art equals happy.

A pair of socks for Grandma. :: Knitting Adventures.

Back in summer 2011, I visited my Grandparents in South Africa. I've still got lots of photos to share but you can see some of my adventures here. I started a pair of socks about a month before we left- with the aim of finishing them up in time to gift to my Grandma. For such a long pair, they knitted up very quickly.
I used a shop-bought yarn, especially made for sock knitting, with this delicious self-stripe. I'm not usually a fan of using only one type of yarn in a project, so I made up this little ribbing which added a bit of interest. (I love a challenge when knitting!) One of my favourite parts is this smooth decrease down the inside, and how the ribbing merges...What do you think?I also used smaller needles for the heel, bottom of the foot and the toe- to give it strength. I ended up finishing the socks whilst I was in South Africa (which is where these photos are taken), and she was pretty pleased, she wears them in bed when it's cold to keep her toes warm. It's nice to know a little bit of my love is always there when she wants it. :]
Kimxo<3

More memories from July. :: S.A. Sketches

Here are some of the remaining pages that I haven't shared yet from my trip to South Africa last July to visit my grandparents. If you haven't seen the other pages, you can see all my adventures here. I've still got loads of photographs, and some sketches from when we went to a game park to share- just don't want to overwhelm the eyes with holiday photos. haha. Anyway, here we go!

Painting postcards. :: SA Sketches

From a magical couple of days where Ted and I painted in the garden...
I mostly made postcards for friends back home.
I've still got a couple of these postcards, if anyone wants one, e-mail me ($4 and I'll write you a little message!) [email protected]See more South Africa adventures here.

Oh, Ted! :: SA Style.

Some fun photos of Ted's Outfit. [: We are a funny family. Even Dad got in for a bit. hehe!Classic Smith style. Button down shirt, knitted cardigan, jeans. And maybe a cravat if you're feeling fancy... or cold. [:

Raiding their closets. :: SA Style.

Grandma did a little clear out while I was there and it was fun to play dress up a bit. The black jacket was my Grandma's, she bought the jacket and added the stitching herself. It's got pretty prominate shoulder pads. I've been blessed (or CURSED!) with pretty big shoulders already, so I don't really need them, but they make me feel a bit more rock n' roll. haha. Crazy can be good, right?The shirt is one of Ted's (my Grandpa) that he's outgrown. It's a lovely short sleeved number, in the perfect 'dad' plaid. We had fun taking silly photos. Here a few of the outtakes- I'll share some of me & Ted tomorrow.

Daily Sketches. :: SA Sketches.

A few more pages from the notebook I kept whilst in South Africa.

We spent a lot of time talking about art and dreams and making it as an independent business. Some of my favourite memories.
See more things from my trip here.

Cozy Evenings.:: SA Snaps.

Lots of cozy evenings spent eating bread, cheese and pickled onions, playing games, watching films, knitting and sharing. Oh, and we all enjoyed a good lap blanket to keep our legs warm.

Cheeky biscuit with Ted. :: South Africa Snaps.

On an evening when tea before bed was essential, so was a buscuit or two, too! This top picture is one of my favourite 'serious' photos of Ted. (Possibly the only serious photo of Ted!)p.s. now that Renegade is done and I've had a chance to recover and do some college work- my South Africa series will be returning. :] Hope you're having a good weekend.

Quiet afternoon at the Art Exhibition. :: S.A. Snaps.

Ted was working at the little library art exhibition a few days after we arrived. These are some digital snaps from that day.

Settling in. :: S.A. Sketches.

After such a long plane ride, it took me a few days to recover from the strain of all the travelling. A lot of sleeping in and card playing and drawing on the couch.We went out to visit a little exhibition that Ted was in. :] Some days, my journal entries were more like diary entries. Writing, although more like short sentences to remind myself of things, rather than a dialouge/ramble.Also- I was only using one side of the sketchbook at the begining- something which my tutors keep telling me a GOOD thing- so you can easily take out pages as use them as originals, but which I find rather difficult. I'm afraid the one-side-only rule didn't last very long with this sketchbook. Win some. Lose some. haha. 
Kimxo