the past month has been a blur. a beautiful, but blurry month.
i've been saying farewell-for-now to my favourite sydney places and faces and packing up my life here to move down to the mornington peninsula. i'm excited and sad and happy and stressed, but mostly i'm grateful. i'm grateful for my life in sydney that is hard to say goodbye to, and i'm grateful for the opportunity i've been given, and everything that's to come down south.
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i mentioned a couple of weeks ago that i'd be popping some beanies up on here with the idea that they could be traded* for other fun things, and so i'm kicking it off** right now with this fun one pictured above (on my multiple-heads...)
the yarn is 100% portuguese wool, handspun in Minho (Portugual) from the wool of the Bordaleira de Entre Douro e Minho sheep. it's a bulky, singly-ply yarn made by a talented group of women from the north of Portugal who have learnt the skills of spinning, weaving and knitting from their mothers and grandmothers and continue to keep these skills alive and flourishing. i saw a beautiful video of the women singing and crafting, and knew instantly that i wanted to make something beautiful and simple with their lovely yarn - you can check the video out here. i've knitted these up in a 2x2 rib, which means they've got a bit of stretch, so they can fit just about anyone (adult-sized head, that is...) and they'll be just right if you've got a big head/a lot of hair!
i have 5 of these snuggly beanies up for grabs (i'm keeping one for myself because i love it so much!), so if you'd like one, leave a message in the comments below with your email address and i'll get in touch with you to organise a little trade! i'm happy to ship anywhere in the world, as long as you're happy to send something to me in australia.
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* not sure what to trade? don't worry, there aren't any rules! i reckon we all have something lovely to offer - it could be handmade, or just something sweet and thoughtful. let's email and have a chat :)
** more beanies to come over the next few weeks - including some hand-dyed pieces as well.
...you can read more about the lovely Portuguese ladies who have handspun the wool pictured above here.