Autumn is here again in Armidale!

Sunshine Leg-Warmettes ~ Newborn Crochet Pattern

They're not full legwarmers, they're legwarmettes! Designed to compliment the Sunshine Bonnet these cute little crochet creations fit over the knee and stop at the ankle for full cuteness overload in your newborn photos...  They don't take a lot of yarn or time to whip up and would look beautiful with a solomon's knot wrap or layering blankets for Spring shots. As with the Sunshine Bonnet, these will fit best within 14 days of bubs arrival up to 1 month; you may need to add another few rows of dc to fit up to 3 months. These are worked in rounds so you'll need a stitch marker. You'll also need:

• a 4.5mm crochet hook
• yellow 8 ply yarn
• white  8 ply mohair or yarn for scalloped edge

Make two. With the yellow yarn:
Chain 37 and join with first chain, being careful not to twist it. Work 1 dc in each chain around. Continue to work 1 dc in each st around until you have 10 rows. Once you have 10 rows, work 1 row of sc, then sl st around the top. Weave in ends.
Change to your white yarn and join to the opposite end to the slip stitches. Chain 3, work 2 dc into same stitch, sl st into next stitch, skip 1 st *3 dc in next st, sl st to next, skip 1* around. Sl st to first chain.

Nailed knitting, chocolate, wine and a very squishy photo session

Hiya! I am completely and utterly exhausted from a busy weekend and a photoshoot earlier thisafternoon...thought I'd just pop in to my lovely little corner of the interwebs here with a post for anyone out there who reads them :) *waves*

I have totally nailed this knitting thing... behold! No dropped stitches! It looks like a scarf, and I suppose it could be used as one but it's actually (or at least it will be tomorrow) a newborn wrap that I needed for my shoot tomorrow. Hoorah for being able to make my own props and stuff when I need them! ^.^ Look at my sexy knitting!

I also made some clippies! I was asked to make some for my friend's daughter as she has crazy red hair and obviously needs pretty things to hold it back a little. It's a rare occassion that I'm asked to make things for people... made me feel pretty chuffed actually!

Oh!! I was lucky enough to receive a very kind and thoughtful thankyou gift from my photography clients this afternoon ^.^ I was not expecting anything at all, it was really touching! After doing so much work towards to my photography lately (and I'm certainly not complaining!) it was just really really really lovely to be given a gift. Chocolate and wine.. The way to my heart! So thankyou to the beautiful family I worked with today, you are wonderful people!

Aside from all that I've been spending a mostly quiet weekend at home with hubby and the fur babies playing Skip Bo and Smash Bros on the Nintendo 64.... pretty fantabulous weekend I'd say!


Here's one of the photos from my session today.. see the rest at Quirky Bean Photography if you'd like!

I probably should mention the whole shoot was based around smooshing cake into each other's faces ;)


Bonne nuit my friends! I need some sleep!

Sweet Inspiration ~ loving the colour brown!

I really am! It's one of my favourite colours, you can pair it with so many beautiful colours like pink and blue and yellow and it's just so versatile! I've been in love with 50 shades of brown lately (yeah I know, bad pun) and I'm feeling like I want this inspiration to spill over into my photography... so I rummaged through my yarn stash, my ribbon drawer and pulled some things together to inspire me to create a really beautiful newborn photography prop set. I've put together some inspiration in this post, the materials I have on hand and some of the things i've already made hoping that some brilliant and completely adorable ideas start forming! Oh! And you remember how I started to learn to knit the other day? And that I was hoping I wouldn't make any mistakes so I didn't pull it apart in frustration? Well it's been pulled apart about 4 times since then and I've started again...this time with slightly bigger needles and I'm finding it much easier. Also please excuse the terrible lighting in these photos! I'm still learning how to do that properly... and not doing to well *sigh* Oh well I'll get there eventually.

I'm really looking forward to getting creative with it and to see what happens!

