All of what's been going on

I feel a bit like I've lost my blogging-mojo and I want to find it.  I've been really busy when it comes to making things but when I look at my photos I'm not feeling inspired...  I'm just going to give it a go.

I've finished my Solstice cardigan but I haven't managed to take any photos of it yet, although it's been in almost constant wear since casting off.  I think these were the last photos I took but it shows you something I guess...

I had to do the sleeve again because my needles were a size smaller than the pattern said so it was too tight, but I'm really glad I did and I'm very happy with the fit.

I made some rather cute baby mittens for a friend and I forgot to photograph them.  I'm one hand into making some mittens of my own and I've only got a WIP photo to post ,but lets have it anyway

Lets see...  Oh yeah, my Uncle wanted a rag-doll style Dr Who so this is something else I've been hooking

He is meant to be the Eleventh Dr Who, although obviously he shouldn't be bald and hopefully at some point he'll have a mouth and a fez.

Christmas decorating began in earnest on the 1st, I've heard a lot of people say the start of December is still too early to think about Christmas but I want to make the most of it, so there ♥

I also wanted to see whether the cats would destroy the tree so for the first week I only put a few Ikea baubles on, but low and behold we have ANOTHER cat success story and that is they're not remotely interesting in destroying my tree.  Huzzah!

I've even managed to bake some mince pies (and I remember to do them in cases instead of straight into the tin...)

And I've been enjoying hot chocolate in my varying festive mugs.

And as with most years since discovering them I've been enjoying the Christmas Markets in town, made even better by the fact that I only work down the road now...

And a couple of weeks ago I got reaquainted with my sewing machine and made a cushion from an lovely off cut of fabric I found in John Lewis.

I realise that's a bit of an info overload but I think I needed it!

x x x x

Knit for victory!

What a night, was anyone else woken up at 4am by the thunder and lightning?  It was amazing, I love a good thunder storm and I saw the bolts of lightning instead of just flashes in the sky.  Actually this happened at Glastonbury so I don't know why I was so excited but hey ho.  Oh and it's just started up again!

A few people have asked how I got on at the Cheshire Show, where I entered this knitted cushion.

Highly commended!

I'm really really pleased, ok it's not an actual prize but they must have thought it was alright!  I think their comments were fair too, I didn't quite get the colour changes right but I'm super pleased with my seams and apparently so were they

It says "An attractive design idea.  Beautifully worked seam joins.  Take care to keep knitting more even".  I can't argue with that.  Now bring on 2015!  As a WI our group also came 2nd with the most number of prizes for a new group, which wasn't bad considering we didn't even know that this was a category.

Thanks to everyone who convinced my to block my wonky blanket called 'Muriel'.  The lovely Christina explained that this has happened because I've started to crochet each row from the same end, instead of alternating my stripes.

I had a bit of a wobbly and was going to start over but I just couldn't get inspired, so I thought I'd try blocking it and I'm so glad I did!  I should have taken photos at the time because I've added a few more rows so its started to slant again, but I'm feeling a lot more positive about it now.

I'm absolutely loving this knitted retro blanket...

It's such a rhythmic pattern and I love the colours which I tried to keep to the original as closely as possibly, although I left out brown because I don't have any.  I'd definitely recommend the pattern and it makes a nice change from crochet ripples ♥

Better get off now, we've decided to our for tea so I need to get ready.  I can't decide if I'm looking forward more to the food or the wine ;-)

x x x x

I entered a show!

Last January I joined the WI and it's one of the best things I've ever done!  I've met a lot of lovely ladies and most importantly fellow crafters 'get it'.

Understandably when I mention our WI I get the odd look of surprise, possibly because I'm not quite 30 and they think it's all jam, knitting and Jerusalem.

I like to reassure people that the WI is for everyone (unless you're a bloke!) and there is no such thing as "old" either.  I also try and convince people that we're not all knitting and cake, but this is all lies because we eat a LOT of cake (we have a cake rota and a committee role of cake organiser and cake taster) and we have a craft club full of knitters.  I also happen to really like Jerusalem too.  So there people with your odd looks!

Every year there's a show for our Federation (Cheshire) and I guess it's just like any other country show where you can enter preserves, cakes and crafts into competitions. I didn't enter last year because we were a new group and I didn't have much time, but there were no excuses this year. As a WI we've entered 32 things so we'd better win something!!

I'm down in the yarn category. How I settled on a pattern I'm not entirely sure but I decided I wanted to knit a fox, and then that became a cushion and that's what I did. I made it up, which is why I ended up making the cushion inner as well because it didn't fit the original one... Thank god there were no size requirements!

