Baby Shower

As I've previously announced, Scott and I are expecting our first child at the end of February. On Saturday 19th January, I had my baby shower.

I had wanted a get together with friends before life well and truly changes. With help from my mum, we put on a morning tea for 11 of my friends. I had such a lovely time catching up with my friends, laughing, chatting and reminiscing. Some of them I don't get to see all that often, so it was the perfect opportunity!

It was such a hot morning, but we cooled off with raspberry lemonade, iced water and hand-held fans. I had a lovely time, and I'm so pleased that I was able to bring my friends together for such an occasion. :-)

The table on the verandah all set up

Fyberspates Scrumptious - heavier weights

Fyberspates Scrumptious DK/Worsted in Plum

 

We are now stocking four weights of the fabulous Fyberspates Scrumptious yarn. The yarn is lovely and soft, and made from 45% silk and 55% merino wool. Gorgeous! The yarn has a lovely shine to it, and is a pleasure to knit with.

The weights we have added to the range are the Double Knit/Worsted and the Aran.

The Double Knit is a singles yarn, and is perfect for the ever popular Clapotis shawl from Knitty.com. Each 100g skein is 220m long.  The gauge, using 4.5mm needles, is 20sts & 28 rows for a 10 x 10 cm square.

The Aran is a plied yarn, with 165m per 100g skein. A deliciously soft, plump and shiny yarn. The gauge, using 5mm needles is 18sts and 24 rows for a 10x10cm square.

We recommend that you hand wash all garments you make with Fyberspates Scrumptious (and my hand dyed yarn). Each washing machine is different, and it would be an utter tragedy to shrink or felt a garment you have spent so many hours knitting!

You can find all of the Fyberspates Scrumptious yarns I have in stock here:

http://www.thequizzicalowl.com.au/ourshop/cat_527930-Fyberspates-Scrumptious.html

Fyberspates Scrumptious Aran in Moss

To support the range of Fyberspates Scrumptious yarns, we also stock the Fyberspates Scrumptious Volume One pattern book, and the ScrumptiousBaby pattern book. Both books are bursting with patterns written specifically for this gorgeous yarn.

You'll find the pattern books here:

http://www.thequizzicalowl.com.au/ourshop/cat_507896-Pattern-Books.html

Happy knitting!

Alex :-)

A Quizzical Owlet

Life will change dramatically around here in the next few months. :-) In a good way!

Scott and I are expecting a baby towards the end of February.

As the months go by, we are getting more and more excited about the impending arrival. I've been incredibly lucky to feel so well up until this point. We are referring to our offspring as the "Cylon", which is a reference to a nerdy tv show, Battlestar Galactica.

The Quizzical Owl will remain on track for a busy 2013. I plan on still attending markets and events such as Supanova and the BrisStyle markets. I'm already thinking of costumes to dress our little person in at Supanova on the Gold Coast!!

I'm looking forward to February next year, but first we have to get through Christmas 2012. Thanks must go out to our customers, blog readers, Facebook linkers, Twitter followers and friends for supporting us over the last 12 months. We really appreciate your support and we are really excited about the next 12 months.

Alex :-)

Fyberspates Scrumptious - Childry Shawl

I have been wanting to knit something from the Fyberspates Scrumptious Collection for a while. I wanted to be able to knit something that I could wear in Brisbane’s sub tropical temperatures. I chose the Childry shawl and knitted it in the 4ply/sock Teal. 

I really love the feel of the Scrumptious and I also love the teal colour. It is quite a simple looking pattern and I like the ruffled edging of the shawl. 

From a marketing point of view it is also an excellent opportunity to show what can be made with a single skein of the Scrumptious 4ply yarn.

Loki Earrings

One of the first items that I created when I started making Lego jewellery was minifigure earrings. They are something that I really like and enjoy wearing.

I have a pair of construction workers earrings that I have been wearing for more than two years. The reaction has always been fantastic when people see them. Some of the feedback that I have received is that the perception is that the earrings will be too heavy. I can vouch for the fact that they aren't heavy at all! 

I was therefore really excited when a friend of mine and fellow BrisStyler asked me to make a pair of Loki minifigure earrings for her daughter’s birthday. I wasn’t able to take photos when I made the earrings as these were a surprise present. I asked for a photo of the Loki earrings so I could share them on the blog and I think the photo looks fantastic and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. 

I was also very pleased that at the last BrisStyle Twilight Market, I sold a pair of viking minifigure earrings. After a pair for yourself? Check them out here: http://thequizzicalowl.com.au/ourshop/cat_484144-Minifigure-Earrings.html :-)

BrisStyle Indie Twilight Market

Friday 24th August, 5-9pm
King George Square, Brisbane City

It's that time again - time for the BrisStyle Indie Twilight Market! But, this time, there's also an Etsy Party for you all to enjoy too.

I can't wait for the market. There's always a great atmosphere - happy customers, happy stallholders, and hopefully great weather!

I've made a few new project bags for this market. Here they are:

I've also been playing around with polymer clay. I've made some bananas! I'll make these into earrings when their varnish has dried, and they'll be available at the Twilight Market tomorrow night for $10 a pair.

What do you think? Very Queensland, right? :-)

Looking forward to seeing you there. Come by, say hello, and stay for the Etsy Party - it'll be a hoot!

Hand Dyed Yarn Shop Update

Over the past few weeks, The Quizzical Owl has attended several great events. I made sure that I had loads of hand dyed yarn available for these events.

It's sometimes a bit of a gamble to bring a specialised item to a general craft market. But, there are more and more knitters out there! Knitting is one of those hobbies that you can pick and at any time, and come back to even if you stopped a while ago. I love being able to introduce people to new yarns - other than those available at the larger craft chains. And yarns in unique colourways that they will be able to make lovely items from. It makes me happy to see my customers happily stroking the yarn, looking intently at the colours.

(And yes, I'm one of those knitters that sniffs skeins of yarns at knitting shows or in shops. There, I've said it.)

I've listed all the remaining skeins of hand dyed yarns on my website. You'll find a few on my Etsy shop as well.

Here are a few teasers to get you in the mood...

Happy knitting/crocheting/crafting!

Alex :-)