2017 Sydney Royal Arts & Crafts Competition - Results!

Hey everyone!

This is just a quick post tonight, but I couldn't wait to let you know how I went at the 2017 Sydney Royal Arts & Crafts Competition!! 

All 6 of my entries were on display! 

I won a Highly Commended Ribbon for my Dragon Scale Booties!

And... a First Place AND Standard of Excellence for my Lotus Moon Tiles Afghan! :D :D :D 

This is such a huge achievement and honour!! If you're going to the Show over the next couple of weeks, take another picture for me? It hasn't quite sunk in yet...

The Sydney Royal Arts & Crafts Competition - Bring It On!

Hi everyone! 

Apologies again for the blog silence over the last few weeks - Anne and Alex have been visiting me here in Australia (!!) and I've also been super busy with Days for Girls, work and... preparing my items for the Sydney Royal Arts and Crafts Competition! Anne will be posting soon about their Australian adventures with Captain Poprocks, but today is all about my Easter Show entries :D 

All 6 entries are now finished, and with days to spare (I know, what is wrong with me...), and I'm so excited to share them with you! 

1. Stole or Shawl, 4 ply or thicker - Mine Once More

I made this beautiful shawl/scarf last year for my mother - fortunately she has not worn it yet, so I can enter it in the Show! The yarn is Wolltraum My Melodyy in colourway Atemlos, and the pattern is by the ever amazing Michelle duNaier http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mine-once-more. Here it is modelled by my beautiful sister-friend Jess <3 

2. Stole or Shawl, finer than 4 ply - the Raspberry Borealis Shawl

Using Fyberspates Gleem Lace in Mixed Magentas and the Borealis Shawl pattern by Cal Patch (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/borealis-shawl), it worked up beautifully! Much blocking was required to get the lace to actually show up - but I'm so happy with the interesting geometry of this shawl. Modelled here by Anne (!!) when we went up to the lake house a few weeks ago <3

3. Pram or Cot Cover or Bunny Rug, unlined - the Rainbow Cloud Baby Wrap

You probably recognise this pattern - it's the Virus Blanket! Worked in Wolltraum My Melodyy in colourway Mamma Mia, it almost looks like the colour changes are deliberate. Crocheting this pattern was like meditating; I can't wait to make another :D

4. Travel, Knee or Afghan Rug, wool or wool blend - the Lotus Moon Tiles Afghan

You heard all about this one a few weeks ago (http://crochetbetweentwoworlds.blogspot.com.au/2017/02/ta-dah-lotus-moon-tiles-afghan.html) - I'm so happy with how it came out, but still hoping someone buys it at the show...

5. Adult Crocheted Accessories - Dragon Scale Boots

I LOVE Bonita Designs' gorgeous Crocodile Stitch Booties, and have made many pairs now in all sorts of sizes! These ones are ladies size 7-8, and I used Stylecraft Special DK in Turquoise for hardy soles, and Moda Vera Fayette in Frenzy for the rest. They are so comfortable - maybe I should hope that they don't get sold at the show? Getting the colour changes to be roughly the same on each boot was an interesting challenge for sure!

6. Creative Crochet - Fiesta! 

As soon as I came up with this idea, I knew it had to be my Creative Crochet entry for the show. It's all Stylecraft Special DK, in Black, Turquoise, Empire, Grass Green, Fuchsia Purple, Spice and Citron, lined with charcoal Vilene, and with snaps to finish! It doesn't sit quite straight or flat because of the freeform slipstitching, but hopefully it's good enough. The bag is the perfect size for one Hobbit ;)

So, wish me luck! I'll find out the results on Tuesday 4 April, and will definitely let you know! :D 

Ta-Dah! The Lotus Moon Tiles Afghan!

Hey everyone!

It's been a bit quiet here at CBWHQ because... Anne is here in Australia to visit!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's been 5.5 years since we've seen each other in person, and we've just been having too much fun catching up... and of course crocheting ;) There's more regular photos on our Instagram feed @crochetbetweenworlds - if you're not following us there, you definitely should!

Today however is all about the Lotus Moon Tiles Afghan :D I finally finished the second version of this stunning design from Polly Plum (go, get it here and make one!) in 100% Australian Wool to enter into the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Anne, Alex, Kiah and I took lots of photos of it while we were up at the lake house last weekend - it was lots of fun to work together in person for once!

I am sensitive to wool, it makes me itch like crazy and loose fibres make me cough and sneeze. But, the Show category demanded wool, so wool they are getting. Next time I will definitely consider shelling out more money for better quality wool - the $4/50g balls from Spotlight were awful to work with! Full of straw and twigs (!?), knots all over the place (I got very good at felting ends together), and even more scratchy and horrible than wool usually feels to me. But now, it's DONE, and blocked, and I hardly have to touch it anymore. 