I know that the judges are very picky so I decided to use a few techniques, and I also really like moss stitch, which is why the flap looks like this.  The pic above was in a cheap horrid acrylic which I soon scrapped in favour of a much lovelier Stylecraft Lite (I think?)

And so not content with entering my first show, I went ahead and made this with no idea really how to do intarsia, but I think it's passable!  In fact, I'll be honest, I don't even know if this is intarsia...

Then he got little button eyes ♥.  Importantly, VERY importantly these buttons match the ones on the back, because yes; the judges are that picky.

Because I made the pattern up the fox is a bit off centre and has a lot of space above him which I felt needed filling.  I embroidered some stars but they all ended up wonky and different which I reckon the judges would be oh so picky about, so I unpicked them all save this one, which I thought was alright

And here he is! He went off to the show today and I think the judging is tomorrow. Exciting isn't it? I wish I'd taken a photo of the seam because I'm incredibly proud of my mattress stitch, I know you shouldn't blow your own trumpet too much but I spent bloody hours on it and it's good :p

Don't forget to enter my competition too, yarn for free? How often does that happen!

x x x x

Cables & hearts

Brrrrrrrrrrr it's cold!!!  We made it to November without putting the heating on but we've had to admit defeat and it's in now.  I don't know if it just feels colder because we've been away for the weekend but I think it's safe to say that Winter has arrived...

We spent the last couple of days over in Sheffield with my family, which I always love.  My uncle lives in a big, old victorian house.  It isn't perfect and you have to be careful which floorboards you walk on because some of them are loose but I love it!  J and I procured a very nice mirror from an antique shop (I doubt the mirror really is antique) but we even haggled and got a fiver off so I'm dead pleased!   It's wrapped up at the moment so I can't show you it, but it will have it's reveal in our new home...!

♥

I've not been upto much knitting or crocheting recently because I've got the finger and hand aches again, only this time my arms hurt a bit too.  It happened earlier in the year after trying to get a few projects finished for people so I'm hoping it's just a bit of RSI and nothing serious.  I'm really itching to get my needles out and finish my owl and start making presents but I need to accept that this just isn't happening.

I've been making a list of projects that I've started, finished and haven't written about and this is one of them.  I made a cushion for my mums birthday so I couldn't share until she'd received it.  It was knitted up on size 6 needles, probably a lot smaller than I could have gone for but being Cygnet Seriously Chunky it was quite fast to work up.

I wanted to find an alternating cable pattern but I couldn't find anything (or didn't know how to search!) so after a bit of trial and error I made it up.

Cast on multiple of 5 + 1 (I did 31)

Row 1  ~ *k1, p4* repeat to end k1 (ws)

Row 2 ~ *p1, k4* repeat to end p1 (rs)

Row 3 ~ *k1, p4* repeat to end k1 (ws)

Row 4 ~ *p1, k4, p1, cb4* repeat to end p1 (rs)

Row 5 ~ *k1, p4* repeat to end k1 (ws)

Row 6 ~ *p1, k4* repeat to end p1 (rs)

Row 7 ~ *k1, p4* repeat to end k1 (ws)

Row 8 ~ *p1,cf4, p1, k4* repeat to end p1 (rs)

k = knit

p = purl

cf = cable front

cb = cable back

I didn't take very good photos while we were down at my mum and dads so these will have to do I'm afraid!

Look how well it matches!  I wish in hindsight that I'd sewn it up with a flap and maybe knitted a few extra rows...  The wooden buttons look nice though.  The inner is a small square Ikea cushion, I have bought far too many of these in the past, three live in our house, two with a friend and I think I've given my mum at least three.  I need to stop making her (anyone) cushions really.

I had completely forgotten all about this project too!  I don't think I even mentioned it once, probably again because it was a mother's day present so I didn't want my mum seeing it here!!  I remember enjoying this a lot and it's full on my own home grown lavender.  The heart and smell has survived, sadly the lavender plant has not!  It lives on my mums bedside now, along with a variety of other random things I've made / gifted her.

Does it really have to be Monday Morning again tomorrow?  I could definitely do with another day off, or two!  Chow for now 

x x x x

Projects on my needles

Just a quick post today.  I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit hungover today, the result of a lovely wedding yesterday :)  Remind me to go easy on the wine next time...

The sun in shining today though and a chinese takeaway is on the way.  Life is good!

