Busy resting!

Might sound like a bit of an oxymoron to most people, but for anyone like me it's quite common. 

Even when I'm doing nothing I find it difficult to actually turn my brain off!!!

I'm the kind of person who likes to be doing something even if it's just writing or reading or drawing. 

But lupus leaves little space for simply pushing through the day, for most people you push through the day and sleep in a little the next day or just take it easy. But for anyone with lupus or diseases like it, it's difficult to just keep going. 

Your body demands rest, or shuts down and you end up in hospital. 

I've been in hospital twice over the last three months with undiagnosable kidney weirdness.

I've had multiple ultrasounds, blood tests, even a hesitant CT scan. But the doctors still don't know what's wrong. 

Because of where we live I have to go to Joondalup Health Campus. 

The only upside is "The Buttery" cafe across the street. BEST banana (and golden syrup) cake ever!!!! And they also do a phenomenal sour cream and nectarine cake!!! SO EPIC!!! 

But the hospital is mainly for accidents, no renal team.

So I have after being in hospital October onwards, I'm just waiting for an appointment at Charlie Gardner Hospital with a kidney specialist there. 

Waiting is TORTURE!!! 

It's so frustrating not to know what's going on in my guts!!!

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Well I started writing with 'holidays' as my intention. I never write much when life gets busy, it's simply not a priority. 

It's times like these I sit back and tell myself to:

As in the opposite of overwhelmed (any young justice fan should understand).

Anyways, my birthday is the 23rd so that was fun. Got some AWESOME T2 products including the following tea and a gorgeous Gardiner teapot and cup set. 

And here comes my Christmas Eve pumpkin. 

If there was such a thing, but I made him on Christmas Eve so I suppose it works. 

Either way it's cute, I'm going to make a little garden to go around him and hopefully end up with a little character to live there.

And finally here are my gloves in progress. I could never find tipless crochet glove patterns. I'm sure I'm not the pioneer, but on the off chance that I am, what are the chances no one thought of this before??? 

To anyone whose reading, how was your Christmas? Any special Christmas projects? Crochet or otherwise?

Moment's glance

Making : Crocheted kids in animal costumes

Drinking : Tetley Peach tea

Reading: 'Arthur' by Stephen Lawhead

Wanting: Some new wool (my stash is wearing VERY thin)

Looking: At my IPad screen writing this post!

Playing: With the idea of doing Butterfly kid to go with the set of Animal kids.

Deciding: What to eat for lunch

Wishing: The doctors could figure out what's wrong with my kidney

Enjoying: The company of my AWESOME brother

Waiting: For my birthday! 20 this year! SCARY!!!

Cooking: Tomato, Basil and Bacon Pasta for dinner the other night. Man was it good!!!

Liking: Nothing on facebook, continuous updates bug me.

Wondering: What to get a friend for Christmas. It HAS to be something good and she's really hard to           shop for!

Loving: My new sewing machine foot. It's a free-motion quilting one. 

Pondering: The use for a headphone jack on my TV? That would be uncomfortable to use!

Considering: Stopping this list soon, that is if you made it this far! Maybe I'll continue tomorrow, with more pictures!

Lupus Awareness

I never seem to quite catch-on to this blogging thing. 

I see all these amazing people, doing amazing things. 

Changing the way people think, feel and create. 

I do no such thing, I don't reach a huge audience, I don't have a new adventure everyday. 

I don't live organically, cook vegan, dye my own wool or sell my products on a global scale. 

Come to think of it, I don't even sell them on a local scale!

As a sufferer of the auto-immune disease known as lupus and other medical jargon, I find it difficult just to do the small amount I can. 

Very few people know much about lupus, not even the doctors. 

Sufferers go to rheumatologists instead of actual lupus specialists. 

Lupus is NOT like diabetes where there's a "Type A" or "Type B". 

EVERY lupus patient is different. 

Lupus causes the White blood cells, (that usually attack foreign bodies, such as infection) but for a lupus patient the cells attack healthy tissue and our own organs. 

It is a progressive disease, it only gets worse as time goes by, causing organs to fail and side effects from the medication you take to help with the pain. 

For some people, such as my Dad and myself, the disease can change HOURLY. In the morning I can be fine, ready to see friends or go out, the next I could be heading to bed overcome with pain. 

It's difficult to make a healthy person understand, it's a difficult thing to watch someone go through, it's a horrendous thing to have to cause your family to go through.

It's something I wouldn't wish on anyone, but it is a subject that warrants more research and understanding.

Do you know someone going through this? Or something similar?

Busy, busy, busy

Photos done in order, it seems to make everything a bit easier to remember? 

I recently bought a fantastic empisal knitting machine, and let me tell you it is BEAUTIFUL!!! I played with nothing else for a week! Just mucking around with tension and different fibers and stuff.

I only actually created one thing (the pumpkin further down.)

I completed two custom beanie orders for Eagles colours. I think they turned out pretty good and my customer was very pleased!

I read through a Knit scene magazine awhile ago, I think it was the spring issue. I came across the "Boscombe Socks" in the deductions section by Lisa Jacobs. 

They quickly became my favourite pattern of the issue and I decided I had to have them, (I very rarely make anything for myself). 

But I changed them to knee length, just something I've always wanted to have!

I made this on my thrifted semco tapestry loom, I couldn't find any info on the internet about how to use it or anything so I went in a bit blind!

But I think I really pulled it out in the end, my dragon obsession is a bit clear? For those who don't know it is Toothless' symbol from 'How To Train Your Dragon'

This is the aforementioned pumpkin, made as a gift and pretty darn cute if I do say so myself!

Here is a picture of my first voyage into shuttle tatting, not nearly as hard as I'd imagined.

It just takes a bit of practice to remember the motions, I now have to make SIX more to complete the doily. 

I think it will be well worth it when I'm finished.

And finally the makings of a childish duffle bag, I can't think of what to do for the next panel though!!! Suggestions?

Works in progress

Many, many, MANY works-in-progress. Should've taken a photo of my overflowing project bag! It's nuts, I'm terrible at completing things (well yarn related things anyway!). 

I blame pinterest, far to many tempting projects.

Either that or things just didn't turn out properly like this "lovely" hermit crab shell from the book Amigurumi Knits. 

There was nothing wrong with the pattern mind you, just the wool. I was having bit of a lupus flare up at the time and picked the wool solely for the variegated colour, as you can probably tell the Kitchener segment didn't work out to well.

The Kitchener stitch is just not something I'm very good at, I ALWAYS stuff it up and this particular fibre really didn't work.

Here is cute Mr. Moon with only half a hat. I think I'm going to make some little stars and hearts and cute bits to assemble him into a babies' mobile. Thoughts?

In celebration of "HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2" (which I am totally obsessed with) I have been sewing night furies and attempting a night fury knitting and crochet combo pattern. 

I just don't like knitted wings, I'm all for blocking and stuff but I would rather avoid it if at all possible. 

I think toys need to be durable, as in able to be washed many times over.

Never fear this pattern will be available when I'm finished and if your not a knitter or crocheter I will be selling completed toys through Brightly Burst' Facebook page.

Also in need of test crocheters and knitters, just comment on this post if your interested!!!

Instagram photo barrage

You may have spotted some of these photos in earlier posts, but there are also many new ones. So take a look

Quinns rocks fireman's helmet

Our beautiful Dotti dog

First crop of apples (sadly inedible)

My beautiful leather ipad cover, with an empty frame for extra photography finesse

Finished fireman's helmet in its natural gallery setting

Headless felt doll, with button joints

Lovely chalkboard at blue lotus restaurant 

Mmm cake

Recycled plastic bag jellyfish

Filet crochet Eiffel Tower (in progress)

Crochet house pillow, with my first attempt at tunisian

Our four beautiful chooks

Another one of my felt doll, now with a crochet skirt

Our petit Thea, so shy when we brought her home

My cat thumper who stole my bed

A tense moment of animal kingdom standoff. (Everything ended fine, so don't worry)

Hama bead fun, though I'm not quite sure what to do with them now!

More tunisian crochet. Although a bit curled! Thinking I might frame it?

Putting together a stack of origami-ish boxes. Very surprised at how awesome this particular photo turned out! For a two second snap!!!

Look what happens!

What happens when you've got nothing to do?

You make something, well I do anyway. I make ALOT of things! I mean, like, heaps. 

But what happens when I'm not motivated?

Nothing, well something, but nothing. 

I suffer from an autoimmune disease called lupus, I get arthritic symptoms without the arthritis. I get sick super easily so I have to be uber careful about being around sick people. I could be fine in the morning and then sit down on the couch and sleep for the rest of the day. Some days in just can't get out of bed, some nights I just don't sleep because the pain is just that intense. 

