I've got a thing for shawls

CaladoniaShawl - This is a pattern that grabbed me right away.  Just browsing pinterest I came across the pattern and had to make it.  

The body of the shawl took no time at all but the lacy border was another story.  There were so many stitch markers required I ran out and had to improvise and make my own from my bead stash!

  There was swearing and frogging aplenty.  The picot bind off seemed to take an age it was like two steps forward and one step back. 

 I got there in the end though and I am really pleased with this.  I picked the yarn up at Yarndale last Autumn  from The Skein Queen. 

I had some leftover yarn so make some matching gloves, based on the pattern by Suzie of the Wool Sanctuary but tweaked a bit with another picot bind off.

 Sunlight Shawl for Sad People – I have made one of these recently and I was delighted with how it turned out. A lovely lady I work with pointed me to this pattern and I was so pleased she did.

It drapes so well and I find it is the scarf I wear most often.  I will be making another one of these this year.

  The pattern is such a quick knit, it is so simple with no counting and you chose where to make the stitch changes.  I think it would lend itself to a nice colourful variegated yarn so I must keep my eyes peeled for the right stuff.

Having some of this yarn left too I make a couple of pairs of leaf collectors mittens from Sarah's beautiful pattern here.

 I kept one pair and gifted one. Love em!

Back Soon

Lisa xx

I'm back with some happy colours...

Sorry!
I've been missing in action this week, I usually don't go this long between blog posts. Once again work has been insane busy, 12 hour days and two of them spent driving up and down to Nottingham and Manchester; 5 am starts and getting home and sliding straight into bed :(

Luckily I am a big ipod fan and have loads of podcasts and paudio books to listen to while away the hours (and a big bag of werthers originals).

But I'm back and have squeezed a little sewing and knitting in mainly this morning and last night.

I started this a while back using only yarn I already had and following the guidance from the brilliant Lucy - Attic24 I made these little summer garden granny squares and they morphed into a cushion last night.


It's even nice on the reverse with all the little single crochet (UK) lines joining it all together.

Making these little squares was a pleasure, the colours have had a real positive influence on me and cheered me up no end.

They take no time to make and before you know it you have enough for a whole cushion.
I found a wool jumper in the charity shop a couple of weeks ago and bought it with this in mind.

Snipped and hand stitched to the front with a dainty crochet edging and little button holes.


And it's another to add to the pile of growing cushions in my home; if you ever come to visit me you may have to sit on the floor, the couches are filling up fast :)

I think I will hedge my bets and enter this as my March Monthly Make.
I have the Stanley Pattern from the wonderful Annie and will be making him too.

I have been watching season 2 of Big Love a series I love from the US; and whilst engrossed and crocheting one of these squares, I got a little carried away and kept on adding to it and it is more than likey going to turn into another cushion.

Besides crochet I have been knitting recently and have taken a shine to this pattern for sweet facecloths. I only really started knitting again recently and this pattern was a real challenge for me and took me a few attempts to crack it but I got there in the end and have made a few for the birthday swaps.
I recieved a beautiful knitted face cloth from the lovely Clobelle last year and I was really blown away when I opened it, so I thought I would make some myself, they are easy to pick up and put down and knit up quite fast.

I promise not to leave you for quite as long next time.

~ ♥ TTFN ♥ ~

Things Made Found and Gifted

Things Gifted

Just want to show you a few little delights from my week. I received this beautiful card and wooden gift from the lovely Tina, Scratchy Cat Crafter ~ I do love her makes, how special is that?

The last card she sent me many months ago is still on display in my lounge I can't bear to take it down, I need to make cards like this;

Thanks again honey! xx

Things Found

Hubby found this stone just outside the door at work, how cool is that, very Tim Burton!

Things Made

I did knit Tom some bees as requested, they were highly appreciated.

So that's me finished work for the week, I'm planning on tacking my half made bits and bobs, what are you lot up to?

~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~

Lovely Likeminded Friends

On Saturday I received a wonderful parcel of goodies from my lovely friend Lynda ~ Hookin' with LaaLaa. Lynda has been an inspiration in my knitting and crochet attempts and she has kindly passed on lots of wooly themed magazines and books.

This parcel was a dream, it arrived on Saturday morning and I spent a few hours in my dressing gown pouring through it all, only to get them all back out later in the day for another couple of hours ~ happiness!

Feast your eyes on this beautiful card that came with it all:

There were some knitting needles and bits and bobs included which were a welcome addition to my meagre collection; and there was this purse frame ~ I shall look upon this as a challenge and make another knitted purse!

Pouring through these magazines here are some of the wonderful things that immediately jumped out at me as things I want to make;

My son Thomas has requested that I quite urgently make him some Bees, he needs them apparently!

I am not confident enough to attempt clothing, but as soon as I am I do fancy this jumper:

I won't be attempting this one but when the time comes I would love to go out in style in this knitted coffin! It's made from sturdy carboard (well it would have to be or it would sag) and covered in knitting, very eco friendly too!

Isn't blogging just great for bringing likeminded people together ~ thanks again Lynda x

~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~

Knitting Again...

