Marshmellowmagic Designs

July Primary Coloured C/Kal for BDDU

2011-07-29T00:25:00.000-07:00

The challenge was to knit or crochet a pattern from a NZ or AUS Designer in Primary colours,
So Red, Yellow, Blue or all 3 colours together it was.

I can tell you that I had a rather hard time choosing what I was going to make, These days I am really pushing for any spare time to craft, when I do get an hour or so I am so tired I don't really feel like doing much, so I was looking for a smallish project I could work up quick.

I decided to do the Suggestion square and make it into a cushion for Cooper, Well that was the plan, but I ran out of energy to sew a cushion and make the backing, That could be because my sewing room looks more like a dumping ground for wool and material these days (Simon is getting onto that next week, would you believe it?) or maybe the 60hr weeks and solo parenting of 3 children (2 pare pre-schoolers) while Simon has been away working! So I failed in the cushion idea, but I did at least finish the square, minus sewing in the ends.

Also because I am never one to work without phenomenal stress (in fact I work much better under it, go figure) I decided to make the Urban shells beanie for me, I have berets for work in Green and um.... Green (my fav colour) So I needed a red beanie and with these stupid -8 degree mornings we have been having, I have felt my head deserved a little bit of luxury :-)

Andalucia

2011-06-18T00:53:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to get a testing slot on the new Addydae design Andalucia
It's a beautiful "just under the knee" length skirt done in shelling with a really effective frilling just before the end of the skirt.
I did the size 3-4 test for Lydia, I had this delicious machine washable wool I had handyed with food colouring a while back for another project that I didn't end up using, so I had been saving it for the right project to come along, infact I had planed to knit with it as I am not a huge fan of using a variegated colour with crochet.
BUT having seen a test Andalucia that another lady had done in variegated yarn I quickly changed my mind as I thought it looked stunning.

I am super pleased I used it as I am really happy with the finished product. Lydia loves it, That is always good as then she will wear it, There is nothing worse than spending hours working on an outfit for the small recipient (who is usually VERY fussy) to say Y.U.C.K and not even look in it's direction.

This is an easy pattern, Nothing tricky, it is mainly crocheted out of sc and dc (US terms) and works up really quickly, Fantastic second project!

Thanks so much Deanne for letting me part of your wonderful testing crew,
Make sure you check out her Raverly shop for cute little girls designs :-)

The Twisted Love hat

2011-04-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

I have re-released a revised version of the twisted love hat,
Gosh this was one of the first designs I wrote to pattern and looking back the pattern was set out very simply,
I have totally re-arranged the layout, added a easy to follow chart for the colour work, added helpful online links and photos. Plus it goes from baby to adult sizings.
I am so much happier with this updated version, It really is such fun to make this hat, Perfect for you first colour project and the twists add that point of difference.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T04:27:00.000-07:00

"Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted." - -- John Lennon

Boy knickers

2011-03-26T00:42:00.000-07:00

Well, much to his Fathers horror, Cooper likes to wear "knickers" boy knickers we have decided to call them, we tried the word "undies" but Cooper just said "No Mummy, boy knickers"
So boy knickers they are!!

I had a bit of trouble fitting undies on him as he has chunky thighs, I first tried that darn kat undies, but the legs were almost cutting off his circulation, lol
So I popped on over and bought the How to sew Boys' boxer briefs
I made a size 4T and they fitted like a dream, no pinching in his skin or leaving red marks, The only thing I would do next time is leave the fly out as it really isn't need for a 2yo boy.

Baby Blueprint Crochet

2011-03-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

I seen some of the cutest little designs on Raverly one day in a book that was due to be released Baby blueprint crochet
So of course I hoofed straight over to the book depository and secured a book on pre-sale then hung on tight until it arrived in my mailbox! I was not disappointed with what I received either!
This book has multiple cute designs throughout it! Infact I had a hard time deciding which project to start on.
I eventually decided on the "Leah Pullover" It was super easy and it worked up in a day, I made it in a really nice deep purple Perendale wool I got in the Skeinz Garage sale Online, the Pink is an Alpaca that I also got there.

I added the Russian doll fabric buttons that I purchased from Crazy Crafter NZ ages ago (finally glad they found the perfect project)

I also added a Russian doll Applique from Bunnycup stitched out on Felt, then attached carefully by blanket stitch.

I am really happy with the outcome, The jersey has lots of room to grow and will last all this coming winter and hopefully right through until next winter.
Best thing is Lydia likes it too!

Where have I been?

2011-03-12T15:40:00.000-08:00

Gosh talk about blog neglect!

Coupled with a broken laptop that had all my designs on it, Used up broadband (thanks hubby xx) and getting ready for the "strawberry fare" (back in Dec) I have been kind of busy! Unfortunately my blog took the flack and as you can see by the lack of posts! (ekkk sorry)

So I guess I am playing a bit of catch up on this post, sorry but it maybe a long one!

Well the Strawberry fare went without a hitch, I stayed up to after 1am most nights in a bit of a blind panic worrying about if I had enough stock to take! Well that was fruitless as I had an abundance, in fact so much of it wasn't put out on display! I had a brilliant time yakking away to Brenda from Natural star who went halves in a stall with me.

Above is just a few of the Machine embroidery items I took with me.

Rondondo Skirt

I have also hit the sewing machine over Xmas,
Finally making the Rodondo Skirt for Lydia from Studio Tantrum that had been stashed away for over a year (well closer to 2 if I was to be honest)
I was so happy with the result! I put flounces in mine, it was so worth the effort and wasn't hard at all. To do the flounces I just took an extra trace of the skirt pattern and put that onto paper and them cut the length in half, so basically you just have a shorter skirt piece over the original, it puckers by itself giving you "flounces"
I got the fabric from trademe for $6 and there was enough for me to make a few errors and a cute little matching clip.
So pretty chuffed with myself for finally doing the skirt, Lydia likes it too!

Playtime popover

I purchased the Playtime Popover for Cooper from Redthreadspatterns
This has to be one of the best patterns I have come across, the instructions are immaculate, easy to follow and if you have never sewing before, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND Redthreadpatterns. I didn't put a pocket on the front, but instead embroidered the Tool Belt Applique from Didgistitches I made a size 3 in a merino blend and I lined mine in the inside.

Sorella

I also took part in the TiKKi Mystery KAL (knit a long)
This was FUN, I had no idea what I was about to knit, All I knew was it was some kid of girls and boys top,
Each week we were sent a new part of the pattern to complete,
What a pleasant surprise to find that both patterns Sorella and Fratello were lovely!
Shamefully my Fratello is still on the needles, I have just a cuff left on one of the sleeves, but I made a boo boo on the cable so my desire to finish it went wayward! But it is on my "to do list" as I need the needles for other projects.
Above is Lydias Sorella that I knit in a MW merino and hand-dyed myself!

acacia
I whipped out the needles a week before Xmas to knit Acacia for Lydia, I threaded the ribbon on Xmas eve. This little number is another TiKKi design, seamless and worked from the top down and like most of TiKKis patterns, you get maximum look of minimal effort! I used BMW Cotton in Lavender.

