taco thursday

I spun yarn!

Posted on July 12, 2013 by bekswhoknits

Last night I put on my big girl britches, went out, was sociable, and learnt something.
I spun yarn (sung to the tune of I Got Burned by the Bamboos if anyone’s curious.)

I met twitter friend and blogger Molly, who was teaching a spinning class at the Artifactory. I hadn’t even heard of the Artifactory before, but it’s an awesome space where creative people can hang out and make things.
While we were learning to spin, there was a band practicing, and there were people working on projects.

Molly showed us the most amazing yarn that she had spun herself! I was absolute in awe and even more determined to be able to do this.

Being the uncoordinated lady I am (so many unexplained bruises) it was an awkward beginning. But eventually it began to make sense. Words like ‘travelling twist’ started to look like something and not just random words.

And I was spinning!
I don’t think my yarn is going to win any awards, but it’s my yarn!

Stay tuned for more spinning adventures of Bek.

I knew I kept things for a reason

Posted on June 20, 2013June 20, 2013 by bekswhoknits

I’ve had these jeans for ages. After a month of wear they developed a tear in the crotch.
And yet for some reason I kept them.
It’s a family trait. We don’t like wasting things and so reusing scraps or repurposing material was something I was brought up to do.

Obviously these pants were waiting for me to have a really stiff neck. I was lieing away, trying to sleep when the idea came to me.
The pant leg is the perfect size for a heat bag, long enough to drape around my neck but not fall off.

The finished product isn’t exactly pretty or well finished, but it is practical.

First start by draping the pant leg around your neck to determine the optimal length.
Cut the pants.

Sew up the leg on one end. Sew about half way along the other opening. You need enough room so you can turn it inside out.
Using a funnel, start filling the tube.

Fill it a bit and then sew it up to create segments. I divided mine into 3 (so I did this bit twice).
Using the sewing machine with rice already in it was tricky, but it did work.

Once it’s all full, sew up the end

I had a great idea to use contrast embroidery thread, before remembering that my hand stitching is pretty terrible.

So it’s not going to win any beauty pageants. But it does the job.
Put it in the microwave for 2 minutes and put on neck.
Heat packs are wonderful things.

etsy love – hungry designs

Posted on November 1, 2012November 1, 2012 by bekswhoknits

Every so often I have a conversation with someone who reminds me that I spend a lot of my life on the internet.

A joke about drinking out of mason jars and pintrest weddings fell absolutely flat. Explaining pintrest weddings also fell on confused ears.

The phrase “that would make a great tumblr”, also crashed and burnt.

And because I’ve been excited about my etsy store (which is still coming, but soon), I’ve been talking to people and I’ve been genuinely surprised at the people who just say “huh?”.

And it’s in those moment where I show people my handbag, show them my bracelets, and my necklace, basically show them my etsy purchases which I carry with me all the time.

This delightful brooch is a product of the oh-so-talented Amanda Whitelaw.

Who I followed on instagram (search hungrydesigns), which led to me buying a tote for my friend last Christmas, and then this brooch for myself.

Her designs are whimsical, edgy, sometimes dark, but always witty. And they’re one of a kind.

Her etsy shop has all kinds of delightful illustrations which are made into brooches, postcards, pocket mirrors, and I think I heard a whisper about tea cups.

The tea cups have me particularly excited.

I particularly love this kitchen aid brooch. How cute would this look on an apron!