Billabong Wildlife Park

Last month when I was visiting home in Port Macquarie I took my hubby to Billabong Wildlife Park to check out the critters since I hadn't been there since I was very young; I off course took along the DSLR, 50mm lens and off we went! Check it out :o)

Newborn to 3 months Santa Hat Photo Prop ~ Pattern

Well it's like this, I've been trialling an elf-style hat for a few days now with a number of different stitches and whether to work in the round or to join each row, or make a stripey hat or just plain like this one...and eventually settled on a hdc hat with simple brim and a giant pom pom ^.^ I'm currently (like mad cause I left it so late) making a few different Christmas themed hats for my newborn photo shoot on Saturday and figured since I was making up the pattern I might as well post it here for the sake of it... afterall that's what I'm here for! :o) I realise that being an Australian and Christmas falling over Summer it probably isn't the best 'everyday' cute newborn item you'd crochet this time of year..but as I'm using it as a prop, perhaps someone else would like to aswell.

As with most of my tutorials and patterns and things, you can make this to your hearts content for personal use (that includes using it for photography purposes) however you cannot make it to sell//reproduce in any way sorry! I don't receive any income from my blogging and very little in the outside world so it wouldn't be fair on me... I'm sure you understand :o)

Working in rounds, you'll need a 5mm hook, red 8ply (worsted weight) yarn, white trim or yarn, a yarn needle and a ruler or measuring tape. You'll also need a bit of card and scissors for the pom pom at the end of the pattern; we'll get to that last (see video) :o)

sc=single crochet
hdc=half double crochet
mc=magic circle
fphdc=front post half double crochet
bphdc=back post half double crochet


Mc, ch 2. 9 hdc into ring.
1 hdc in each st around.
Repeat 1 hdc in each st around until you have 16 inches. When you have 16 inches, we'll start the pattern from Round 1 if that makes sense. Be sure to keep moving your marker, that is where you will work sts to and from each round. An exact number of stitches each round isn't important.

Round 1: *2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 3 hdc* over the next 13 sts
Round 2: *1 hdc in each st around* (til you reach your marker now and throughout pattern)
Round 3: *2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 4 hdc*
Round 4-5: *1 hdc in each st around*
Round 6: *2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 5 hdc*
Round 7: *2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 6 hdc*
Round 8: *1 hdc in each st around*
Round 9: *2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 7 hdc*
Round 10: *2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 8 hdc*
Round 11: *1 hdc in each st around*
Round 12: *2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 9 sts*
Round 13: *2 hdc in next st, 1 hdc in next 10 sts*
Round 14-18: *1 hdc in each st around*
Finish off with red.

Join with white in last st, ch 2.
Round 19: *1 hdc in each st around*
Round 20: *1 fphdc in next st, 1 bphdc in next hdc around*
Round 21: *1 fphdc in fphdc, 1 bphdc in next bphdc around*
Finish off with white. Weave in ends.

Make a pom pom... probably best if you just watch this video on how to do that bit :o)

Sew the awesome pom pom to the tail of your and hat and Ta-Da! ^.^

 

Consider this the first of many more Christmas tutorials to come! And don't worry, they're not all crochet... there'll be some new headbands, an advent calender and perhaps even a how-to on the wreath I made last year if I can find a damn foam ring anywhere (I hate not being close to a Spotlight!!)

 

Anyhoo...enjoy!

P.s I just realised I put a lot of smiley faces into this post... so here's another one

:o)

A busy day of newborn prop creating!

 Four new adorable little newborn photography creations today and I'm still going with another one on the hook at the moment! I may be slightly addicted...

Newborn fox hat and nappy cover

Ta da! I managed to partially recreate something I found on Pinterest *yay me!* I had an hour to kill thismorning whilst waiting for a client so I sat in the park and made the hat...then this arvo I worked up the nappy cover and the tail! Hoorah! Another cute little crochet doodad to add to my ever growing photography prop collection ^.^ I just kind of made it up as I went (except for the nappy cover...I use THIS pattern for that bit) It was pretty straight forward...I've nailed newborn hat sizings with most hooks and yarn sizes which is a plus, the ears are a touch too big but that's probably just the perfectionist in me talking and the tail was just a matter of increasing and decreasing in the right places. Please don't ask me for the pattern though...as much as I would LOVE to write it all up and share it with you I don't want to infringe on anybody's copyright.