Clara (8ply version)

I chucked in a quick test knit ( well I squeezed it in my the skin of my nose TBH) Only because I LOVE this design and wanted Willow to have a new knitted top to go with the skirt I got her for Xmas, I LOVE it, It is designed by Amber Bertram from NZ, I will be keeping a close eye on her future designs as I think they are going to be a pleasant surprise! This is also knit in BMW cotton (lavender)

Of course there is alot more to add to the list, but you have probably fallen asleep reading my novel, I promise to "try" and be better about updating my blog more often,

A Craft Affair aka Craft 2.0

2010-07-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

I made my Hubby drive me all the way to Christchurch the other weekend to go to A Craft Affair,
It was awesome, He dropped me off on the side of the road (without the kids) and let me go loose (aka shopping galore) all by myself and Boy was it fun.
A Craft Affair is made up of some of New Zealands specially selected Hand crafters from all walks of life. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of goodS that were on offer,
I had some beaut finds there too. My HANDS DOWN FAVORITE was RELIQUE who sold the most amazing pieces of unique handcrafted vintage jewellery, I couldn't get into see her stall at first as the overcrowding was phenomenal, so I came back an hour or so later and scored the most beautiful Vintage button. The detail was nothing short of incredible as you will see in the photos I posted above.

I stopped in at NEEDLEFOOD to say Hi to Michelle but she was being mobbed by all the crazy yarnies that where there, I leaped in and scored some yummy yarn goodness from her, I got a lovely Dusky Pink lace, 4ply sock yarn in "there are greens in my salad" colorway and a WW butternut yellow *cant remember the colorway* I also got some Hiya hiya fixed circs and stitchmarkers along with the famous chocolate which I enjoyed secretly on the drive back home

I got the cutest little hairties from WILD ONES who had some truly cute clothing and little raggedy Anne dolls. It was really nice to finally meet Angelique and see all her amazing wears.

Then of course there was NATURAL STAR!
Although I didn't buy anything from Brenda, I got to wave all the stuff I was buying at her, *sniggers* "LOOK AT MY SEXY YARN" as I show her my needlefood, "HEY CHECK OUT MY VINTAGE BUTTON" as her sister tells me that Green really is her color, (Nice try buddy! But I am not handing it over!)
Her stall was over run by crazy fans ohhhh and arrrrghing over her lovely Merino knitted wears.
Lets hope they follow her down to the Strawberry Fare in Waimate this year where I will be sharing a stall with her :-)

C.U.T.E

2010-06-02T03:36:00.000-07:00

Gosh my blogging has been a bit slack lately, Think alot of it has to do with this terrible weather we have been having, (well that is what I am going to use as an excuse anyway)

Floods and all sorts has been going on here in NZ, and winter has finally arrived! Time to pull out the winter woollies as the first frost hit us last night and I am sure it will not be the last for a few months.

So I decided to share some cute little photos taken by Jane Trevathan from Photographybyjane

You may recognise the sprightly little girl in the bear hat as one of the two plump babies I use in my banners, Oh how she is growing so fast. Delightful little cheeky smile she has too, and they look so lovely in my original crochet hats :-) C.U.T.E

Olearia by Tikki

2010-05-13T04:44:00.000-07:00

Well I feel extremely special to be able to test knit a beautiful pattern for Tikki.

Olearia was released on the 1st May and was another instant hit for Tikki whose patterns just keep getting better and better, I am not sure how she is going to top this one though?

Simple and stylish with a classic timeless look that has 3 versions,

A short sleeved shrug version

Version 1 with full ruching body and full ruching 3/4 sleeves *this is the version I did*

Version 2 is bodice ruching and stocking stitch body and sleeve *I plan on making this next*

It has so many choices to knit and is extremely addictive to knit.

Thanks Tikki for another wonderful design and for letting me be a part of the process.

The Flapper Dress

2010-05-04T05:03:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to be able to test knit the wonderful Flapper Dress Designed by Shannon23 from Crafty Desires.
Such a pretty girly dress the is worked seamlessly from the bottom up and then grafted for a complete seamless dress.
Just a completely delightful little dress, (or not so little in my case as I did the size 6 version)
The best thing about knitting from the bottom up was the knitting got quicker and quicker as I went, I used beautiful WW merino hand dyed from Needlefood in the colorway Cranberry.
Hopefully Shannon will be releasing this this fab little pattern soon, I will keep you updated on when this will happen.

A Bit of sewing

2010-04-29T05:14:00.000-07:00

I love everything crafty, so it should come as no surprise that I also sew,

I recently purchase some really cute little patterns of Etsy from Heidi and Finnn and made Lydia the yoga crossover top and matching yoga pants.

So cute! I even went back and purchased more patterns as I was really happy with the way this outfit turned out.

These are really simple patterns to follow, no tricky seams and you don't need and overlocker.

The cute little flower motifs were done on my embroidery machine.

The little Kiwis nest

2010-04-28T05:21:00.000-07:00

Well my store has been going a little loopy lately, I think people are getting in early for the Winter rush, I can assure you it is not far away! We have had out fire going the last week and I have planted my "Swan Plant" seedlings in a sheltered area away from the soon to arrive frosts,

Anyway I thought I would share a few of the things that have been sold over the past 2 weeks.

Spring Butterfly

2010-04-28T05:13:00.000-07:00

Opps bit of blogging neglect! I have lots of things to catch you all up on.

I Made the lovely Spring Butterfly for Willow, I love the fact that this is designed by a fellow Kiwi Rachel Evans also known as Crafty wee wifey on Ravelry,

It was a rather fast knit with DK doubled for the bodice and then dropped to a single strand for the flaired body.

BUGGER that the Wool Company decided to delete the Peony Rose colorway in the Bodice! It was such a pretty color and will be sadly missed.

1am rambling of sh1t, most likely be deleted 2morrow

2010-03-21T04:36:00.000-07:00

Well it is nearly 1am and I just can't sleep, so I am eating cold Vindaloo from the fridge and drinking coffee! I just feel the need for a useless conversation but no one is up to talk to, so I am just going to natter away to you :-)

Well last year I had a total mental block when it came to designing, I plugged away and came up with a few things that never really eventuated into much, then I created the solefood collection and was on a complete roll! I was so enthusiastic about it and I honestly couldn't keep up with myself, I had so many designs in my head. I was busy making and writing up the pattern to my Freesia booties when I got THAT call on the phone, you know the one that you know will come one day but never want it to happen, My Beloved Nan had passed away while feeding her animals at the ripe old age of 90, It hit me so hard as my Nan was my only living link to my Mother who passed away 9 years ago, she would tell me little stories about when Mum was a little girl and all the naughty wee things she would do, we would talk for hours and she would watch me crochet and admire my work, I would dress the kids up in their woollies especially because she liked them, but then suddenly there is no more :( nothing, nadda, none! It's all gone, no time to even say goodbye.
My eldest daughter and I sorted out my Nans funeral, It ended up being great therapy, we chose all the music and Willow helped me picked a nice comfortable coffin and clothes for Nan to wear, we sorted out the service and spent time just talking to Nan as Willow and I drew on her coffin lid and wrote our last goodbye messages, we did a pretty good job too if I say so myself,
Anyway I was exhausted after the funeral, emotionally drained would be an understatement, so we went on a family trip to Wellington, that was great! we had the best 4 days away from the world and our problems.
Anyway since then I have had a complete mental block, it has got so bad that I don't even like picking up my hook! those who know me, know this is bad!
I can't think of anything to make! I have lots of proto-types, half written patterns etc, I just need to find my Mojo........PLEASE give me back my mojo!!!
Hopefully it may turn up in the mailbox?

..................Gosh I am wondering if I should just delete all of this? people will think I have turned mad! but then again maybe this is exactly what I need, I need to realise that I am not immortal, I am not invincible, I am allowed to feel pissed with life at times! and I just want to swear really loudly!!!

Manic Mondays!!