Chunky cables using Cygnet Seriously Chunky in Fawn, knitted on 10mm needles

 A project I've been working on for a while from Knitted Toy Tales; the Owl and the Pussy Cat.  This is the owl obviously!

x x x x

"Little Woollie" Inspired Cushion

I've taken the day off to keep J company who's had to phone in sick :( I suspect it's a 24/48 hour man flu but TLC had definitely been on the menu. I'm glad of the day off though as it's given me more time to do thing things I didn't get to do on Saturday when I went off rock climbing to Windgather Rocks in Derbyshire.

I haven't been outdoor rock climbing much, mostly due to the weather and other commitments from our two more experienced climbers. The weather was fantastic but absolutely freezing, and if it hadn't been for Milo I think my hands might have dropped off.

Milo has been our climbing companion several times now, even if he can be a pain in the arse!  He nearly tripped up some poor man who's day might have been severely ruined!

So today between supplying J with food an drink I've been busy knitting up a hat, but as I don't have any photos to show you I thought I'd share my Little Woollie inspired Cushion progress instead.

The stripes have taken a bit of a hiatus since getting the knitting bug again, but here's where we are:

 

The first several rows are basic Double Crochet (US Single Crochet) which I really love.  I was going to do the whole thing like this but changed my mind.  The 6th row from the top (pink/ Stylecraft Shade Fondant) is a row of Treble Crochet.

 

This stitch I think is a Double Crochet Cluster?  I'm not sure but all the patterns are on  Little Woollies blog which is where I'd be heading if I were you :)  There are also loads more patterns / stitches that I haven't used yet and probably won't as this is such a small project.

 

Now this stitch is one of my all time favourites now.  I absolutely love it!  It's called Bobble Stitch but I think I've also heard it with another name.  It's so easy to do but looks so cute!

 

Lastly are some chevrons which aren't quite finished.  I think there should be another row like the pink to square it off.  Then I'm probably going back to some regular Double Crochet for a good while.

 

Here we go!  I've realised just how wonky my granny square is but I'm not too fussed.  I did see a great tutorial (afterwards...) about how to stop this - if I could remember where from I'd share the link, but I think the idea was you didn't start a new round in the corners, start along the sides in complete randomness :)

 

 I'm going to get back to hat knitting now.  I'm absolutely bursting to finish it and share with you.  Lets just hope I don't have another "Goldilocks" moment.  I'll give you a clue: Too big, too small, just right?

Night!

x x x x

The City that never sleeps

YaWn! I am SO tired right now, something to do with having returned from this amazing city a few days ago :)


We didn't get up til 1pm today and 2pm yesterday - shocking!! I feel very jet lagged but all is good. While we were away J & I got a new camera which has a tilt-shift setting that I absolutely love. It makes things look like little miniature models! I won't bore you with hundreds of photos you'll already have seen before, so hopefully these are a little different.

Time Square! Apparently a little seedy back in the 70s, it's now the place where everyone seems to converge of an evening. I loved walking here most nights when we came in 2008 (we stayed literally a couple of blocks away), this year we stayed out in Queens but we managed a good few trips here :)

Our trusty number 7 train in and out of Manhattan

Cony Island

We went in May last time and the amusements were closed! It was quite eerie and I was the only person on the beach but at least the aquarium was open. A very different story this time.

The Staten Island Ferry

Probably the best free way to see the Statue of Liberty!

I came back with American Candy - I love the packaging!  Milk Duds are very yummy and we scoffed at least two boxes of pancake mix while we were away, they're so much fluffier than the ones we make in the UK.

And a modest purchase from Michaels craft store which is quite simply the most brilliant place ever :D

I've got a nice shiney set of colourful crochet hooks now that are crying out for some new handles... I even got something for another giveaway... More on that another time!

Being New York I didn't have much time to be bored, and I seem to be getting more and more motion sick, so despite taking supplies for the flight I didn't crochet a whole lot but I've made a start on a Little Woollie inspired cushion - I've just seen that she's doing a crochet-a-long for my most favourite blanket ever and I'm gutted I've missed it but I might try and catch up, or just save the pattern. Anywho :)

The colours are Stylecraft again - lets be honest I have so much I think very little of what I make's going to be anything else :-p I'm using Pomegranate, Fondant, Clematis, Meadow, Cloud Blue, Sherbet & Cream at random. I think the back may have to be stripes :)

I need to go and do all that fun post holiday stuff now, washing, getting ready for work tomorrow... What fun! Hope you've all had a good week or two, I'll be back soon with more hooky fun!

x x x x