our little Huckle!!!

I'd like you to meet our latest creation.
Baby Huckle was born on the 24th at 10:54pm, weighing 8 pound 13 ounces.
We are all very much in love & are so proud of little boy.

We've been settling in at home for a few days now, getting to know each other & finding our groove. With lots of snuggling in front of the fire.

Thank you all for your baby rain dance, it sure did work. As he arrived into the world, the rain was pouring down. So I got the baby & the rain.

just passing the time...

Well, I've baked a loaf of bread, there's pear bread in the oven as I type, I've put on a load of clothes, the dishes have been washed & the kitchen swept.
My morning has been very productive, mostly just to keep myself entertained & distracted from the fact that I still can't see my toes. We've got an appointment with the OB tomorrow, which means that by friday there should be a baby. I think that's quite promising. I wanted to have a natural birth, but it really is getting on the late side & there's no movement at the station.
On the crochet front, I can finally show you this cute little set as it has arrived at it's intended destination. I'm sure Emma's gorgeous little Hazel will look super cute in them, I hope yellow is her colour.

I'm a little unsure about the sizing of them, so I've mucked about with a few different sizes. These ones will hopefully fit the little guy at some stage.

Oh well, back to some more distractions. My mum arrives from north qld this arvo to stay for nearly 3 weeks. It will be nice to have some one on one time with her; being one of four & living interstate, it's a real treat.

too cute...

Can it get any cuter than this? My god! This is the delightful pincushion I received in Kate's awesome swap. Made by the extremely talented Karen from And So I Sew. I feel so very spoilt.
She also made me a cute nappy pocket, complete with wet ones & baby wipes. This will come in super handy, when the baby decides to come out.

pincushions & other random babblings of an overdue pregnant woman...

My pin cushion had been finished a while, sitting patiently on the table waiting to be posted. The due date for posting kept sneaking closer & there was a great possibility of it sneaking right by me. Somehow, on thursday I managed to get my arse into gear & post off a heap of items that were in the same boat as the pincushion.

I like to think of it as organised chaos. I plan & have everything set to go... & then at the last minute, I rush around like a banshee to get it all complete. I've always been this way; with assignments, going places... pretty much everything actually. It seems to work for me.

So anyway, back on topic... the pincushion was sent on thursday & received on friday. Woohoo aussie post! I've never known you to be so punctual. This morning I awoke to the most delightful message in my inbox. The lovely Tania of myrtle & eunice likes her pin cushion. Phew! I was so worried that she wouldn't. I knew she loved type & fonts, so I felt I couldn't go too far wrong with this french alphabet linen tape. Somehow it all came together with an old fowlers jar, lots of glue & a bit of the old crossing of the fingers.

I quite liked it myself. There's more jars on the shelf, so maybe I'll knock one up for myself too. That's when the baby comes along & I'll just have so much time & energy. Ha ha, silly dillusional woman.

I hope you're doing the baby raindance for me. It's getting very uncomfortable.

oooh, the suspense...

I'm terribly sorry to have been keeping you all in such suspense. So many have assumed my silence here, has meant the baby has arrived. I'll let the photos do the talking, shall I?

I've just been a bit quiet, trying to be slow & restful. Crafty things have still been happening, but with the beautiful rain we've been having it's hard to get good light for a spot of photography.
We've just come back from the doctor's & he says we're all set to go. The baby is in a great position & is nice & healthy. If he's not out by the end of next week, we might consider some intervention. But for now, we are happy for him to come out on his terms.

Thank you all so much for your great feedback on my hook roll. It sure has seen a lot of use this past week. My current crochet projects include... a chunky wool rug for the hearth, some booties & soakers for a new little girl & a few more amigurumi creatures for the collection. I've been catching some hours in front of the fire with a cup of tea & hook in hand. Ahhh, blissful autumn crafting.
Must go now, kettle has just boiled.

my creative space...

Something for me this week.
After scoring a heap of crochet hooks at the local trash & treasure market (for 50c each!), I decided it was high time to sort myself out with a hook roll.

As I didn't have any suitable interfacing in my stash, I decided to use a scrap of wool batting. This has made it nice & chunky... & if I so choose to have a nap half way through a project... it shall do just the trick.

It is also incredibly wonky. I don't know quite how it got to be this way, as for the first time ever I used the quilting guide on my machine. Hmm, oh well.

I've also found the perfect project for these sweet little fat quarters. It's nice when spotlight has something cute.

