Oh and if anyone likes my things. I do. Like it.

Harvest are the great givers backers. And what a year they've had too. I can't believe it. It's very inspirational *round of applause*. I will also be in charge of the student market. Obviously this thrills me. Because I do love a clip board and biro pens and crossing things and making lists. If you perchance happen to be available on the 18th of December please do come. It looks like an amazing line up of peeps. And food! And things for children! The full details are here!

I have been blind

EZ Knitting Patterns via Ravelry

via Ravelry

via Ravelry

via Ravelry

I have never heard about Elizabeth Zimmermann until yesterday. HOW? Years of pain and crying could have been avoided. Elizabeth Zimmermann, or EZ as she is know on amongst knitty types, was the only knitter to ever receive a full page obituary in the New York Times. And she totally deserved it because she pretty much revolutionized knitting. This woman could knit while riding on the back of her husbands motorcycle. She made knitting a whole heap easier and came up with clever ways to take the pain out of complicated patterns.

Her patterns are gorgeous. And all this time I had no idea. I don't know how that's even possible. And most of her designs are SEAMLESS. Do you know how much I hate joining pieces? I can't begin to explain how much I hate it. I once ran some sweater pieces through my overlocker because I couldn't bring myself to join them. That's how bad my aversion to joining seams is. I ordered the Knitter's Almanac today. I don't care it's summer I have some flexible, pain-free knitting to catch up on!

My Creative Space

Supposed to pick fabric colours. Scared.

So decided to make something from old wooly jumpers instead. 

Displacement activity of the crafty kind! 

More spaces chez Mrs K

Hej Pippi Langstrumpf

 

I love Astrid Lindgren. I may even be a bit obsessed with her. I love all her books and I know my favourites by heart. I read and reread them all the time when I was little. My top favourite is The Brothers Lionheart closely followed by Six Bullerby Children. I last read Brothers Lionheart a few years ago with a friend of mine at the Lake Garda in Italy. It was really fun, and easy to read after a few glasses of vino. I was convinced I was going to marry a Swedish boy named Lasse and move to a little red house when I first read Bullerby. I also wanted very badly to have long brown hair so I could braid it and I tried to convince my friends to call me Lisa too.

One of my favourite things about the books is the food. There are all these delicious sounding things on the table - cinnamon buns and meat parcels and meatballs and pickled herring and fresh yabbies and pineapple pudding.  There are also scary things like rolled sausages and blood pudding.

This year I've decided to host a Pippi Longstocking dinner with all those delicacies. Did you know that Pippi had a special pea that prevented people from growing up? All you had to do is eat this pea and say the magical word "Krumulus". I tried this but it didn't work. Maybe it did. I will serve special Krumulus peas for dinner for sure.

Here's a beautiful Swedish cooking blog, with amazing illustrations. Look how beautiful these are!

Here's a recipe for Kannelbullar, or cinnamon rolls Swedish-style!

Here's a recipe for Swedish meatballs! And Swedish Pineapple Cake!

Woo Hoo

I had a not so good day yesterday. Wonky seams, mishappen designs, ripped up patterns, no one to talk to, holed up in the sewing room, all in all not good. But the mail came and I love getting mail. A christmas pressie for my sister arrived from America via Etsy and my CUT arrived. God I love that magazine.  It's in German so it's only available there. It's FANTASTIC. This one has a whole lot of articles on knitting. There is a knitting bar in Berlin! Shall we start one in Melbourne?  It also has a pattern by Swedish designer sisters Minimarket which I shall make in the first available free time slot.

I have tried hiring someone to do a little bit of Wordpress coding via a new website called Freelancer.
I was very disheartened by the process. I felt like an evil corporation outsourcing something and I didn't get any bids on my job from Australia.  I think I'm not a good business woman. If you know anyone who can do Wordpress coding and lives in Aussieland please let me know!

Music On Toast

What a great video.

Busy Making Stuff

Wow I have been busy! Whenever I get a quiet moment I feel like blogging so I can recall the few productive moments I've had. I am getting a bit overwhelmed with the business side of things but trying to stay calm. I'm very excited - I will be at this market selling some things! Wow! There will no doubt be an extra special post about it before it happens.

Luckily there has been some time for a bit of this

And I made this - I haven't sewn anything for myself in ages so it felt nice! 

I been enjoying my new rug. And wearing my Birkies in the sun. 

Made some christmassy decorations with the hook! I crocheted this glued to the West Wing and half asleep but looking at it I think I can retrace my steps and work out what I did.

And working on a dress pattern - very exciting.

And we went to Bar Idda which I love and I really love their lemonade bottles too so I took it.

I always love reading what peeps have been up to on the weekend so if you'll excuse me I'll go sniff around my blog reader now before heading off to dinner!

Everyone's a winner!

Hey I got an award. Dee gave it to me!  It's pretty exciting for me - I never win anything. Not the lotto. And when I was 9 I wanted to win this bike at the local fair really badly and my best friend Julia won it instead.
Since then I have not won much. This may be connected to the fact that I just cannot be bothered to try very hard either. Also there is a German saying "win at love lose at gambling" and since I won the best husband in the lotto I suppose fair enough about the bike. But it was nice to be awarded a beautiful blogger award.

In keeping with the rules I hereby award the following 10 blogs with the Beautiful Blogger Award :

http://harvesttextilestudio.blogspot.com/
 - I'm a devoted fan. Where's my fan badge ladies. -
http://clutterpunk.blogspot.com/
- I love Gina! -
http://schorlemaedchen.blogspot.com/
- A lovely fellow expat -
http://ann-meer.blogspot.com/
- Full of inspiration -
http://rachelredlips.blogspot.com/
- Full of style -
http://lenacorwin-weetextile.blogspot.com/
- Full of small people textile design loveliness-
http://soozs.blogspot.com/
- So much advice. I read her entire blog in one afternoon and felt better about everything afterwards -
http://www.nicolekellmann.de/ 
- This is my favourite German blog -
http://blog.paperama.de/ 
- Paper! -
http://milchzentrale.blogspot.com/ 
- I like the images on here heaps -



I also need to tell you 10 things about me:

1. I don't like to drink milk
2. My favourite food is pasta
3. I am scared of horses
4. I am the only crafter in my immediate family so they all think I'm strange
5. My favourite craft is sewing. Or printing. And knitting.
6. I used to ride my unicycle to school when I was little
7. I also used to tap dance and was on a TV show once where I tapdanced and looked angry
8. I am clumsy and frequently visit the hospital with my injuries
9. My home town is Munich, Germany
10. I am a fan of vegemite and milo.

Tribe Home

I took my mum and auntie to Healesville today to look at some Koalabaeren. We stopped at the Harvest Cafe and also at Morris Brown, where I usually just touch everything and um and ah and then leave, but today I found a lovely screenprinted cotton rug in there that I had to buy. Isn't it lovely? It is so lovely. It was 55 shmollars. That's not bad right? Even for a brokeass lady. It's made by a company called Tribe Home. It was the last one available at Morris Brown but it's also available online here.

PS: We also stopped at the Healesville Sanctuary giftshop to purchase a platypus earring for my mum's friend. We have been looking all over Melbourne for such a platypus earring. It had to be a sterling silver dangling platypus. My mum finally found one in said gift shop, then lost the Platypus earring somewhere between the giftshop and the coffee shop. They are circa 10 metres apart. After carefully scanning the space, we couldn't find it. So I left my number with the Sanctuary staff. They rang just as we turned into Balaclava Road to tell us that they had found the Platypus earring. I guess I will be driving to Healesville tomorrow to pick it up. Amen. Also I need a drink. I hate gift shops. Except for the one at the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne.