Tiny Blossoms in my Late Summer Garden

Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity. ~Lindley Karstens, noproblemgarden.com

Take a little wander with me around our garden.

You will find lots of blossoms as summer leafly growth wanes after the extreme heat we have had. The cool days brings blossom and a reminder that cooler times with more flowers will come again soon. I am so mindful how different it is here from parts of the world where snow covers all flowers during winter. Here the cool times mean flowers are not fried :) I am often amazed at just how many flowers we collected last June in winter.

A tiny basil blossom.

Tiny droplets on a stem of parsley which has gone to seed.

I just love this tiny perspective, looking in between lettuce leaves at the tiny droplet on the rim of the leaf.

Tiny chive blossoms afore a tiny cherub playing.

A beetle on an eggplant blossom. Ess is absolutely positive it is a rhinocerous beetle - I am not so certain. It is unfamiliar to me. It has a distinctive orange cross on its back. Any ideas anyone?

So many tiny blossoms...
on our mint.
There are quite a number of tiny things happening here in our home.

The last of the cotton dishcloths

I know I'll keep making more, yet Mel's cloth create-a-long will be winding up shortly.

I really enjoyed crocheting this Tulip Stitch Dishcloth. I think one of the best things about making dishcloths is the opportunity to learn new stitches and styles. My babies have used a sweet pink crocheted blanket over the years. As it was a hand-me-down from my sister's in-laws I do not know the people who made it, even she is uncertain. So I could not find who to ask about the unusual style of crochet. Yet I believe it is very similar to the one used in this cloth. So I am delighted to have finally discovered something which has long been in the back of my mind. Now I might consider making myself a whole blanket...might! There are a few mistakes in my cloth, learnt on the journey into the new style. Yet I have left them as a reminder of what not to do next time and because this will be a cloth I use in my home and not as a gift. I'm pretty sure I've learnt from my mistakes...at least I hope so. That's what they're there for aren't they!

Now on my needles can you guess what it might be?

Here's a different perspective with a hint or two.

The pattern can be found here.

I just love embossed prints and patterns.

I am very glad to have increased my little cloth stash from three...

to ten.

They'll serve me well as gifts for when I'm travelling and visiting family in the next couple of months.

Valentine Heart and Kissing Cloths

How did it happen that their lips came together? How does it happen that birds sing, that snow melts, that the rose unfolds, that the dawn whitens behind the stark shapes of trees on the quivering summit of the hill? A kiss, and all was said. ~Victor Hugo

This little Valentine Heart cloth was a quick knit I did on Valentine's Day. I found it via Ravelry but for non users the pattern is here.

Here is my kissing cloth, the Xstitch cloth I referred to at the end of my initial cloth post, complete and ready to go. I think this will be the first one my husband will use for scrubbing some of those dishes.

So here are a couple more to add to my stash - one knitted, one crocheted. I like keeping all my needles working and both balls of blue wool diminishing at once.

I've a couple more on all my needles as we speak.

Creating Cloths

Another cloth completed for Mel's Washcloth Create-a-long.
This is Aimée's amata facecloth by Sew Funky.

It doesn't look quite the same as the one Dione has illustrated but I am sure it is how the written pattern knits up. Let me know if you notice the same.

The soap is a lovely olive oil soap made in the Adelaide Hills by Greenleaf Natural.

My blue balls of yarn are finally diminishing. I have another two cloths which are completed to show you, but for now I am off to find a couple more patterns to try.

Tiny Love on Valentine's Day

Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art every day my Valentine! ~Thomas Hood

Here, the little vignette my daughters and I set up to surprise Daddy.

It contains lots and lots of love condensed in miniature for us to celebrate as a family.

Lots of inspiration came from fellow bloggers.

This little paper bag album designed by Melissa. Tutorial here. This little album contains lots and lots of pictures and colouring by two sweet little industrious girls, even late on the eve of Valentine's Day. "I can't got to bed, I've got to finish this before tomorrow!"

The above two crocheted hearts by Pascale at //Between the Lines//.

The miniature heart garland by Maya Made.

To add to the mix and make it ours especially, some much beloved dark chocolate hearts from South Australia's very own Haigh's Chocolates.

Hoping you've enjoyed some loving goodness at your place as well.

Cloth Create-a-Long

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself. ~John Gregory Brown

Over the weekend I joined Mel's washcloth create-a-long. Just like she, I had a big stash of cotton waiting to be made into cloths. I have previously made many and used some as gifts, but a little motivation to increase my pile didn't go astray. The yarn I am using is Lion's cotton bought for about $2 a ball at Spotlight. It is a little course, but does knit or crochet up to be a nice sturdy cloth.