If you're crochet-savvy I'm sure you can work it out...as I said, it's pretty straight forward and you can give it your own personal touch :o) I could probably have worked the tail in sc to hide the filling....but I hate sc. I really do.

As for my collection, I'm quite happily making and crocheting away expanding that..I'm trying my best to keep my bits and pieces original, searching for unique yarns and things to give them a personal touch but on the odd occasion that I find something (such as on Pinterest) that is just too damn adorable I have to make it too ^.^ And speaking of yarn, I have 2 beautiful balls of blue/green Poems Sock Yarn on the way as well as a GORGEOUS 'Lucy Pack' of acrylic yarns with colours inspired by the beautiful Attic24 that Daina (hi Daina!!!) snaffled up and set aside for me! SQUEEEEEE


Yarn... I heart yarn.

Playing with fire

 

 

Shambles rambles!

Being this busy is a whole new experience for me! And a good one! ... maybe it would be better if my head was screwed on properly like a normal persons? SO much stress these past few days, and it's bought on a new stress-symptom...REFLUX!! Arrrgh I hate it so much! *sigh* such is life. I am going through Quik-Eze quicker than I'd like :(

So things are pretty much in shambles at the moment, so much happening that I don't know which direction I'm pointed in and spend most of the time running in 7 different directions.... at the same time trying to achieve something. What is it I'm trying to achieve exactly? I don't know! I'm doing free photography sessions for the locals of Armidale, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep at it for free...I have SO many people and families booked in for the next few weeks it's just crazy!! My poor poor husband has been dragged all over town being a taxi for me and sticking around so the complete strangers I work with don't eat me. Hey it's a fear ok!? Hahaha yeah I know it's hilarious... the awkward girl with the social anxiety has chosen a career path that PURELY involves communicating with strangers for prolonged periods of time. I'm careful to warn people of my awkwardness beforehand, and things seem to work out ok ;)

I'm not overly sure of myself, I can admit that much.. I guess I'll just get through these next few weeks the best I can and check out the results at the end! I'm trying my best to be as organised as possible, I have to be afterall! But it is very difficult for me considering that for four years I haven't REALLY had a lot of responsibilities when it came to keeping bookings, tracking names, details, calling people, getting places, being friendly and communicating effectively. Hell I don't know if I'm doing those things overly well but as I said it has been a while! My husband tells me I'm doing well, and that he's proud of me *blushes* for coming out of my shell. Mind you, he's been asking a little more consistantly recently regarding whenabouts I'm going to start charging for my photography...the time spent, the petrol, the calls, the editing, and the giving of photos on a cd free of charge is taking it's toll on our broke circumstances. I guess it's what you have to do though right! I'm not trained or qualified, so it makes sense to me to do it this way... I just don't know what the 'rules' are when it comes to these things.

Apparantly, as a general rule, people aren't QUITE as cruel, creepy rude and nasty as I percieve them to be! Well I'm sure some of them are (I've known a few!) but on the majority people are kind and understanding and just plain... nice! I'm trying not to feel TOO confident about this, as the Universe seems to have an aversion to me being TOO happy (or maybe it's just my perception? Meh...) but yes. There are nice people out there. Nice people who take time from their lives to help me build a portfolio. Nice people who are understanding of me and my funny ways. Nice people who understand that whilst they are doing me a favour by helping me out, I am also doing them one....and that's something I admire :o)


But that's enough rambling out me Mr. Blog! I just had thoughts in my head and they needed to be made sense of. I haven't abandoned those free crafty and cooking tutorials either! I have a few in the pipeline (is that the expression?) but just haven't the time to sit down and do them for you! I will I will I will I promise times infinity!

Tiffany's Portrait Shoot