The flowers are in 3 different colours - pink, red/orange and purple. It was lovely to work this design again - I didn't even mind the ends (too much)! 

I researched online how we could make this scratchy horrid wool a little bit nicer, and came across this article from The Tricksy Knitter advising to soak the blanket in a gentle Wool Wash and warm water for several hours, and then after rinsing, soak it in warm water with hair conditioner in it! It was somewhat bizarre to do (and my husband whisking Herbal Essences into the laundry sink just made it weirder), but... it worked! The wool is so much softer; I am more comfortable selling it to someone now as I don't think it'll scrub the hairs off their legs anymore! We rinsed and rinsed, and squeezed the water out in some bath towels, and then used a million pins (possibly less, but I did have to send Kiah to the supermarket to buy more) to block it out - including every single flower petal...

The Schülers (Anne and her husband) are now off exploring Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road with Captain Poprocks as tour guide (since he's been there before). They'll be back in Sydney in a few weeks, to spend one more week here before heading home. 

In the meantime I better get cracking on my last few Easter Show entries! Wish me luck!

2016 Sydney Royal Easter Show

Hi everyone! 

Just a quick post from me, as tonight was the big preview of the Sydney Royal Easter Show Arts & Crafts Competition! My whole family, plus my friend Cate came with me to the exhibition. It was very noisy and busy, and there were so many absent-minded wanderers (always dangerous when travelling in a wheelchair), but lots of fun, and we got to go out for dinner afterwards too. 

I entered 7 sections this year, and all of them made it into the displays :D 

A trio of flower doilies

Starry Evening Stole

The Slow Rainbow Zig Zag Tote

PLUS! I got a highly commended ribbon:

Tumbling Blocks Baby Afghan

And THREE Third Place ribbons!! 

Starwirbeln Cowl

Persian Tiles Afghan

Nellie the Elephant

I am so thrilled with the outcome - now I need to start planning my entries for next year! 

Success at the Sydney Royal Easter Show!

Hello everyone! 

Just a short blog post tonight, but I'm exploding with excitement that I just have to share with you all!!

Tonight was the Preview Exhibition for the Sydney Royal Easter Show Arts and Crafts Competition. You might remember that I entered a Road Trip Scarf, a candy happypotamus (General Millie, Captain Poprocks' future wife) and my Rainbow Twist and Turn Bargello Afghan into the competition. It was my first time entering, so I wasn't expecting anything - just getting my entries on display would have been amazing.

BUT! I did so much better than that! Not only did all three of my items end up on display...

... I won SECOND PLACE in the Crochet Art section for the Rainbow Twist and Turn Bargello Afghan...

... and FIRST PLACE (BLUE RIBBON!!) FOR GENERAL MILLIE IN THE CROCHETED/KNITTED SOFT TOYS SECTION!!!!

Plus, by the time we got to the exhibition, an hour after it opened, the scarf and happypotamus had already been purchased :D :D :D 

I'm still fizzing about the place several hours later, just so excited and thrilled and beaming like an idiot (see above pictures for proof)!! 

THANK YOU all for your support and appreciation for the crochet work that Anne and I create! It gave me the confidence to enter the Show, and I am just so happy with the results! 

Little Tuesday Update!

Hello everyone! Welcome to all of our new readers, and hugs for old friends :) 

Wow! The response to my Rainbow Twist and Turn Bargello Afghan has been phenomenal - 1300 views of the pattern, 280 favourites on Ravelry and two projects started already :D  

Mine is all safely washed and dried and photographed and rolled up in plastic, ready for its next outing at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. I entered the Show for the first time this year, in 3 categories:

1. Adult Accessories - I'm going to submit a Road Trip Scarf to this category;

2. Soft Toys - A candy hippo, my favourite; and

3. Creative Crochet (Exhibitor's Own Design) - the Bargello Afghan.

Unfortunately I couldn't enter the afghan into the afghan category as that requires the blankets to be made from wool or wool blend, not 100% acrylic :( Oh well, now I know for next time!

There'll be a brand new afghan design coming soon - here is a sneak peek for you!

I've been stuck at home with terrible fatigue, bored off my nut for the last few days. I have been slowly getting through some scarves, and trying to clear my WIP pile so I can start new projects with a clear conscience.  Here are three more scarves, in some different yarn to my usual Moda Vera Fayette!

James C Brett - Woodlander (5)

King Cole Riot (414)

Yarn Bee Aurora Borealis (Fruit Punch)

As I am writing this, I have received some very bad news. Anne's grandfather passed away today at the grand age of 101. As you all know, Anne was very close to her grandfather, and he used the blanket that she made for him every day. 

Please send her lots of love and hugs and support in this difficult time.