2010-03-15T03:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I tend to be a bit OTT and this was most likely one of those times :-)

I had a plain top I knitted for Lydia to wear to kindy and had every intention of over dying it,

Well you can tie-dye t-shirts so my thinking was, I have these lovely Vintage purls dye just waiting to be pounced upon in my crafting cupboard so why not give it ago, I really wanted a heart on the front and was wondering how I was going to achieve this, so I documented each step incase it was a success,although not perfect it wasn't a miserable flop either :-)

Step 1, Use a 100% WOOL garment

Step 2, With vanishing marker I traced a heart where I wanted it and with an ACRYLIC yarn doubled on a wool needle a sewed tightly around and around the heart outline, Making sure I only sewed the front and not the back of the jersey.

Step 3, Using rubber bands I placed (wrapped really tightly) them where I wanted markings (the dye not to take) I did a few on the top of the front and the sleeves

Step 4, repeat the banding process on the back. Then get all your dye ready, I did mine in a big pot on the stove and used the same method for dying wool or tie-dye, after I achieved the color I wanted I rinsed the wool until it was clear and then CAREFULLY cut away the bands, rinsed, then SLOWLY (and this is the painful part)cut the acrylic yarn off, you need to take EXTREME care not to cut the garment at this point, then rinsed again. then I laid it flat in the shade and blocked as normal.

Step 5, Front view of jersey, the heart is not as prominent as I would have liked, Next time I would do an extra round of sewing on top of the first round.

Step 6, Back view of the jersey and you can see how well a wool garment comes up using the tie-dying method.

And of course the finished product worn by my little miss :-)

Hope you all like :-)

"Vanilla" February KAL

2010-02-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

Budding designers downunder KAL this month is VANILLA by the very talented designer Kelly Brooker from Knit.so.quaint

I used hand dyed wool from my stash that I had dyed up when I was playing around with my Vintage purls dyes, It is a blue/purple semi and was originally a natural cream from Wanaka Station and has knitted up lovely,

Pattern was easy to follow, seamless and comes in 8ply,10ply and 12ply options, EXCELLENT Value for money, Make sure you check out all of Kellys' wonderful designs at her Ravelry shop Knit.so.quaint

Cooper seemed to like it but the little toad was crawling around the house at top speed with me chasing him trying to get that perfect shot! Well that never happened, lol

Ravelry for Non members

2010-02-18T01:04:00.000-08:00

So quite often you will see me bleet on and on and on about Ravelry,
What is Ravelry?? It is a site that all the crazy knitters, crocheters, spinners and yarnies hang out. It is a fabulous place where you can upload your projects and WIP (work in progress) and Designers can showcase their designs and sell them via PDF, You will have noticed I have patterns for sale on the links on the LH side of my blog,
Well now you the non Ravelry member have exclusive access to my designer page where you can view and purchase patterns, previously you had to be a member to access these pages.
HOW COOL IS THAT!

Find my shop here MARSHMELLOWMAGIC DESIGNS

Leaf Shrug, January KAL

2010-01-30T15:13:00.000-08:00

Ok so I have managed to finish my Leafy Shrug just in the nick of time for the January KAL for the Budding Designers Downunder group on Ravelry,

This is my first lace project in knit, not bad considering it was only my 3rd knit ever. Of course there are a few mistakes (I found out you need to really focus on what you are doing and not hold conversations at the same time as you are counting)

I am totally shell shocked at how beautiful this pattern turned out and the fit is perfect.

You can purchase the Leafy Shrug pattern from Stitchymamas Ravelry shop or if you are not a Ravelry member you can ask her directly from her website Stitchy Mamas Handknits

Baby Neapolitan Soled Sandals

2010-01-26T16:01:00.000-08:00

With their very own little sole that can be walked on, these are totally functional footwear!

A clever design that even a novice crocheter can attempt!!

4 adjustable sole sizes available

NB. 0-6m, 6-12m, 12-18m.

8ply/DK/11wpi yarn of choice

3.25m (d) hook

x2 buttons

and leather/sherpa/felt for the soles

Super easy to make, These will become a staple gift and can be done within a few hrs, even less after you have made them a few times!!

Beating an Addiction

2010-01-11T03:13:00.000-08:00

Hi my name is Janis and I am a Ravelry addict............ try as I might, I suffer withdrawls if I am more than 1 click away from it. Sad I know, but when I am not on Ravelry, I am making things for my projects page on Ravelry LOL I need serious help!

Xmas 09

2010-01-06T02:40:00.000-08:00

Well we are back from down South where we stayed with friends over Xmas in Cold Invercargill, Cooper had his 1st birthday while we were away, "Happy birthday little buddy" Then we shot off for a camping trip to Monkey Island with the kids, dog, motorbikes and some alcohol to warm our bellys.

The kids loved it so much, Eating BBQ food with their fingers and swiming in the ocean every morning, Building sand castles and riding their motorbikes, We even had fireworks thanks to the nextdoor campers who invited us along to watch.

It was just natural bliss, No TV or electronics, just finding our own fun and enjoying great family time together, Plus paying poker at nights when the kids were sleeping with the other adults camping around us.

We were having an awesometime and planned to be camping over the New Year, but alas we were hit with 40knot winds and rain, I can tell you that you sleep with one eye open in weather like that, we were going to ride the weather out but they were forcasting 50-60 knot winds, so we packed up and dragged out wet, tired yet happy butts home :-)

Oriental Lilly, For those who want to purchase?

2009-12-22T13:28:00.000-08:00

I have had a few questions about the ORIENTAL LILLY I have knitted for Lydia, YES it is beautiful and NO I can not make you one, This pattern is available to purchase from Cottage licence holders or Tikki ONLY, As a designer myself I RESPECT the time and paitence that goes into pattern writting, this is not a 5 minute job and can be a very long process, this pattern also holds a COPYRIGHT that clearly explains that I can ONLY use it for PERSONAL garments.
Tikki has very kindly offered this pattern for FREE and I can assure you that is a VERY EASY project to complete.

You can find Cottage licence holders HERE and the link to the free pattern is on the right hand side.

Thank you for all your interest and kind words, but for further information about ready to purchase garments please use the information in the provided link to contact those whom are licenced for this dress :-)

And a BIG thanks to Tikki aka Georgie for providing her wonderful pattern :-)

Signing out for 2009

2009-12-18T22:48:00.001-08:00

This will be my last post for 2009, I will be away spending some well earned R&R with my family camping, I would like to thank all my family, friends and fans for the support through out this year, It has been crazy with everything starting to take off at a rather fast pace. My shop at the Little kiwis Nest is doing good and as the website becomes more known I am sure it will be a great success, Thanks to Suzan and Amy for letting Marshmellowmagic Designs have a shop there.

Thanks to all my Fellow Ravlers, I am a complete Ravelry addict and hang out the about 25 times a day, LOL Thanks must go to my pattern testers I used throughout the year, You guys are FAB!! And Everyone who purchased my patterns on Etsy and Ravelry, know you money was well spent on feeding my handyed wool addiction :-)

2010 is going to be a big one, My new Website will be active and running, The HUGEST thanks to Kristy and Chris from ZATHUS WEB SOLUTIONS who are currently building it for me. I HIGHLY recommend their professional and friendly manner, You will be able to purchase patterns from this site and be sent a download link when you pay through Paypal, There will also be a shop with Stitchmarkers (all types) Crochet/knit and universal. Plus my handmade goods.

The site will be all go for the new years so make sure you bookmark it.

http://www.marshmellowmagic.co.nz/

I will have some new designs out next year, I will be adding to the soled collection, I will also be focusing on a few more delicate projects like jewelry and finer lace work.

My samples have arrived safe and sound for the NZ Yarn sampler boxes

These boxes are going to be awesome, they will be available for sale on http://www.felt.co.nz/ and http://www.etsy.com/ around the middle of January, ALL crafters need to check them out as there are some super talented people who will be contributing to these boxes.

You can check out some of the samples HERE

So from my family to yours, Have a safe and Merry Xmas and I will see you bright and bushy tailed in 2010 :-)

Winner of the Queen Anne's Laced earings is .........

2009-12-18T18:43:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the online number picker at http://andrew.hedges.name/experiments/random/, number 96 was chosen and that meant that, "Drum roll please"................."Lisa Foulkes-Arnold" You are the winner of the Queen Anne's Lace Earings, Congratulations you have mail :-)

finally finished :-)

2009-12-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

Well I have finally finished Lydias' Oriental Lily dress, and for my first knitting project I am totally rapt with it, She looks lovely in it, although I am wrapping it up and giving it to her for her 2nd birthday in January. It is hanging up in the lounge and people keep asking where I brought it!...........UMMM I made it, Is there something about me that says Uncrafty? LOL No one ever believes me when I say I design crochet patterns and clothes.

MASSIVE Xmas stock clearance!!!

2009-12-06T15:19:00.000-08:00

MASSIVE XMAS STOCK CLEAROUT!!! Spend $25 and get a HUGE 30% discount this week at my store on the little kiwis nest, This applies ONLY to instock items and not custom designs. Merry xmas shopping to you all ♥

Grrrl Shaped Yarns

2009-12-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

I am really into Handdyed yarns at the moment, and here in New Zealand we have the most amazing talented people, I have come across the COOLEST site and I am off to get myself some Custom handyed Bamboo Merino from GRRRL SHAPED YARNS

If you are in WELLINGTON, make sure you check out, The Porirua Christmas Carnival Under The Canopies on Saturday December 12th 11am till 3pm. You can find Grrrl shaped yarns here!

Whats at the website?? LOTS

Custom Dye - Bamboo Merino
Custom Dye - Bamboo Silk
Custom Dye - Superwash Merino

50/50 Merino Silk

Of course there is dyed yarn available too. But this sells out superfast!

They also have a blogging competition on, so get blogging about this fabulos site and go into the draw to win a special skein of GSY yarn, and a sock pattern to go with it!

How awesome is that, all you have to do is help SHOUT IT OUT about Grrrl shaped yarns

December Giveaway

2009-12-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

I am going to be giving away a pair of pretty Queen Anee Laced earings as my December giveaway, How can you win these? Well that is easy! all you have to do is become a fan on my Marshmellowmagic Desgins Facebook page and I will draw a random number, if you are that numbered fan on my fan page you will win them.

Lydias' ladies soled slipper Pattern

2009-12-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

Now you can purchase this pattern at my Etsy and Ravelry stores you can find the Etsy store by scrolling down the righthand side,

These are just lovely to wear around the house, Stylish and feminine, what more could you ask for (did I mention super easy to make?)

Christmas is looming

2009-11-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas is just around the corner, Cooper celebrates his 1st birthday on Christmas eve, I cant believe he is nearly 1 already is growing far to fast :(
I was giving a small challenge from Suzan at the Little kiwis Nest to make a long Santa hat.
I am not the most christmassy person around, but this year I have been caught by the "Joyful Bug" and I have been creating the kids fun stuff. So my hat is done and I even got to take photos of my nieces son "Oscar" who was a fabulous little model :-) Check him out here
I also have been doing some "In the hoop" projects for the kids too, check out my little Xmas stockings, these are the perfect size for adding your candy canes to the tree, Each one is personlized so there will be no fighting :-)

Loving Hats

2009-11-25T00:49:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have been a bit slack on my updates, but I have had the month from Hell. I am so looking forward to 2010, Roll on the New Year!

Anyway I have managed to squeeze a few things into my days,

Firstly I went shopping, I hear you say "Well that's nothing new" ...........so very true.......HOWEVER this time I went all the way to Australia (gotta love the internet) and I purchase a crazy amount of wool and cotton at the sale Bendigo Woolen Mills is having. I personally hold Kelly from knit.so.quaint responsible as she told me all about the place.

Luckily I had enough money to pay for my yummy scrummy namaste bag in Eggplant. Look out people I will be crotcheting EVERYWHERE now!

I have enlarged my Unisex peaked Cap up to an adults size. I am EXTREMELY happy with this design, Infact so much that I have made Myself one, it is fresh off the hook.

I have also whipped up two testing samples of my "Bears have ears" hats, I am liking these, the are terribly cute. I am think that they need a little something extra too. I may keep that a surprise, so you will have to wait and see.

New banner, I am so excited

2009-11-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

I am loving my new photo background for Marshmellowmagic Designs, especially seeing it features my own son in it, Gotta love little "well fed" babies.

Cute Facebook finds, loving Woolamina Baa

2009-11-02T12:44:00.000-08:00

I am loving Facebook at the moment, My fan page is slowly growing, I have over 100 fans now, it would be cool if I could add another zero onto the end to make that 1000,

I have come to realize that networking is really powerful, I came across a wicked page yesterday, *well she found me through the Little kiwis nest FB page Angelique from Wild ones makes some of the coolest Clothes/costumes/toys, You have to check her out!

OMG and I spy on this page all the time, I am LOVING Pramrock They even bought out limited addition PINK tees for breast cancer, How cool is that, YOU ROCK! Make sure you check out their Funky Tees!

And my final FB find is A.P.T Creations, Amy is super duper talented, Check out this cutest little Matryoshka/Babushka pendant, Hand painted by Amy! Also become her Fan on FaceBook page here, Don't forget to say Janis sent you and enter her competition :-)

Our trip to Wellington

2009-11-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

We traveled up to Blenheim and stayed overnight there to catch the early morning Ferry across the straight to Wellington,
The kids loved the Ferry, For them it was the first time on a vessel at sea, usually when they visit their Dad on his Ship it is tied up next to the wharf. Glad to say that we have bred Sea worthy children, no sea sickness at all, although Lydia has terrible "sealegs" and kept walking sideways with the rolling of the boat.

We went straight to the Wellington Zoo and checked out all the animals, They have a few different animals up there that we were looking forward to seeing, The "Sun Bear" was just beautiful, He was worth traveling to see, Plus they had the Servels out playing with them, Oh they are so cute! Just like an overgrown Cat. The Giraffes came up to the kids, Lydia was calling out to them "Puss, puss, puss" lol And the Baboons where just as Ugly as on TV, infact they were quite frightening!

We cruised out and stayed with Friends who have a wee girl the same age as Cooper, That was fun, We noticed how Cooper is SO MUCH BIGGER than petite Anika,

The next day we went and got out photos taken by Photography by Jane I can't wait to see our photos, Lydia was her usual self and was very difficult, so our group family photos went out the window, It will be interesting to see them as I know Jane got some really great shots in.

