The Relative Value of Technology...

Many years ago my Gadgetman and I made a deal. He would buy a Palm Pilot (remember those - I included the picture in case you don't) and I would by an overlocker. Both were about $450 at the time.

Well, just recently was got a healthy sized tax return so it was decided - and this may sound a little familiar - I would buy that second sewing machine I had been hoping for and G'Man would buy himself an iPad.

But here's the thing.

My sewing machine costs half the amount of that overlocker all those years ago (albeit it is a base model while the overlocker wasn't). And I'm still using the overlocker.

His iPad costs about double the price of that of the Palm Pilot all those years ago. And the Palm Pilot is archived in the "can't bear to throw this away but will never use it again" box, along with all the devices that have been used since then (except the old iPhone - that operates like an iPod for our music).

I'm curious to see where things are at in another ten or so years...

Chookies!

After years of simply not getting around to it, we have finally got around to getting us some chookies! We picked these four girls up from a local poultry farm on Saturday morning and they have dominated our thinking ever since.

The farmer told us that they are a Rhode Island Red-New Hampshire cross breed and they have come to us right as they are coming of the age to start laying.

We spent a lot of Saturday out, but still had enough time to watch the girls and begin to understand their different appearances (the farmer tried to give us four different looking ones) and personalities.

When we first brought them home we put them into the run, but they quickly found their way into the coop and haven't come out since. But we are patient as we know the girls will need days, maybe a couple of weeks, to get used to their new surrounds. Particularly with a little Jack Russell bouncing around their run at random times of the day.

I woke up before dawn on Sunday morning, wondering if they had made it through the night. And then  as soon as Miss Eight was awake we went out to check before even realising how little we were wearing. All four girls were absolutely fine, with one even finding her way to the top of three roosts that we had put in there for them. And as of this morning we have spied them investigating the nesting box too - both going into it and pulling the hay out of it.

So they are happy. Still getting used to us and their new digs, but happy.

And names?

The chicken we found on the roost (in the middle of the photo looking to the right) has been named Lucy by Miss Four. It's quite an appropriate name as Lucy does appear to be a bit of an adventurer - just like the character of the same name from the Narnia series (that Miss Four is not yet familiar with).

We have a lighter coloured girl (on the left of the photo with her big white tail sticking up) with a lot of white through her plumage - she's Ginger, named by Miss Eight after Ginger in Chicken Run. She does appear to be quite bossy so I guess she could be considered to be "organised".

I named the darkest one (the one at the very front of the photo - her colour difference doesn't show up well in the photo) Cocoa as she is the lovely rich Rhode Island reddish-brown colour of Dutch Cocoa.

And number four is yet to be named. We thought that Gadgetman would be naming her, but his suggestions thus far of "Cluck", "Bock", "Baaaarck", "Bock-ock" and other names inspired by bad Dad Jokes are not quite working for us. Current options could include Pippa, Gidget, Edna and Mrs Collywobbles.

Knit, knit, knittitty, knit

(Did I just include the word "titty" in my title? *giggles*)

The other night, while relaxing in my Mickey and Minnie Mouse PJs (selected for me for my birthday by Miss Eight, Miss Four chose my Elmo PJs), I cast on 203 stitches for a new cardigan. Bendigo no longer make cotton in the New Ochre colourway (which is more accurately shown in the second photo here) so I'm glad I bought some when I did.

This is my first attempt at lace work using a very simple pattern. And, four rows in, it's looking good so far (except my psso stitches look a little loose)!

The best thing about my new knitting project (which is using yarn I bought AGES ago so it still fits within my "no new projects" until Christmas rule) was sending my husband into the yarn shop in the city to pick up some new needle tips for me. Hehehe - he put me on speaker phone when at the counter so I could make my order and came home with my lovely treasures (note the shift from Birch brand needles in the top photo to Knit Pro brand in the bottom photo). AND he signed me up to the loyalty club while he was in the store. This man is a keeper.

What's happening in your Creative Space?

A Two Sewing Machine Household

Miss Eight just pulled out her old little plastic toy sewing machine...

And I thought back to a conversation about sewing machines that I had had during the week with my Gadgetman while we were having a lunch date on his birthday (thanks to him working from home and the Misses being at Kinder and School across lunchtime)...

And I realised that it is time to completely indulge my sewing fancies - and those of Miss Eight and, when she's older, Miss Four, of course - and buy a second sewing machine.

Rather than getting one of those half size ones for the Misses I thought I would get a base model for all of us to use.  The Misses can learn on it and I can use it for making wheat bags rather than wearing out my fancy-pants machine on such.

At the moment I have one of these (Janome MC4900QC) and there is so much more I should be doing with it that using the straight and zigzag stitches to make wheat bags:

So to do all those basic things while I branch out on the above machine, I thought I would get one of these (Janome JR1012):

Or maybe one of these (Janome MS509):

Looks like I had better start saving. Although, Christmas isn't that far away, eh, Gadgetman?

