I love hand tools, especially old, well loved ones. I grew up with a father and brothers who were very good at all sots of tool wielding activities, from chopping wood, carpentry, messing about in boats, repairing shoes, fishing, mixing concrete, bore drilling, brick laying, fence building, gardening, visiting apple orchards and packing sheds, you name it. Mum and my sister were also busy, but utilising a whole other range of tools, mainly domestic as they engaged in cooking, knitting, crocheting, embroidering, sewing, millinery, washing, ironing tasks. The list, as wives and mothers usually know, is endless. As the youngest child in the family, I was invariably included in the whole range of activities, from a very young age. I always had my eye out for any interesting new thing that was on offer. One of my brothers eventually became a very skilled fitter and turner...he even made tools to make tools to make things...endlessly fascinating!
But, back to the subject for today, as regards an image for this weeks inchie. My first thought, sometime during the night when I was contemplating the issue, as one does, was simply to use a photograph of my hands...keep things simple, I thought. Then I went on to thinking about maybe a more interesting image of some of my favourite and most frequently used tools...that idea had possibilities. It was not until I started to gather up some tools for a collage shot that I realised that the pile would quickly become too complex for use within the confines of an inch square image. What could I leave out? Kitchen tools, gardening tools and the myriad of crafting tools...even a small collection of some these would result in a small mountain of unidentifiable hardware when reduced to the size required. Then there are all the IT componants of my life which couldn't possibly be left off... computers, printers, scanners, label makers, screens...So, I quickly went back to the hand image at that point...very few of the tools I have mentioned are much use at all without the flexibility of ones hands, or the special adaptations and skills needed to replace them, for those in special circumstances...so, hands down, the hands have it!
The crochet scarf pictured above I made from a few fragments of Ann's lovely hand spun wool given to me some time back. I wanted to try this "Easy Ripple Stitch" found on the anniedesigncrochet blog...(I follow Carmen, who is Irish, on Instagram). It is a lovely easy stitch that even I managed to keep straight on the edges...it reminds me of the feather and fan knitting pattern my mum used a lot for baby clothes and lacy shawls, back in the day. I gave Ann the scarf yesterday, as it was made from her yarn.
We had a visit from Hollie on Saturday while Sarah and Karina went on a photography ramble on the Tasman Peninsula...I can't wait to see Sarah's photographs from the day.
We did manage to get to the last of the Campania Farmers Market, yesterday, and bought home a lovely bag of fresh vegetables. It is held on the second Sunday of the month, over Summer, and I usually only remember a day or two too late...I must add the event into my phone calendar early next season so I have a better chance at getting there. Sadly we were out and about too early for the Coal Valley Creamery, makers of the most delectable sorbets, gelato and ice creams...Chris had placed the chilly bag and ice blocks into the car before we left home and was waiting for our return, expecting delights...he has a great fondness for their frozen treats...but the shop was still closed as we drove through Richmond on our way home...life is full of disappointments!
Yesterday afternoon we had a visit from Ann and Mungo. It is always lovely to see Ann, such an interesting and talented lady...we never run out of things to chat about, and Mungo is growing into such a dear little chap. Ann brought me some decorating fabric samples that were part of her latest art room declutter...Lucky me, I am already planning uses for these unexpected treasures...
We were finally given permission to hang our artwork, so the house is now looking much more "our" place...Tim's last email, cc'd to our realtors manager, finally did the trick!
Today is a public holiday for us. It is a lovely sunny day after a couple of showery overcast days, and blissfully cooler. I might even manage a beach walk later on...
Bye for now,
Di