Then we zipped in to see the Te papa Museum, especially to check out the colossal squid that was caught on the boat my brother worked on down in the Ross sea Antarctica. Willow got a real buzz out of that, Both girls LOVED the discovery rooms where they were allowed to touch everything, lol

We ran out of time to do anything else as we had to get up early to catch the first ferry across back to Picton to travel back to Timaru. We arrived home just before 10pm (we had a few stops along the way) and got up early to drop Simon back at his Boat that came in this morning, :-( On a good note, he will be home for Xmas :-)

Fat Feet make me smile :-)

2009-10-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

I have had such a crap week with my Beloved Grandma passing away, and then 1hr before her funeral, My Uncle (her son) also passed away too :-(

So I decided a bit of retail therapy would help, lol

So here you go, I got Cooper the Baby Bat at the online shop Mostly Monsters He is so cute, I couldn't leave him hanging there for someone else to snap him up. And they had FREE SHIPPING whoop whoop, Bargain!

Then I took a quick Visit to Vintage Purls as Morag had posted about having Namaste Buddy cases
in her shop, So I got a hot pink one, Plus pretty Buttercup sock yarn and a couple of buttons :-)

Then the lovely Michelle from Needlefood created me a new colorway called Emerald for a project I have in mind, It arrived on the morning of My Nans funeral, so that helped brighten my day, The color is perfect, I had sent her a picture of a big flash Emerald and she re-created the color with perfection, YOU ROCK MICHELLE!!

SALE AT THE LITTLE KIWIS NEST

2009-10-23T14:51:00.000-07:00

It's Labour weekend!! Whoop whoop any excuse for a long weekend holiday "I LIKE", So in celebration if you spend over $10 on ANY product in my shop at the "Little kiwis nest" and I will give you 15% off, Just enter this code at the checkout to receive your discount 2SHARETHELOVE
+ I already do FREE SHIPPING IN NZ so grab yourself a bargain, I am even including custom orders, so if there is something you would like but cant see it, let me know and I will make it for you, I have PAYPAL so I am happy to SHIP INTERNATIONAL, just let me know and I will give you a postage charge :-) Finishing on Monday 5 pm!! So hurry on in.

SHhhhh Secret Squirrel SAHM finds.

2009-10-16T15:04:00.000-07:00

Did you ever notice how many amazing, talented people are out in the world?? Since joining Ravelry I found so many amazing talented people, Like myself some of these people are SAHMs with small pre-school children.
I sometimes look in awe at all there projects and think "where do they get the time to do that?"
Funnily enough I get asked the same question over and over too.
Short answer is "You just do!!"

Anyway I am going to find you 3 amazing talented people/sites/blogs each fortnight to share with the internet world. And this is who I am starting with.

Crazy Crafter NZ You NEED to check out her blog, especially as she is having a "giveaway" as part of "Blogtoberfest" Also check out her neat little felt needle case. (I intend on making one of these)

Ever heard the term "Bootylicious"well Bib and Tucker make the most "Babylicious" hand painted Designer pocket nappies These are simply STUNNING, She also has giveaway prizes on a Monday too.

I have personally bought from Yours Naturally I got the "baby cold rub" and the "baby butter" Oh they smell and Feel so nice, and totally within a SAHM budget which I just love!! They even have their own Facebook fan page too

Oh and the adorable photo is of Lydia who was not impressed with her tea and tipped it out to get a reaction, The dog was most impressed, unlike myself :-)

This months update

2009-10-15T15:49:00.000-07:00

Well I have Pushed out a few designs lately, I am loving having Simon at home, He has been such a great help diverting small children away from dog biscuits and throwing my clean washing all over the floor, lol
He is run ragged, "can you help me" I hear him shout, as Lydia sprints past me in the kitchen with Simon in hot pursuit,
Quietly I snigger think, "Nope, I am so not helping, I do this by myself when your not here", lol *shines halo*

I have the coolest Neapolitain Soled Sandles I have designed, I am in love with them, I have worn them every day since I have made them. I have almost finished the pattern, I have a youth and baby version also.

You can win your own Custom Neapolitain Soled Sandles by becoming a fan of Marshmellowmagic Designs and getting all your friends who you have asked to become fans too and name you on the Discussions page

My Patterns have been selling really well, that is awesome as I have more to release soon.

My store at the Little Kiwis Nest has heaps of new listings, and I am always happy to take custom orders.

No8 Wired Wellingtons

2009-10-12T19:37:00.001-07:00

Designed and made with love for the soon to be born Oscar Smith.

I think they are like baby skellerups, haha.

Every Animal hugging, mud jumping farm baby should own a pair of these.

Of course you cant really jump in muddy puddles, (Only pretend ones)

OSFA Rose Petaled Shrug

2009-10-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

This is a fabulous design,

I have designed it so you can created a shrug for any body type/shape/ so if you are Large or small, a baby or a Grandmother, And kung fu export or a SAHM, this pattern will fit you all.

I have saved myself some beautiful Merino sock wool from Needlefood to make myself one for this summer :-)

Lydia's Soled Booties "09 Sole Food Collection"

2009-10-07T22:19:00.000-07:00

Too cutie pa-tootie!

Lydia's soled booties came about as I have put away the sewing machines this week, due to visitors staying and needing a table to eat around, lol

So what better idea than to pull out the hook at nights, The first pair I made were Preemie ones, so I extended the pattern up and put it in the "Sole Food Collection" as the 5th edition, I will still keep these in the "Preemie Collection" too.

Great 2-3rd project, as long as you know how to do a Front and back post DC you will be laughing all the way to impressing your friends. You don't have to let on how easy they were to make :-)

EXPLOSION of CREATIVITY

2009-10-05T03:26:00.000-07:00

I am having so much fun, I have been in a really great creative space lately,
I had a real mental block for a while, and I struggled to come up with some new designs, But lately I feel so full, almost to the point of EXPLOSION!

I know that Autumn or Fall as it is otherwise known, has arrive across the other side of the globe, Spring is on our side, Although that is a little bit debatable with this Spring snow storm chilling all our baby lambs :(

I have got hold of some beautiful New Zealand sheepskin, and been having a blast creating LOTS of new styled booties,
These are so super cuddly and warm, Yet wool has that wonderful ability to breathe, so you do not sweat,

I released the first pattern of the "Sole Food" collection yesterday, It was a very exciting moment for me,
I have had SO MANY requests for these types of booties, and the reception has been fantastic so far, So the "Springtime soled bootie" Pattern is in my Etsy shop and on Ravelry,
The "Ez as Moccasin" pattern is almost finished and will hopefully be out before this Friday.

I am also working on a PREEMIE SOLED COLLECTION, I feel that the little babies sometimes miss out on the Great patterns, So I have made it this months challenge to create some Cute funky designs to wear in their NICU.

Crossover soled Ballet flats

2009-09-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

I am really liking the simplicity of this design,
"Sometimes less is more" I also think color choices make the booties too!
Features two straps that come around from the heel and crossover and button to secure,
I am also going to include a different way of finishing these little flats off for that cute ribbon ballet effect.

"Cradle of Love" Maryjanes

2009-09-24T17:46:00.001-07:00

These were unnamed until I took these photos,
They were just so dainty in my hand, and I felt like I was cradling them,
plus because I happen to be a "Billy Idol" fan (yes I was bought up on 80's music)I called these the "Cradle of Love" Maryjanes.

Fabulous Friday Finds

2009-09-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

My face book page is now up and running, 50 fans in 48hrs, WOW you guys are all legends,
Hopefully it will be updated every week as I seem to check my FB page every night,

Supurlative featured me on her blog for her "Fabulous Friday Finds" It felt really cool having a nice write up about my patterns and garments, And the heartfelt thanks you at the end made my eyes well up

Cooper says "Facebook Fan Page Competition"

2009-09-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well as if I do not have enough to do already??

