They're Here!

You know how I have been talking about things in the Pipeline...gurgle gurgle and promises of impending Announcements......Welll.....

I am finally able to announce

That I am now officially

A herb Gardener...look I planted herbs!!

oh OK you got me....while I am a herb gardener it is not the big news.

The big news is...

I am now officially an authorised dealer for The Merlin Tree Spinning wheels.

For those of you don't Merlin tree or the wonderful man behind the Hitichiker Wheels, then you need to check out  Spin-off Magazine Fall 2012 where they have a 4 page spread on Dave Paul and these wonderful wheels.

But in a nutshell, Dave Paul is a resurrector of wheels, from all over he receives wheels that need some TLC and some that need a whole lot more, he brings them back into life, so they purr like kittens.

Dave's wife is a member of a spinning group and this group felt that if Dave could re-build why not build?  So he was given parameters

Must be Cute

US Federal Aviation Administration for Carry on Luggage

Weigh less than 10 pounds (approx 4.5kg)

Have no assembly

Must be inexpensive

After a few prototypes and some tweaking we have these cute, light, easy, inexpensive wheels!!! And to top it all off, these wheels are all compatible with the standard Ashford Bobbins (these are the ones for the scotch tension traditionals, Travellers, Joys and Kiwis)

The Hitchhiker Double Treadle $374 plus $60 postage

(more pics at The Merlin Tree)

The Hitchhiker Single Treadle $299 plus $60 postage

Your Choice of left or right treadle.

and the Road Bug Double Treadle $374 plus $60 postage

comes in both Double and single treadle

The Road Bug Single Treadle is $299 plus $60 postage.

While all my pics are of natural coloured wheels you can order your wheel pre-painted for an extra $15 

Purple, Deep Red, Teal, Deep Green.

Other Optional Extras include a carry bag $25 and Kates Lazy Foot $25

if ordered separately from the wheel, I will need to work out a shipping quote.

or if you want some other inspiration check out what some other Hitchhiker fans have done to their wheels!

Now I know this is a lot to take in, but here is a bit more..... I am working on a website, it will host my webstore and blog, so until my store is up and running, if you would like to order one of these cuties, please contact me on chantelle.hills at gmail dot com or give me a call on 07 3299 6191.

If you are in the South East Queensland area, let me know if you would like to have a test spin! 

Over the next few weeks there will be more announcements of other products that will be coming to www.fiberific.com.au

Well I had better go and feed my family, I think I can hear my daughter gnawing on a lounge chair!

The blog you write when you realise you forgot to blog!!

Wow, so even after three reminders, I still nearly forgot to blog! Now in my defence, I am trying to organise our very first family camping trip.  So I have come in from packing the car, sitting having a cuppa break!

This week has been really busy, DD7 is on school holidays so we have been doing fun stuff....well I think it is fun DD maybe not so much LOL... We have created a herb garden, and planted some peas.  I have no pics of either of these!

DD's teacher is finished up for the year and about to have some very premmie twins, so we got busy with making a little pressie for them.

So first things first, I knitted up 2 pairs of Michelle's Preemie-Newborn Booties

Add the fiberific dye table......

up close of the colours...

add the yummy colours to our presoaked sockies....

steam them for about 20 mins, rinse and rinse again, wash with a little soft soap, rinse and dry on the line

Stitch them all up and we have...

Gorgeous wee little booties!!! They were very well received.  I would definitely make more!  I think this is one of those gifts.... be warned pregnant friends and friends considering parenthood, this will likely be your pressie, maybe just in different colours.

DD7 is very excited, she is a Model, Jenny King's new pattern Roses, as modeled here by my cute one.

After looking at herself on the monitor, she looked at me and said very seriously "Why is it that Internet me has a cute top, and real me doesn't?"  Well after laughing, and realising she was completely serious, I found a couple of balls of Lana Gatto Super Soft and started working away.. I haven't finished yet, much to her disgust.  But it won't take long.  I have completed the base piece and just have edging and roses to go.  If you want a really quick top then this is one to do... and while I haven't started on the roses yet, I would say that this pattern is for All crochet skill levels!

Keep an eye out for the coming weeks, some big announcements coming on the Fiberific Front!  Nope not telling you today, next Thursday!

I really do need to go now, my cup is long empty and it is time to finish packing my clothes and draw up the don't forget this list, for the morning. Goodnight All.

Spring Cleaning!

I am not a Spring Cleaning kind of person, but Spring Re-organisation, I can do!

I took some measurements of my work room, drew out a schematic fairly close to scale and then sat on the Ikea website to work out what I wanted, I then drew out the footprints of the pieces I wanted cut them out, and played furniture tetris! It was a lot of fun.  A few days later I jumped in my brum with my trusty ikea lovin' buddy and we went and played furniture tetris in the car!! It was way too much fun!