But this disease is not like diabetes where there are designated 'types' instead every single case is a totally different story. My dad suffers from the same disease but even the difference between us is amazing. His is a much more severe case that really takes a toll on our family. 

I've never really mentioned this before on my blog because it seems to be a hard thing for me to communicate to people. Only those who spend an enormous amount of time with me actually understand. But knowing this may give you a little insight into my life. 

I knit and crochet because most days it's hard for me to do much else. I've put some random photos that give you a little interest! Might be a little disjointed to what I've written but I'll let you be the judge.

This is our GORGEOUS new puppy Thea. She's about 18 months old and pre-trained, (so much 

easier!) she's so needy, but in a good way. She just sits next to you on the couch and follows you around the house. She waits at the back door to go to the bathroom and brings her little toy to your feet when you come home. What could be better! Unless your not a dog person, but wait there's more!

Here's a fuzzy picture of my scrappy balls of wool to try out Entrelac crochet, hmmm interesting. I'll show you how it turns out! (Picture a cheesy grin inserted here!)

Teaching crochet to a friend of ours, tiny little hands, tiny little hook. Bad photography but hey it was nighttime and perfect opportunity! 

Here is our beautiful pussy cat! She's gotten suprisingly more cuddly since Thea's been here. It's unfortunate that she's put out by the dog, but nice that we are actually getting some affection!!

Here's is about 3/4 of a teeny, tiny baby jacket for a little stuffed monkey. But I mean Oh My Goodness I had to compleletely rewrite the pattern because even the premature size was way too massive!

I am in love with this crochet dragon scarf!! But I can't afford it at the moment so I'm attempting one of my own.

Pattern can be found here

And finally, ahhhhh, cookies, or at least the makings of them!

March so far!

New hy-line chickens! So gorgeous! But they are used to much smaller cages and don't quite know what to do with all this new space! We let them roam about the backyard for a bit but they tried to nest behind the air conditioner compressor! 

Little crochet house in progress. I suppose it won't be that little when I finish it. But man I hate sewing in threads!

Here it is mostly finished. I'm debating whether or not to put a chimney on it? What do you think?

Here is my most current project. An Eiffel Tower for my awesome sister. She does so much for me, but now she has to decide what she wants it to be! Could be a blanket (it's sure big enough!) or a curtain, or just about anything else!

I attempted a clafoutis but I don't think it really worked. Maybe the raspberries had too much liquid, or maybe too many of them? I've never actually eaten a proper one so I don't really have anything to compare it too!

And finally my recycled jellyfish, I'm still unsure what to do with them but they are pretty cool anyway! I thought I might make some normal crochet fish and maybe through a rainbow fish in there, I used to love that book!

Any ideas? Maybe a mobile? 

Time passing

Sorry I've been away, no internet for the past few weeks. 

Isn't it amazing how much we rely on it these days?

I got a bias tape maker for Christmas, but my lack of an actual iron stopped me from actually using it. But! Never fear I recently bought a new one and proceeded to make bias tape from my scraps all last weekend. It was a little frustrating at first but once I got the hang of it, it became quite fun. 

I have a Martha Stewart pattern for a bias tape bag that I've been dying to try for ages!

It's too dark at the moment for any photos (my apologies).

My parents bought a few knitting books from Adelaide op-shops so now I have too many projects to try!! Ah the frustrations of a crafter!

Dolls!

Ive long been inspired by Elisabeth Doherty's felt dolls, although I am nowhere near her calibre I think this little doll does me proud.

This is before the arms and legs were actually sewn on but the lighting is better. (it's actually the back of our living room curtain!) 

Here is when the limbs are attached, I am impossibly surprised that it turned out the way it did. I hand sewed almost everything, I tried using my beautiful new machine but didn't have the patience to do the finicky bits on it. 

I haven't decided the final fate of this little doll but I will probably keep it because I'm not totally satisfied with the sewing, BUT next time the proportion will be perfect! Isn't problem-solving a wonderful thing!

This is my final gorgeous doll, I finished this one a while ago but it took me awhile to get the motivation to sew all the body parts together and make her little dress.

The stringy thing down the bottom edge of the photo is actually a little garland, the scrunched up bits will be mini stars when I starch them and then both the doll and garland will be flying over east for the sweetest little girl!

Well that's my week as of yet, how has yours been?