I seem to have developed a thing for cable recently, I made 4 cable scarves for Christmas,I've made a start on a big cable cushion for the lounge and I also started making smaller cable squares to sew together to make a different cushion (but this got left by the wayside a few weeks ago).

I will go back to this I promise.

Aside from this lot I had some purple wool left over from that awful knitted purse so I knitted myself a little phone sock. I’m quite proud of this beauty as I made the pattern up as I went along, it’s just moss stitch with a cable in the middle and a wide rib at the top, but to me it was a small triumph!

Oh and whilst knitting in the kitchen I got my hands on some cocktail sticks and made some miniature knitting. I added some beads to the end of the cut off sticks and ran up a few little rows.

I once made a smaller set but I can’t find it, I used to have a 12th scale dolls house and the poor house was damaged beyond repair but I did salvage all of the interiors and bits and bobs I had and bits I had made, however the tiny knitting must not have made it! I will have to show you some of my miniature bits and bobs sometime.

~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~

A Winner and a Little Purple Knitted Purse

Thanks so much for all your entries and kind words.

As per my usual cop out I added you all to a long list, some of you twice and due to time constraints I gave you all a number and copped out again and did a random number generator (sorry, it’s so impersonal, but practical).

Winning Number 11 - CRAFTING UK MUM - I have sent you an email ~ Congratulations!

♥ Sorry you could not all win ♥

I thought I would show you the knitted purse I made a short while ago. The knitting magazine I buy came with a free purse clasp and a pattern to knit a purse so I gave it a go.

To be honest I was a bit daunted as there were stitches in there that I had never used before ( I followed the pattern for the green one), but I plodded on and after what seemed like an eternity it was finished.

A day or so after I finished this I received a parcel from lovely Alex, with this ditsy floral fabric which I though would be just perfect to line it with.

I got cracking hand sewing the purse together and I hand sewed the lining and attached it by hand to the woollen purse, then the fun started. This was the biggest pain in the ar*e to sew into the frame, I used about 8 different types of needles to try and find the right one for the job and when I did find it, after about half a side it snapped! I did persevere and got there in the end but it took me an age to sew this in and it was so difficult that my fingers were really sore for a while afterwards. Needless to say this will be my last one!

I had a little rummage for buttons to add to the front, and couldn’t find anything I was overjoyed with so I covered some small buttons in the lining fabric and added them instead. I am not 100% happy with them, and can see me changing them when I find what I want, but for now here is the purse, that made me sweat, swear and sore… never again!

~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~

Knitting and Crochet

I am a bit of an obsessive. I get 'into' something and everything else falls by the wayside. This time last year I had just bought a new sewing maching and was sewing for England; I taught myself to crochet in September and I have the crochet and knitting bug at the minute.
I am sure it's something to do with the fact that you can sit and knit or crochet in front of the TV whilst being with the family and making relatively little noise. Machine sewing takes me away from everyone with my machine going ninety to the dozen it is not great for conversations.
I have been doing some hand sewing over the Christmas break, I was between knitting projects and picked up my hexie tin.

Each time I recieve some fabric from swaps and friends, I snip a row of it off and add it to my hexie tin. This means that the fabrics I use to make up a cushion will have nice people sewn into it too. When I look at the individual hexies I can remember where the fabric was from and the person or project connected with it, which adds another dimension to the finished article. This will be another cushion when I get back to it.

Back to knitting; if you are a knitter you will know all about Ravelry, if you are new to knitting and crochet you might not, so pop over and check them out, there is loads of help and patterns there for all levels of experience and I have found it a great resource. Just recently I was inspired by the lovely Lynda - Hookin with LaaLaa to join the 'Crochet a Long ~ Block a Month 2011' on Ravelry with the purpose of making a block each month and at the end of the year joining them all up to make a blanket. So this is what has just fallen off my hook, it's a mess and it's very wonky, I am sure I missed stitches somewhere or perhaps even added extra, but it will do for a filler square ~ I will try harder for the 12" version (as my Nanna would say "a blind man on a fast horse won't notice it"):

I am a novice knitter, I was taught to knit as a girl but never persued it and now I wish I had; but like the crochet I am practicing and teaching myself as I go. I have been buying this magazine for a few months now and have eventually given in and subscribed as I would be gutted to miss an issue, it's been an invaluable help to me.

There is at least one thing I want to make from this mag each month and usually do, remember the big chunky cable scarves, they were from this mag.

Here is my latest make from this month's mag these little hearts (top left above), I didn't turn them inside out to seam them, I tacked around the outside as I liked the finish better and I added beads instead of buttons, and added lavender to the stuffing, but it's close enough. Oooh and I finished off with the sweetest little bows, courtesy of the lovely Alex ~ thanks again honey!

I did tackle a knitted purse from a previous magazine which came with a free purse frame, it turned out nice but was such a pain to do, I will show you that later this week.

Oohh, can I ask you seasoned knitting and crochet ladies, how do you store your yarns? Mine is taking over the house and it's so bulky I don't quite know what to do with it. It's current home is stashed in multiple carrier bags behind the couch, under the bed and wherever I find a crevice~ this can't be the best method???

p.s. don't forget my little Stitch giveaway, it closes on Friday.

~ ♥ Back Soon ♥ ~