The Other Side Of Life

So now that the business is up and running, I thought I'd spend some time sharing a bit more about the other side of life. That is, life as a stay at home mum.

Anyone with (young) kids would know that life gets very busy. Nappy changes, food preparation, craft activities, book reading, games of imaginary proportions, etc. And then there's the constant teaching of how to do life in general, how to/not to treat others, how to have self-control, how to behave in certain situations, how to deal with your emotions, how to love. Being a parent is hard work!!! Sometimes it can feel like all the long hours have gone to waste but then suddenly a corner is turned and you see a distinct change, a better choice made voluntarily, an act of love between two sisters....and it's all worth it.

I find myself learning every day, about myself, about my kids, about how to do life as a stay at home mum as efficiently and effectively as I can. Let's face it, no one has EVERYTHING together. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, but the key is to remain humble and teachable. And by God's grace we will get through it just fine.

The Birth of Wool & Flax

It is with great pleasure that I can finally announce the grand opening of my very own online wool store - Wool & Flax.  Head over to www.woolandflaxyarns.com.au to have a browse.  Check out our wonderful Manos del Uruguay yarn collection, Knit Pro needles and funky patterns.

This has been a labour in process since the start of February this year.  After 6 months of lots of research, working on a logo and website, ordering my first shipment of wool all the way from Uruguay, taking photos of the products and uploading them, as well as doing all the behind-the-scene things that are involved with starting a small business, we are finally here.  Today is the day I get to share my love for wool and joy of knitting with the rest of the world.  Enjoy! :)

2 Small Projects

Apart from working on getting my online store all setup and ready to go, I have also been working on a couple of small projects. The first was a beret, the first time I had ever knitted one!  I was surprised at how quickly they knit up and was done within 24hrs.  I chose a pattern off Ravelry, the lovely Star Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson. I got my oldest to pick a colour and knitted the beret up for her.  I didn't change the size though so it is a little bit loose for her as it's meant to be worn by an adult.  I must admit, I have borrowed it from time to time too.  It's amazing how much warmer you are with something on your head, especially when it's made of 100% merino wool!  This was made in Manos del Uruguay's Rittenhouse which is a lovely and soft 5-ply yarn, in colourway Magenta.  Definitely a favourite of mine from the Manos collection.

Then I decided to use some yarn which I was sampling to knit up a cowl which I had promised to my friend, Ben Abraham, about a year ago.  I used Twinkle Baby Chunky in Moss and found a cool manly cowl pattern to use.  I modified the pattern quite a bit but essentially ended up with the same effect, just in a smaller size, using chunkier wool.  Glad to say, it fitted Ben perfectly AND he loved it.  Success!  Now I just have to get him to model it for me so I can take some decent shots of it.

Along with these 2 projects, I have still been working on a Rowan's Savannah Dune cardigan for myself. But that has been a bit slow going.  Hoping to get it done by spring!