Between Ravelry, Etsy, Little Kiwis nest, Trademe, Twitter,Flickr and this blog, I have decided to open a fan page on Facebook, although not quite ready, I have decided that EVERYONE seems to have one of these and I must be the last!!!

So bear with me through gritted teeth while I try and make it presentable,

I am thinking of a cool Prize/giveaway, I may even go international on this one too, Let me see??..............

Ok I know now................... Prize to be announced,

The person who can get the most fans to join the "Marshmellowmagic Designs" Fan page of Facebook will win, You have until the 1st of December to get as many people as you can to join, so START EMAILING NOW! Dont forget to let them tell me who sent them my way!!

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=11402&uid=136885354221#/pages/Marshmellowmagic-Designs/136885354221

SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOF TOPS FREE COMPETITION WAHOOOOOO!

A reminder to everyone who sells from my patterns!

2009-09-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

Please remember to make sure you are saying in your listings that you have made your garment from a Marshmellowmagic Design,

I am having trouble with people making out they designed my Hats especially for their shops,

Should this Continue, I will no longer let people sell for profit from my designs, It only takes a few to ruin it for everyone,

To those who do follow the guidelines, and I do check up so I know who they are, A big thank you :-)

And to those who aren't playing by the rules SHAME ON YOU!!!

E Z as soled Moccasins

2009-09-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

Ok here is the second design in the "sole food" collection

I have called these the "E Z as soled Moccasins" and like the name, they are easy as!!
not to mention cute, I was really happy with these and put them on Cooper to take a photo, but he was in his jolly jumper and those chunky feet of his would not stay still for a shot!

I am unsure if I am going to release the patterns as singles patterns or sell them as a collection,
We will see how it goes :-)

Spring is in the air :-)

2009-09-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

So in celebration of Spring finally arriving and Winter hopefully behind us, and of course the great deal of requests I get from people about Sheepskin/Sherpa soled booties. I have designed the

"Springtime Soled Booties"

These are so snugly, I have kept the standard attachment to the sole, by working into the sole rather than sewing as I believe it lasts long, is quicker in the long run, and looks much nicer and un rushed, Plus I have meet many people who can't even sew on buttons these days, *shock horror*

The Stitches cleverly twist around one another, yet is simple enough for Someone completing their second or third project, and as always I have made sure I have put in clear photographs so people can follow my pattern and feel confident as they work throughout it :-)

Hopefully I will have a whole range of soled booties for your requirements soon, I am just extending the sole of the "Springtime" booties so you will be able to have 3 size options off the one pattern.

How Cool is that!

118 sleeps till xmas!!!

2009-08-27T15:27:00.001-07:00

LOL, Just thought everyone would like to know that :-)

I have been a busy little bee this month, I have the Youth and Ladies Pumpkin slipper pattern finished, I also managed to write up the Corset laced booties, I intend on making Youth and Ladies sizes also available, I have a few hat patterns I am in the later stages of perfecting,

I have a few have a few more hats to list in the Little Kiwis Nest, I also have a few ideas up my sleeve too :-)

I really need about 5hrs extra in the day to complete all these things, or an extra set of hands would be handy too!

Cooper is now sitting up, he has two teeth and babbles away, he also throws tantrum on his way to bed or if the girls take away his toys, He is rather chubby and cute, and has a smile that melts your heart!

Lydia had her hearing test, she did a lot better than me, lol I hardly heard the noises! She will now go onto speech therapy, I am not overly convinced this is the right thing to do as she can talk, she just chooses not too, and she is only 18months old after all.
She is growing fast, and put on 3kg in a month "hooray" They have no idea why she lost so much weight or why she has come right all of a sudden!

Willow is settling into school, she is still finding her feet there, I think she is going to be one of those kids that trouble just seems to find!
She catches the school bus now, on the second day I got a fright as I could not see her when the bus pulled up *she normally waves hard out* She was sound asleep, the bus driver said she feel asleep about 5 mins into the ride home, lol

For my friend LVK

2009-08-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

I do not like the color orange,
I do not like the fruit oranges,
I detest the smell, the taste and I hate peeling them.
I think all Orange wool should be banned,
There should be a Orange yarn burning, like the old book burning days many many moons ago!
There so I have said it!
Nothing personal it's just...................

I HATE ORANGE!!!

Crochet Pumpkin Booties, Pattern Now For Sale

2009-08-15T01:41:00.000-07:00

This is my latest little bootee pattern available in my shop now,

Inspired by the vintage knitted pumpkin booties, this is my crochet version,

Being a mother of 3 children, I know all about practicability, A pet peeve I have is booties that just slide off, It is super annoying, and you are forever picking up and loosing booties in Town. ARRRGGGHH that's enough to drive you insane, lol

These are super awesome, and as usual I test these on my own robust children, I can tell you that you can put your baby to bed in a pair of these and they will wake up with their socks and Booties will still on!!

Yipee! Finally something that is STYLISH and PRACTICAL in the same sentence

Oriental Lydia

2009-08-12T02:44:00.000-07:00

I have started knitting.........Yes that is right I did say knitting, you know the thing you do with 2 needles and no hook, lol.
I honestly never thought I would see the day this would happen, My mother who was a very skilled knitter did try and teach me and likewise I tried to teach her to crochet, What a disaster it turned out to be, I think it was because we are both Gemini's and our naughty twin came out, we would end up shouting at one another, lol
I think my Mum would be proud that I have decided to give it a go, Sadly she won't get to see it as she passed away 8 years ago ;-(

I have picked a beautiful dress called the Oriental Lily I think it is so pretty and very feminine, I am making it for Lydia so of course I have named it the "Oriental Lydia"
I have put it on my projects on Ravelry so everyone can follow my SLOW progress and also so I HAVE to finish it,

I have even hand dyed my wool, God knows how I actually managed to do it right, I think it was a bit of a fluke, but don't tell my husband, he thinks I am very skilled, lol.

Checkout my yummy daffodils my daughter picked for me today, mmmmmm I can smell them now, they are "DEVINE"

My thoughts on being a Mother

2009-08-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

When I became a Mother, I had a sudden overwhelming urge to nurture my little "mini mee's"
Having worked all my life up until this point, I did wonder what these SAHM's really did!
Surely it didn't take up much time looking after such a small baby,
Now this is the part I really like, I used to think "If I was a SAHM it would be fantastic, my house would be spotless, I would get to sleep in most days, The children would conform and be in a strict routine, There would never be washing in the basket and I would have time to make a 3 course meal for dinner"

Whooooah was I sooooo wrong!! hahaha

Routine??? What the heck is that?? Half the time I have no idea what day it is, ........for instance I was to take the 2 younger ones to the Dr to get their injections today, I remembered about 40mins to late! even then I was lucky to remember at all.

Sleep in???? I haven't had a sleep in for 1312 days, and that is not counting all the restless nights of being pregnant.

Spotless house??? Well if I don't count the clothes on the "floordrobe" I guess it is clean, tidy on the other hand is debatable.

Would I go back to pre-children?? HELL NO WAY!! My children have created a whole new me, I am less selfish and more giving, I have learnt to take BIG breathes and did you know that it is almost impossible to yell if you are singing or grinning?
I have learned to take better care of myself, things like yearly smears and mammograms are now important, I WANT to be around to see my children grow, I want to see them fall in love and get married, have my beautiful grandchildren, I want to see them travel and enjoy all the things that life has to offer.

Anyway so here I am spending my very limited free time on the computer, the 2 small ones are sound asleep in bed, Willow is at school, I should be cleaning the "Floordrobe" But instead I am going to go and make play dough, today I may even put sparkles in it.