Here is my first cab off the rank. Believe it or not, it is exactly the same yarn as the above, only photographed on a different day at a different time. This bright blue looks almost unreal, the light must have been so bright when I snapped this.

It looks so sweet when it is folded in quarters. This little wedge with a cake of soap on top will make a delightful gift. Sadly the blog on which I found this pattern no longer exists so you'll have to leave me your email address in a comment if you'd like to use this pattern. I think it's my favourite.

On my knitting needles and I have another one on the go.

Just to keep me interested I am hooking this cool X stitch pattern from Celtic Mommy.

"The Blanket"

Inspired by SouleMama's Beach Blanket to Go in her recent book:

I had been planning to piece together some old sheeting in blue, white and yellow with a sweet print for an outdoor blanket, so when I found this lovely rich blue mohair/wool rug in the local Sally's Boutique (salvo's/thrift store) for 50c I whipped it up and set to work.

It took only a day from beginning to end, admittedly my Dad has been visiting and his presence helped with the routine of school, sleep, walk and play of my little girls. So I sneaked in a few moments to myself behind the machine. Yet still, much was done with my little Eee by my side, oh so carefully helping me with pinning and snipping.

In combination with our 'treasures bags' which I have just completed, also inspired by Amanda Blake Soule in her abovementioned book, I anticipate that Autumn will bring much treasure hunting and seeking and enjoying the outdoors.

"The Blanket" has already seen much scrabbling and rolling, hiding and peeking, as well as warming some old knees in the cool of the evening before this new heat set in today (38degC). Our poor old Pa, being from Queensland, isn't used to the cool breezes a summer's day can bring in southern Australia. So I am glad the blanket has been put to many uses already.

Ess' Summer Sundress

Summer set lip to earth's bosom bare,
And left the flushed print in a poppy there.
~Francis Thompson

Do you recognise that little Babushka-style scarf? Ess enjoys wearing hers with her summer sundress. I used the White Cotton and Flower Print Sundress pattern from Carefree Clothes for Girls: 20 Patterns for Outdoor Frocks, Playdate Dresses, and More and fabric from my stash. It is a lovely simple pattern and Ess has worn it each day after school since I made it. She is not certain she will ever wear another dress. She loves it so.

I enjoyed adding some freehand embroidery detail to the neckline of this dress with some lazy daisy stitches. Doesn't the thread match beautifully! This I found in an old box full of embroidery I half completed in my younger years. I wonder whether I'll get back to it, or whether it will indeed be passed down to Ess, much like it was passed down to me.

Despite the time the embroidery took, I still completed the dress in only half a day.

I had hoped to take some lovely carefree photos of my girl happily twirling around the yard in gay abandon. Alas, Ess' gay abandon was within the solace of her books this afternoon, her very favourite past-time. A very apt one for a school-weary lass.

Lacy Babushka-Style Scarf

I love sewing and have plenty of material witnesses. ~Author Unknown

Some pretty lace here...

pretty fabric in the shape of a triangle...

and a cute curly haired wearer.

This is a little something I whipped up this morning with, and for, little Eee. We actually made a pair of them. Over the weekend I sewed a little summer sundress for Ess and this scarf matches it perfectly. I hope she'll model it for me this afternoon as she has declared she will be putting her new dress on straight after school.

My weekend was unplanned, spontaneous and very enjoyable. At 9am on Saturday, my Generous Gentleman said, "let's go down to The Blueberry Patch and to Goolwa for lunch". So we did. On Sunday I woke with the intention of relaxing. I started flicking through a recent book purchase and thinking 'I could make that with this fabric' and 'this would look lovely in this'.

Soon thereafter I was looking through the stash of fabric my Dad brought with him from home - some beautiful fabrics from which I made my own clothing in my late teens and early twenties. Now it is delightful to use for my children. The result of that is lots of cut fabric and ideas in my head about what next to make for my girls to wear as they grow and seasons change. It is still warm so the sundress was first to reach completion but I am dying to finish some sweet little woollen hats using the 'White Melton Hat' pattern and a few of my own ideas of course. Can anyone fill me in a little more on what melton cloth is?

Finally, enjoy this little piece of beauty. Such a pretty pink lillium. Not what I expected to find at The Blueberry Patch, yet under the shade of their beautiful green willows, on a lawn of green, we sat to enjoy our blueberry ice creams and the sweet little garden.