Tucked in here we have 2 Bookshelves, (the smaller one was my Ikea elfs), 3 tables, a set of bucket drawers and the buckets (for DD7's room), also a parsley plant.....I have nothing to say about the Ikea chocolate that may or may not have come home with us.

And now for the newly improved work room!!! Drum roll please!!!!

I know I know, not the greatest pics, but look, you can see the desk space!! Aaaaahhhh work space how I love thee!!

Um that was a bit too weird wasn't it.... I am not showing you the before shots, but lets just say, WORLDS apart!... I think I would like a couple of shelves on the walls, get the painting my Dad did back up.  I am well chuffed with how the room has come out!

Anyways its Spring, and spring has sprung into my garden and my green thumbs have been tingling!! So while it is nice and warm and not too hot I have been playing outside... DD7 and I planted some beans about 10 days ago, and they have shot off like rockets!!  What DD doesn't know is these are not all green beans, 2 are green the rest are purple and yellow!!!

We even have some flowers on the Strawberries! I have to confess, I can grow lots of different things, but I am RUBBISH at growing strawberries, much to DD7's disgust. So flowers is a good sign for us!

Oh Look! Ikea Parsley is still alive!!! I am getting it used to Sunshine! and I will plant him out on the weekend!

 We have been having so much fun in the yard, cleaning up the gardens, I have some potatoes to plant for the first time, have been given lots of advice, it is go time! Yay, just need some manure supplies to get that one off and racing!

Anyway back out of the garden, the posty came today with a book I had ordered a while ago, I have been waiting with baited breath, I thought it would never come!  But it is here, and I have some stash yarns that are going to turn into some of the wonders from this book!

SO much to read, I got both my Interweave Crochet and Interweave Spin-Off Yesterday and now this one today!  What can a girl do, I will be forced to sit back with a cuppa and have a read.....

Catch you next time!!

Knit Knit Knit... shop.

This week has been full of much knitting and crocheting. Trying desperately to finish Dh's jumper in time for fathers day turned into a HUGE fail.  I came across a missing element in the pattern, only to find out the jumper version, did not have set in sleeves, but drop shoulders AAARRRGGGHHHHH rip rip rip rip, I had completed a V-neck front and the back, so rip rip rip.  Needless to say that in 2 days I could not re crochet the front and the back and have a go at the sleeves.  So luckily DD had some gorgeous pressies that she had made and  bought at the fathers day stall at school. Phew! is it bad that I was saved by a 7 year old?

Well onto things a little less traumatising.  On Saturday after the Qld Spinners AGM I hit some shops with a great buddy!  And we went and had a play in Tangled Yarns at Newstead, I have not ventured into Tangled Yarns since the open day 3 or 4 years ago.  Hello online ordering! But I needed inspiration and to pat things, and that can only be done in person!  I am planning a couple of little pressies for DD7's teacher who is going to pop out 2 teeny little girls pretty soon. So after some awesome help from Kelly at Tangled Yarns I have picked up gorgeous Cascade Superwash Sport in Red and Purple.... to make the twinnies a little Boheme by Allegra Wermuth and some Tiny Shoes from Ysolda Teague

So I have cast on yet another project!! Go Me!! Hiding in my sacks of awesome are awesome things!!

Firstly I have my first of the Boheme's

Now, before I reveal what is in the second sack of awesome, I should mention, that while at Tangled Yarns I spotted something I have been eyeing off for quite some time.  Something that I NEEDED... that's right not wanted, NEEDED.

um

oh they are the most divine of the knitting needles, if someone tells you that all needles are the same, find something... preferably a DPN and poke them in the eye...well don't do that.. it might hurt them.  And we don't want to give knitters a bad name. But you tell them you would like to poke them in they eye!....  I got in  my car with my super purchases and drove home at lightening speed (read speed limit) and opened the package of Uberness and behold

OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

purty...
I have already got the 3.5mm in a project.... and segue into the next sack of awesome

It is my mystery KAL the Trapeze!!! now on Addi Click Long lace tips!! Yay... there has been a slight change of plans on the KAL I found a new bead shop... about a 4 minute drive from my house!!! BRILLIANT place, excellent service.... you need to go there.. or at least look at their website...My Little Bead Shop.  So new beads, new beads, new beads... gotta have them, and I wasn't really all that happy with what I had from the other place... so

what do you think????

Anyways, I have heaps of knitting to do, and possibly even some crochet...cough cough...must get jumper done... but baby things and lace...do the JUMPER!! 8-( Okay... this is the deal, do some baby things or lace til lunchtime...then do the jumper....hmmmm.

Have a great day, over the next few weeks there will be some big announcements and pictures and parcels oooohhhh squee!!