Sunday 23 September 2012

Poppies

Ok, so the Poppies are proving to be very popular and I have enough orders to have raised £60 already! It's proving to be quite a good idea and I can get one made in about 15mins which is good. Trying to keep my advertising to a minimum just so I can keep up with them all!

Friday 21 September 2012

Remembrance day.

I have no idea where the idea came from but I thought it might be a nice idea to make poppies for remembrance day this year. Here is a prototype which has come together quite nicely. I was thinking of selling them for £4 each and the full amount would go to the British Legion poppy appeal. They are not official items but they do look lovely and could be used on a bag, hair bobble, you name it really. If you would like one then please let me know. I don't have any back stock so they will have to be made as I get the order and as I said earlier ALL the money will go to charity and I won't keep a penny for myself. If you do have one and plan on using it every year then may I ask that you still donate every year please. Crochet is great for my stress so it would also do me some good in that sense as well.

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Memories...

I have been clearing out my belongings at my parents before they move to Suffolk. I have uncovered some delights! Firstly a massive bag of yarn, some of it is really really old! Then I had to sort through my old treasures. Look at what I found!

Sunday 16 September 2012

The tunic...and a hedgehog

Well, the tunic is coming along. I have got nearly to the waist in the back and I am so far quite pleased. The colours are brighter than I expected but I quite like it now it's knitting up. Stress is high again so a lot of knitting is getting done. I also have a another project on the go which I am two thirds through but it's a secret so not pictures I am afraid.

I have also been buying the art of crochet. There are a lot of issues and it will probably end up costing a small fortune to but them all so I will only get them as and when I can but I cant see me ever needing to purchase a crochet pattern once I have a few.

On another note, look at the little lovely I found under my car. I did think I had run it over as I had just parked up but I hadn't so stopped to say hello. It started grunting at me and a big burly chap came to see what I was up to (think he thought I was breaking into the car) so I legged it in the house quite sharpish. It has however inspired me to attempt to crochet a little hedgehog family.

Thursday 13 September 2012

Only gone and cast on my top...finally!

Tom is finally on the mend after a bit of a ropey day the other day. With this in mind I thought it was about time I cast on my biggest project so far. The tunic top I got the wool and pattern for ages ago. Here is the start! So far it's going well enough but I think it is going to take me forever to finish as I'm quite a slow knitter and it's quite thin yarn. I will get there though and it will provide some well needed colour to my wardrobe.

Also, I finally found out who sings my new fave song! It's angels by the xx. After going to the Paralympics and watching David Wier win a gold (amazing) I stayed at my sisters and she had to be at work at 7. Her radio alarm went off and the wonderful Dev was playing the song. I laid in bed with a big smile on my face as it is beautiful! Look it up peeps.

Another thing, i had a message earlier from a old school friend telling me she had been totally inspired by thus blog and was going to start crocheting hats and wanted my advice. I loved that message! My plan when starting my blog was to (hopefully) inspire people and it seems I have. Amazing!

Saturday 8 September 2012

The great strawberry craft swap can now be revealed!

Ok so as most of you know I signed up to be part of a strawberry craft swap through Popular Crafts magazine. I did this via twitter and I got assigned a partner.

My partners name is Carla and her blog revealed enough for me to get an idea about what she liked. I especially love the vintage push bike called Bluebell, complete with basket.

I honestly had no idea to start so I thought about my skills and the best ones to use. I narrowed it down to knitting, crochet and sewing (that being the weaker of the three).

Naturally my first stop for knitting ideas was ravelry. I input strawberry and waited to see what delights I was presented with. It came up with a gorgeous pair of crocheted strawberry hand warmers. I am a slow crocheter so decided I would take inspiration and knit a pair. I started off knitting from the top down but the first one I made was cast off too tight at the cuff and I couldn't get my hand in it. It became a temporary phone case and is now waiting to be turned into something Christmassy. Then I started from the cuff up and included a few more stitches, they were perfect. I was going to sew on some seeds but a clever colleague suggested sequins. How terribly girly and completely appropriate sew on they went (see what I did there). Then I added a little crochet flower and voila! These are the reason I was asked to knit the little pink ones I made recently.

Project two was the crochet project. This was just a flash of inspiration really. I looked up a crochet strawberry pattern and then wondered what on earth I could do with them. I thought bookmark, hair bobble and then something clicked and I thought bunting to go on the lovely basket on the lovely bike. Number two complete.

The third project was inspired by a Cath Kidston egg cosy. I was going to make one of them but thought it might be a bit impractical and not very useful. I know if I have a dippy egg I just want to rip its head off and devour its insides, not tuck it up nice and warm and make in comfortable. So then I thought a larger strawberry lavender bag. I love lavender and one of these next the bed is a wonderful sleep aid so that was my plan. A little relaxation in the post.

As for the gifts I struggled a bit. I ordered a cool strawberry clock keyring from Hong Kong but it got here smashed so that was out the window. I then thought some nice jam is always a treat, lip balm (a girl can never have too many) and something for a future crafting perfect to keep the strawberry love going.

Oh, I nearly forgot about the card! Simple really, a little cross stitched strawberry. It was the start of my personalised birthday cards.

Such great things have come from this swap! It is even how I learnt I knitted the wrong way round!

Anyway, I have run out of things to say for this swap. Can't wait for the next one!!!

Knitting needle roll vs Sun

Despite the fact it is a really sunny day I have spent the day inside sewing and the reason why is a massive sun blocking, leaf dropping, monstrosity of a tree. We could of course sit out the front but we are missing a car with no wheels propped up on bricks and an old sofa on the lawn. FYI, I have complained to the council three times!

Anyway, I am sick of scrabbling around trying to find my knitting needles and then only finding one of the pair I need so I dug out the lovely fabric I got from eBay, popped to hobby craft for yellow things (can anyone suggest an independent haberdashery as I do like to support local business) and got out the sewing machine. This is the result! I thinks it's blooming marvellous and I love it! It is clear on close inspection why I only got a C for GCSE textiles but it does me and I am incredibly pleased with it. Also, it's one thing ticked off the list I wrote on the 27th of August, yay!

Thursday 6 September 2012

The start of something secret

I cannot reveal what it will be and I cannot show the finished item for ages as it is going to be a Christmas present. Starting early but homemade gifts do take a while!

Off to collect a sun bed from Argos in a bit so I can enjoy what is left of the summer. Will no doubt have my knitting and a book with me. Lovely!

Sunday 2 September 2012

Stressful few days and little knitted hand warmers.

It's been a stressful few days as Tom has been in hospital and despite the fact that stress makes me stitch this didn't really. Not until yesterday anyway. I went to visit for the afternoon and sat with Tom watching tv and knitting, I almost forgot where we were which for me and my phobia of hospitals was very impressive. I was knitting my first little "commission" of sorts, a little pair of hand warmers for a colleagues grand daughter who is seven. I got Tom home today and it was nice to have a little knit now that the stress has subsided a little and low and behold I finished them! I think they're a little bit lovely. Also, they are completely knitted in exactly the right way, I did not go through the back of the stitch or pearl backwards once!