And where did all the above come from? Who knows lol I must be all emotional today, I guess that comes with the overwhelming love for another human being or i am just having a proud Mummy moment.

FREE FREE FREE

2009-08-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

Sign in and follow my thread and I will give you Marshmellow kisses by giving you a freebie,

Buy one, get one free, On any of my Patterns in my Etsy shop marshmellowmagic.etsy.com

Buy the pattern you want and send me the name of the other pattern in the comments at the checkout, I will also need your username so I can check you are following my blog ;-)

Hurry as this is only until Halloween, My offer finishes at the end of August.

xxxxx Happy crocheting Janis ;-)

A circle of friends

2009-08-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

Some things are meant to be shared, Great coffee, Nice tasting herbal teas, *not the blurk ones* Great Cadburys caramello chocolate *the stuff that was made in NZ, not the Oz stuff* NZ Merino wool and very talented friends,

So today I am sharing my talented friends, each of them is very down to earth and extremely good at what they do.

So here they are,

My fantastic Knitting friend, Lisa, aka Lisa37 and to the crafty world she is known as Supurlative Lisa knits the most amazing baby gears, all made in top quality NZ merino,
and check out the coolest Hermione hat she made for her daughter and her shop links, on her blog here http://supurlativehandknits.blogspot.com/

Now Who doesn't like a good photo? Well this next friend Jane Trevathan aka PJ_Trev doesn't do a good photo, She does GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY!! and you can become a fan of her facebook group here! http://www.photographybyjane.co.nz
I am a HUGE fan of Janes and will be too!!

Then last but not least is my coolest crochet buddy Lisa Van Klaveren from Hollands Designs who has the most cutie patootie baby designs, you can find her on her blog which has links to all her shops here http://www.hollanddesigns.blogspot.com/

Tale of the 3.25mm hook

2009-07-30T04:29:00.000-07:00

There are some things in life we are destined not to do or have,

For me, I am positive I am not meant to own a 3.25mm hook!

It took me years before I owned one, mostly because here in New Zealand they are just not that comon, *or maybe I just never needed it* anyway...........

My Lovely friend Lisa sent me one via the post, She needed a 4.5mm and I had spares and I needed her 3.25mm and she had a spare, so we decided to do a swap.

Excitedly I waited for my hook to arrive, I saw an envelope in the mail box and I ran down to get it, sure enough it was from Lisa and I knew it was my 3.25 hook.......................But no :-( somewhere out there, a hook is sitting lonely by itself, lost and all alone, it had peirced out of the envelope and had gone forever,

So I went on another mission into town, I ask everytime I go to the LYS "do you have a 3.25mm" the answer is always the same "no sorry", Well this time they had one, YIPEE so I purchase it and toddle off home, Well I managed to loose it between the car and inside, it re appeared a week later in some random place, I am blaming Lydia, a) beacuse she can't talk to defend herself, and b) because she most likely did hide it, lol

So this 3.25mm hook was slowly becoming a favorite, I just finished making a hat tonight and the damn thing snapped in half, ............IN HALF I TELL YOU.......... Well that will be the last time I buy an INOX hook ever,

I have ordered some new Susan Bates "silvalume" hooks from America, I am having a little bit of trouble with the site, I am waiting for them to email me back, I know that this has something to do with the fact I have ordered x2 3.25mm hooks......

I am JINXED I tell you!

Oswede made me do it!!!

2009-07-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

Oh yes she did!!! If it was not for Lisa I would not have had such beautiful wool and created my swish wee hand warmer patten last night, Make sure you upload your free pattern and tell all your friends were you got it ;-) Enjoy

Madelyns Garden Sandles

2009-07-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

You can see Madelyn wearing them here
http://joystitch.blogspot.com/2009/07/magical-parcel.html

Beautiful little bobble summer sandles, I LOVE these and the photos don’t do them any justice,
I made sure when I designed these, that I made sure they fit the shape of those little flat baby feet and that they don’t fall off! *that is such a pet hate of mine*
I think I succeeded really well,

The sole arches around the bottom of the foot, and comes up around the heel, the toes are completely covered, and the attached straps, come around the ankle and fasten with a single button at the top.

The pattern will be available in 0-18 months

Universal stitch markers, Crochet and Knit

2009-07-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

I was finding my stitch markers were getting harder to open and close with lobster clasps, so I came up with this new opening system,

I think it is great, as not only can you open and close these for clipping onto your crochet work, you can also keep them shut and slip them from needle to needle for knitting,

Of course they come in handy for closing your pieces together when you are stitching seams,

Go find them at http://www.trademe.co.nz/Members/Listings.aspx?member=2852628

I am always happy to take any requests, Maybe you would like a saying made up??
If so you can contact me through my email marshmellowmagic@windowslive.com

The joys of Motherhood

2009-07-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

mmmmm yum I can smell baby powder, " oh sh@T!!!! lol, Too late, Lydia took great delight in covering the floor, her toys, My computer keyboard, even her brother didn't escape! I didn't have the heart to stop her straight away, she was having fantastic time,

Little Kiwi's Nest

2009-07-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

Announcing...a fabulous new online shop featuring handmade items perfect for your little Kiwi!
Little Kiwi's Nest
You can find the my Little Kiwi's Nest shop at this link:
Marshmellow Magic
I'm currently offering a variety of gorgeous, handmade baby beanies, many made of luxurious 100% merino. Check back soon and often for more handmade items!

What have I been up to this month??

2009-07-05T00:16:00.000-07:00

Well I have made a few things, I can't share 3 items as these are for my baby swap partner and I want to keep them a suprise, How ever I can show my cute wee clippies I made,

Plus there is the new "Cover my ears" hat, I have made about 7 of these now.

I am liking these so much, They are made with a felting wool that I found at the oddest of places, The warehouse, "who would have believed it"

And there is plenty more this month too!! I have a new pair of Gothic Gauntlets armwarmers coming out for Halloween.

First day of school

2009-06-25T04:38:00.000-07:00

ok so I cried, I swear I seen a wee tear in Willows eye too.

All day I kept saying to Simon, "my baby is all grown up" Sometimes, time flys by at the blink of an eye, Life is so precious so treasure every moment you have,

Now I have gone and got all mooshy!!

SHARING IS CARING

2009-06-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

Come and download your free patterns here :)
Don't forget to share with your friends

Willow's crochet korker pattern
download now

Puff n Post Hat

2009-06-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

This matches my booties, or should I say, my booties match this hat lol, The more I look at it, the more I really LOVE it, I will finish off the pattern over the next week, Simon has currently hogged my laptop,

Coka cola cake, MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm.

2009-06-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

WARNING, MAY CONTAIN YUMMY ADDICTIVE INGREDIENTS, I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR NEW ADDICTION!

Yummy yummy yummy, I found this recipe on TMMB and I made it last night, I sent Simon (who is home till Thursday) down to the dairy to get a bottle of coke, lol. Anyway Long story short I forgot to add the cup of coke :-( yet it was still super yummy and moist. I made a few mods to the icing, I will leave the original runny icing in the recipe and also add my own thicker one with real chocolate too :)

Cake
1 3/4 C Flour
2 C Brown Sugar
3/4 C Cocoa
2 t baking Soda
1 t baking powder
dash salt
2 eggs
1/2 C oil
1 C Cola
1 C of Buttermilk (can use trim Milk)
1 t vanilla essence
Sift all dry ingredients into mixing bowl Add wet and beat on medium to high speed till combined.. But being such a wet mix it is a moist almost mud cake texture. Bake 45 mins in 9 x 13 Inch cake tin at 180 or until prong comes out clean.