Check out Kootoyoo for more inspiring spaces.

oh by the way...

I forgot to tell you that I've finished the ripple blanket!

Here it is in all it's ripply glory.
It really does feel like a great accomplishment, I thought I'd be going for years.
I guess, with all this spare time on my hands at the moment, one must keep themselves entertained.
It's about a metre squared, which is hopefully a good size to be used for all manner of things.I'm halfway through piecing the cot quilt top, maybe I'll finish that in time too. All depending on how long he wants to stay in there. Hopefully not too much longer, it's getting very uncomfortable. I'm sure it's not too flash for him either, so come on little fella.

busy baking...

My little oven's been running hot this weekend. Hot cross buns, then pear loaf & now some crusty whole wheat bread. Samuel is quite happy with all this baking & gave his tick of approval to all three. The pear loaf was a particular favourite. We had it toasted with butter for breakfast this morning. & I think I'll try it with some ricotta & honey for afternoon tea.

The crusty bread was started yesterday & left to rise overnight. I cooked it in a lidded cast iron dish, taking the lid off for the last 10 minutes. This makes it super crunchy & crusty on the outside & chewy in the middle, just how I like it. It was finished in time to be eaten with moroccan tomato couscous soup for lunch. Delicious.

I've had a real urge to be in the kitchen of late, I've been cooking lunch & dinner daily. Last week I was struggling to make dinners, let alone anything other than a slice of bread for lunch. So this week has been very gourmet.
I do have these recipes somewhere. If you would like either, just shoot me an email.
Happy sunday to you all.

around the farm...

Autumn is such a beautiful time of year here on the farm. The vine leaves are turning a magnificent burgundy, the grass is green again & the days are lovely & mild.
Samson & Dougall have settled in well & have grown accustomed to their surrounds. They come up to the fence for a pat & a scratch & once a week or so they get an all over with the comb. Their winter coats are starting to thicken & turn into dreadlocks when it rains. So a good pull the comb gets all the knots out & gives them a scratch at the same time.

Photo courtesy of Samuel (he requested I credit him)
Our little ducklings have all grown up into lovely big girls. We also acquired two indian runners to add to the flock. The runners are named after saxophonists , as that is exactly what they sound like. The black one is Coltrane & the silver is Gillespie. When the pekins were small, we named one Bagpipe & another Scruff... but now they all look the same, we don't know which is which. I've collectively named them "those who cannot be named", as if they are like the mafia or voldemort. I think it's quite funny, whether it is or not is another story. Oh well, one must appreciate ones own humour, I guess. The ducks spend their days foraging in the orchard, they seem pretty happy. I'm happy too. The pooey water from their pool is bringing life to my lemon trees & the straw bedding gets new life as mulch around the other fruit trees. Waste not, want not.

Another good thing about autumn... is the harvest. I've just finished picking the pears off our two trees & we finished up with a grand total of 15 kilos! Caw crikey! What to do with them all? Some have been handed over to friends, others eaten fresh, some shall be poached & preserved & there's a pear loaf in the oven as I type. Mmmm, 30 minutes to go.
We also have a chestnut tree, which is on the turn. I've been busy scouring the internet for recipes. If anyone has a great recipe for chestnuts, please share. Sweet or savoury... I'll try anything.

I hope I didn't sound bitchy in my last post. A full two days was just a bit too much to handle. I like to keep it to a few hours at the most. It's very overwhelming.
Happy holidays to you all. Don't gorge yourselves on too much chocolate.

serenity & sanity...

Yep, I'm still here... no baby to show yet.
I've spent the last day or so recovering from the mother in law visiting. My goodness, it was very stressful. I'm very happy for it to be just me & the husband again. Peace & tranquility with no incessant nattering. I can't believe how much one person can talk! I felt like pulling out all my hair & screaming "SHUUUUUSH!!!!" at the top of my lungs. But alas, I did not. I just suffered in silence with a splitting headache pulsating through my little head.

Today I have energy again & I'm using it for a little cooking & crafting. My therapy session this morning was to make hot cross buns. I don't really celebrate religious holidays, I just use them as an excuse to cook all the yummy things that go along with them. Who can say no to homemade buns really. It was so nice to wake up to this little task, kneading the dough set me into a bit of a trance too.

I've made spicy tomato & lentil soup for lunch & now I'm off to sew a little something in the studio. Not sure what yet... I'll fill you in later.
Hope you're all having a great good friday.