A Month of My Creative Space

What fun this is going to be.

Today's theme is "A Creative Space" and I have used the excuse of my room being too hard to photo in its entirety to show a couple of snaps.

A little while ago I decided to take myself seriously as a crafter - so I thought I should refer to my craft room as something other than my craft room.

Yes - I do have a whole room. Our house is four bedroom with study and my Gadgetman and I used to share the study. But is became apparent, as I kept overtaking his space, that it really wasn't working out. So we ditched the guest bedroom and are currently renovating it so it can be G-man's office since he works from home several days a week. And I get the big 3.5m x 3.5m room. Which, as you would know, will never be big enough.

Still - to take myself seriously the first thing I did was change the name from "Craft Room" to:

At some stage I'll make a more permanent sign...once I decided whether to do one as a scrap page, a stitchery, or by using some other crafty method.

Then there is the matter of my table - a dining table that made its way to my room when we turned the formal dining area into a music room. (Isn't is funny how when you live in a house for a while that you begin to realise that you use it differently to how you first intended?) The table has been raised to 90cm and is usually a lot more clear than this. Really. It is. But I was dabbling with some personal projects when a wheat bag order came in so I literally pushed aside the personal projects to make some room to do the wheat bags.

If you want to play along with A Month of My Creative Space then all the details are HERE. In the meantime, I'm going to have a sticky beak at other people's creative spaces!

My Creative Space

I walked past the Osteopath on my way to the gym this morning and noticed that she only had three waistband style wheat bags left, so I suspect I will get another order soon.

In the meantime I will try and get through as much as I can - which means less preparing for new projects that I will start in the new year, and more focus on finishing projects. After all December is fast approaching and I will need to be ready to start Christmas projects by then.

So today, in My Creative Space, I will try and fill out the last few pages of journalling in my travel album from Vanuatu.

The Gadgetman and I went in 2000 and I stuck all the photos and memorabilia and stickers into the album about 10 years ago. Now for the titles and journalling. Once this one is done I have four more travel albums to finish. If I journal a day of travel each day I should be finished by the end of November. Not a bad goal.

I also need a hat. It felt very naughty to be doing Kinder duty on Monday without a hat during the Sun Smart season.

As you can see, I am using Nicole Mallalieu's most excellent hat pattern that I have already used for a hat for my daughter. I am disappointed with my fabric as when I pre-washed it the red dye ran into the white background and has not entirely come out. But it will be fine. I intend to make a few other hats in other more neutral colours anyway.

And then there's the knitting.

I'm going well with my first ever cabling. I have finished the "Triple Gull Cable" section and am now up to a sort of criss cross patterning. This is a very well written pattern by Elena Nodal - excellent for novice cable knitters like myself.

Aside from that I hope to get out into the garden today to plant some companions for my fruit trees. Aphids are abounding on a couple of plants but I have seen lots of ladybirds at work so I think, like last year, I will not need to spray anything.

I also need to decide what to have for dinner. Any ideas?

My Creative Space - Is Still Here!

Since Kirsti introduced the Instagram #mycreativespace option I've been a bit slacky on keeping up with the blog. Heh heh - that's why I was so pleased when Instagram became an option because I knew it would be easier for me than organising myself to sit down and do a proper blog post with photos and everything.

Anyway - here I am thanks to Sarah, of Charlisa Designs, who was asking about my knitting projects. I realised if I actually updated my blog I'd be able to show her my latest project.

So here it is - the ongoing beige cardigan, just waiting for buttons and the ends to be sewn in. I was a little annoyed that the pattern didn't specify where to put the buttonholes and in hindsight I would have put them further away from the edge of the band. But I still consider myself to be a novice knitter and will excuse myself...just this once, at least.

I also have had a huge wheat bag order from one of my (two) regular customers. A local Personal Trainer (the one who tortures my husband at Boot Camp three times a week) is fundraising for the Relay For Life cause and is selling my wheat bags to help raise funds - so I am working overtime to get her order finished. I love the way that the wheat bag not only helps the person who uses it, but a whole lot of other people as well as 100% of our profits, and sometimes the profits of those who sell them on, go towards charities.

Oh, and thanks to You Sew Girl's recommendation, I have my new zipper foot on its way for my sewing machine. Can't wait to give it a try - I'm sure to use it straight away as I use a zipper foot when I sew the velcro onto the wheat bag straps.

By the end of the month I hope to have finished a few of my own sewing projects, as well as done a whole lot more journalling on my ten year old scrapbooks. But I just can't help myself...I've agreed to hem a school dress for a school mum and may even sequin her daughter's callisthenics costumes as well. Seems I'm addicted to starting new things, in spite of my "No New Projects" work to rule.

Oh - and if anyone can recommended how much I should charge for sequining costumes, I'd love to hear your advice!

How's Your Creative Space going this week?