Icing (frosting)
1/2 Cup Butter
3 Tbsps Cocoa
6 Tbsps Coca Cola
115 g Icing Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Cup chopped Pecans
Combine butter, cocoa, and Cola in saucepan. Bring to boil then pour over the sifted icing sugar then mix well. Add vanilla and pecans and spread over the hot cake

My modified version of the icing (frosting)
exactly the same except omit pecans for 1 cup of melting chocolates,
after melting ingredients in a sauce pan I added the icing sugar until the icing was nice and thick (not runny) to a cool cake :)

awww my babies are growing to fast :-(

2009-05-31T16:16:00.000-07:00

Gosh everytime I look at them they seem to have grown a few cm!! Cooper is nearly 6 months, What an earth have I been doing in that time??

Lydia is nearly17 months and STILL refusing to talk and say any words other than, Mum and grunting and pointing when she wants something. She had her first day at pre-school and LOVED it, She got tom play with paint (or eat it) and play dough.

Willow starts school in the last week of June, she is excited as she is doing school visits, slthough she confessed last night that she thought her teacher is mean, apparently she makes her sit in her seat, and not walk around whenever she likes! How dare she!! lol.

Well the ski fields have opened, And winter is setting in. Our fire is on 24/7 and we have been eating winter food, Stews and soups etc, Yummy!! Still I do long for Summer as it is my favorite time of year.

Pattern changes

2009-05-31T16:07:00.000-07:00

I have revised the unisex peaked cap pattern, I changed the hook size and did some slight asjustments and added a gauge also. I also added 6-12m to the 0-6 patten giving you an extra size for free,

The Marsh-a-berry beanie pattern has also had 2 sizes added, so now you get the pattern right up to size 3.

Wow my own Laptop!!

2009-05-23T04:44:00.000-07:00

I am so excited :)

I have never owned a laptop before, I have always had to sit on a hard seat infront of our prehostric computer, which I am sure I could run faster than. Now I get to sit in bed with the electric blanket on (it's winter here, and already ski season)

I got an Acer aspire one, it;s blue (I would have liked pink but they were sold out :(Cute, Little, very portable and perfect for writting up my patterns, No more scraps of paper every where!

So all systems are up and rearing to go, I have been hanging out to write up some more patterns, I am revising some of my current ones, I am soon adding more sizes to the Marsh-a-berry beanie so it will now be up the 3 years :) Plus the well selling peaked cap will hopefully be right up to teen, then hopefully later on I will adapt it to suit adults :)

Well I would like to upload a photo for you but you will have to wait, as I have none loaded on the computer, That is my next mission .

Wahoo for RAVELRY

2009-04-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

Gosh I realise my blog is a bit "naff"
I seriously need to make more of an effort with my layouts and adding photos,

I have learnt a harsh lesson this week,
I have a Ravelry account, and I ha been having trouble working it and uploading my patterns etc, so I shoved it in the "too hard basket"
Well that was a HUGE mistake, I managed to email for help and the lovely people at Ravelry helped me fix my major muck ups, HOORAY my patterns were upload with PICTURES to their data base for everyone to see and link to my Etsy shop,
Well what do you know 9 sales within 8 hrs, I have been so inspired by all of this, that I have to slow my thinking down,

Anyway Thank you RAVELRY and thanks to all the knitting/crochet/yarnies mad people who are all addicted to WOOL LIKE ME WHAHAHAHAH :)

Coffee with the Van Klaverens :)

2009-04-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well on Friday I had some lovely people (Lisa, Gilbert and Holland) turn up at my house all the way from Auckland :)
We had Coffee and cake (afghan slice especially made for the visit) And all the girls played together nicely while Lisa went all gooey over Cooper (I think she is seriously clucky :)
The time was awesome and it was super cool to finally meet one another after nearly a year,
Now if everyone would like to go to my Etsy shop and buy a pattern, so I can save the money to go visit Lisa in Auckland :)

Daisy Chain Arched Cap,

2009-04-12T15:22:00.000-07:00

I am so happy with the way this hat has turned out :) It is the little sister to another more advanced hat I have designed, I have purposely kept it simple so Everyone, even beginners can attempt this pattern, Willow managed to showcase it well, Shame my camera was playing up :)
Let me know what you think, Pattern is up and for sale in my Etsy shop now :)

Busy as a Bee :)

2009-03-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

I have been running around like crazy lately, Cooper is teething, so He is chewing his fists and dribbling everywhere. Lydia is trying her hardest to walk. She took 3 steps last night, then stole some buttons and crawled off at a very fast pace. Willow is getting ready for school in June with School Visits and asking everyday if "Today is the day she turns 5?"

I have managed to write up a Dolls dress pattern somewhere in between all the happenings around us :) One lady bought the pattern to sell the dresses made up in her EBAY shop. I Hope she does really well with it.

I have people asking when more patterns will be up! Boy oh Boy! I really need more hours in the day and an extra set of hands.

On a really cool note: Not long until I will be drinking Coffee with Lisa, when she comes down from the North Island :)

let's go shopping :-)

2009-03-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

Well my shop is up and running at Etsy, Make sure you stop in and check it out,

I have put up some patterns for sale, along with a small amount of handcrafted garments, Don't forget I love making custom designs, so if there is anything you would like, let me know :)

My target is to have designed and written up the pattern for 1-2 patterns a month,
I know it does not seem alot, but I tell you with 3 small children, sometimes even 1 a month feels impossible,

I have so many ideas, I should really invest in a notebook to write them all down in, I have bits of paper sprawled throughout the house with ideas on them.

Make sure you have a look on the right hand side of the page, click on my shop and travel into crochet heaven :)

Great Day Today

2009-02-24T01:05:00.000-08:00

I got super excited today,

I went shopping without the kids this morning, which meant I had heaps of time to source out some fantastic New Zealand Wool, I even came across an Organic wool made in NZ, I have made a couple of little Organic hats to list on Etsy after I have taken some Photos, in what is to hopefully be sunny weather tomorrow, I really hope they take off :)

I set up the sections in the shop today, Not too many as I really want to concentrate on my patterns in the next few months.
I am still trying to get my head around writing down the patterns and using the right American terms, Lisa has been a great help with editing and translation,
Big "HELLO" to Lisa, Hopefully in a few years time, I will be able to pay it forward and guide someone through the same process:)

Marsh-a-berry Beanie

2009-02-21T01:44:00.000-08:00

((Yummy, good enough to eat))

Pattern will be available to buy in my shop at http://marshmellowmagic.etsy.com soon, so keep a look out :)

Welcome Everyone

2009-02-15T18:39:00.000-08:00

Hi ya, First a little bit about myself and how Marshmellow Magic Designs came about.

I love to crochet, as crazy as it sounds, I find it relaxing and enjoy looking at the finished product,
When I had children I spent a great deal of time looking for knitwear for them, but all I could find was old fashioned mint green and pastel colored layettes.

I wanted something with a bit more color and life to it, and it needed to be modern.
So I started creating outfits for my girls, People kept asking where I purchased them and asked if I could create for them, so I started making Ponchos and Hats for www.trademe.co.nz and selling them,

I was over whelmed at the response, and through that site, I met another wonderful designer Lisa Van Klaveren, who has encouraged me to publish my designs and has helped me find my way amongest the forest of the internet.

I am still trading on www.trademe.co.nz under the username marsh.m.magic This is the only place I list garments to buy, I only list designs on other websites.