But this is the brooch that adorns my bag. Since I bought my new camera I’ve been taking it around with me as much as possible, so I’ve turned into a bag person.
I love it! It turns an ordinary Rubi bag into something unique.
I love the whimsy of the baloons. It often distracts me thinking about the places she can go, or has been. All the things she has seen whilst drifting around on baloons.
I wish we could travel by baloon more.

~~~
lets talk!
tweet tweet ~ ravelry ~ email me

I like a man in a tool belt

Posted on June 14, 2012June 14, 2012 by bekswhoknits

It’s just all there in a row. Sex and mending things.

I like a man who can say ‘I can fix your cistern, and I can fix your cistern‘

Of course it’s a little hard to write the intonation there, but that’s a fantastic quote from Coupling.
Which is one of my most favourite shows ever.

And I do like a man in a tool belt.

Another thing I like? Books.

So a man that builds me a bookshelf, in my bathroom (and wears a toolbelt whilst doing it), is a man to keep hold of.

And guess which lucky lady now has a book shelf in her bathroom.

Below is the photo I took when it first went up.
And a few more photos down you’ll see it now.
A slightly different calibre of books, but that’s us.

Knitting goodies

Posted on April 19, 2012April 19, 2012 by bekswhoknits

I love getting presents in the mail!
Particularly knitting goodies.

The lovely piper and rory designed a custom bracelet for me. I already have a Port Adelaide, a Buffy, a Doctor Who, and a Harry Potter cuff. Knitting was feeling left out.
So I got the phrase ‘i knit, therefore i am’.
With the only guidance being ‘something scripty’ I am so pleased at the way it turned out.
It’s like she read my mind.

And it arrived the same day as some sock yarn from whorled domination.
All of the pretty colours!
I really wanted to buy some yarn from a local supplier, buy local. So this is what I found.
Unfortunately it appears that the seller is unwell – so I hope that he (assuming from the name) recovers quickly and nothing is too serious.

I’m still fondling the yarn and will sleep sweetly tonight dreaming of all the sock yarn possibilities.

Cut Chemist – Festival Gardens

Posted on March 5, 2012February 27, 2012 by bekswhoknits

Perth Festival has been impeccable this year.
Not only is the location darling (see my post on Death Cab for pics of the rubber ducky fairy lights) but there have been some awesome bands too.

Cut Chemist are one of my Misters bands. The story goes, if he hadn’t have discovered Cut Chemist then he would still be into gangsta rap, and his first impression would not have impressed me enough to date him.
I still can’t stand rap, but Cut Chemist’s talent is undeniable.

He is a talented musician on those turntables. Just watching what he can do is impressive.

And he’s a nice guy too! He came out and signed some merch and my bloke got a photo with him (which has made all of his workmates very jealous).
We also saw Russell Woolfe (a local radio celeb) who was also really nice as we chewed his ear off while he was having a night off.

Cut Chemist isn’t an artist I would buy a CD of (the Mister certainly would) but his live show was very entertaining.

Colourful Addictions

Posted on March 1, 2012February 27, 2012 by bekswhoknits

With coloured and patterned tights.

A certain ambience

Posted on January 19, 2012 by bekswhoknits

We got new curtains installed! That has been on the list since day 1.

When I bought the apartment it had some hideous blue curtains.
Hideous and really didn’t match what I wanted this space to look like.
I bought some grey and black striped curtains pretty soon after, but I didn’t do the research well enough. They were expensive and they didn’t fit.
That annoyed me no end.
They were a constant reminder of how much I spent on an ill fitting product.

So when it came to replace them I didn’t have a big budget. So ikea to the rescue. The curtain rail was ~$10 (score!). I didn’t like any of the non-sheer curtains, but we need privacy. So I had the idea to buy bulk sheer ones and group them.
I think it’s worked well.
I love the flexibility I now have.

They can be sheer during the day, and bulked up during the night.

With the new couch, the place is starting to look cohesive.

It’s so nice having a space to call my own to come home to.

Tuesday chicken tacos

Posted on November 1, 2011 by bekswhoknits

I actually marinated the chicken in the bag, but all it did was make it more difficult to know it had cooked.

Dressings were cheese, lettuce, tomato, tzatsiki, and sweet chili sauce.

Soundtrack courtesy of Dave Graney.

A sunny spring afternoon

Posted on September 7, 2011September 7, 2011 by bekswhoknits

* A good book
* A cute man
* Some pretty flowers
* A home made skirt thanks Gertie!
* Goblin Green fingernails (see the little goblin)
* Listening to The Decemberists in the sunshine
* Fish tacos
* Cold beers
* Repeats of scrubs
* a neapolitan sundae in a teacup
* Mouserat songs (in the pit)
* Happiness