Monday 28 December 2009

My first patterns!

I've written up a couple of patterns and posted them on Ravelry for free.
You can download them here:


Finished - Scree (finally)

Yup, this one's another classic case of too many things to knit and too little time. I recently finished this little number, which I started back in June (intending it to be a summer jumper). Easily distracted, that's me. But it's finished and I'm really chuffed with it - it fits beautifully. I think it's my best work yet :-D

I'll also shortly post all the things I made for Christmas presents but couldn't post before without giving the game away!

Friday 18 December 2009

I sewed something!


Sewing is not a natural crafty skill set for me. I made myself a pair of striped trousers when I was 16, which I very proudly wore until they fell apart, but if truth be told they were very shonky and heavily patched at the crotch due to some rather cavalier cutting out...

More recent projects have got as far as cutting out and tacking up, only to be thrown across the room in a fit of swearing and abandoned to the back of the Crafty Shelves. Usually to do with misaligned bust darts or the sudden realisation that the pretty ditsy embroidery on that piece of Thai silk that looked so fabulous in Thailand would in fact make me look like I was ready for a short notice pyjama party...

So imagine how excited I was to successfully complete a whole skirt IN AN AFTERNOON and a bit without propelling it across the lounge at any point and only minimal swearing (zip's suck).
Clothkits, you are the gods of idiot sewers everywhere.


Wednesday 11 November 2009

New diet ice cream

This is soooo cool



Thursday 5 November 2009

Knitted cakes

Knitting and Cake. 2 of the greatest things in the world (apart from my fella)


Friday 30 October 2009

Wycinaki papercuts

Went to a really inspiring Wycinaki (Polish paper cutting) exhibition at the Horniman museum on 27th September. Incredible detail and all done purely with coloured paper - each colour change is a different layer of paper. Traditionally the paper cuts were be done with unweildy manual sheep shears. Crazy!






Market stall

Forgot to post this back in September! My first forray into market stalls, as showcased on my friend Be's stall at the Muswell Hill Festival:

Hallowool

My entry to Bloom's pumkin carving competition. Jase's nittin logo made 3D ;-)

Sunday 25 October 2009

Strawberry tea cosy



Been meaning to post this for a while - it was a birthday present for end of Sept so I couldn't post it before and then it slipped my mind! really cool kit from Laughing Hens.

I loved the design so much I've improvised a cute Strawberry hat for my niece who's 2 on Halloween. I'll post it as soon as I have a pic of her in it.

I've also received my first pattern request through Ravelry :-D for the space invader mittens I made ages ago. It's the first pattern I've written up but hopefully won't be the last.

Friday 23 October 2009

Cats

It's about time I posted a pic of the cats.

This is Benny - he's incredibly sweet natured, epileptic and a bit daft because of it. Favourite place to sit is in a dark hallway on dark flooring, preferably in a doorway or some other kind of thoroughfare or in an upsidedown C shape on the sofa












This is Nina - she likes sitting on my knitting so much I had to make her a cat bag. She's almost as daft as Benny but doesn't have the epilepsy as an excuse. She also has a habit of turning on you without warning, usually when you think you're having a nice time giving her a bit of a tickle. Favourite resting place is on my pillow, having gradually pushed my head off it without waking me up.

Thursday 24 September 2009

Knit Geek

This scarf's been generated by a machine that produces a unique pattern on the scarf from the data on your credit card. Completely mental but oh so cool... Knitting as fingerprint - the epitome of knit-geek.

Then there's the Newsknitter, which takes current newsfeeds and converts them into motifs for knit designs

Last but by no means least, there's the Gelsomina, which converts your voice into knit motifs.

Super cool - get your geek on:

Read more at

Tuesday 22 September 2009

City & Guilds Module 2

Attaching some pics of my (nearly) finished module 2 City & Guilds work. I've got a couple of bits and pieces to completely finish it (I was a bit lazy on my knitted stripe exploration):

Monday 21 September 2009

Stripes and colours

Since starting module 2 of my City & Guilds course I've become mildly obsessed with stripes and interesting colour combinations.

These plates reminded me of those iced cakes with the wiggly lines dragged across the tops. Do you know the ones I mean?













And I loved the colours in this magic pile of carrots and beetroot

Rowan Saffron

I saw my mum-inlaw this weekend and finally remembered to take a pic of her wearing the Saffron cardi I made ages ago. Here it is - I'm really pleased with it :-)





Monday 14 September 2009

Handlebar bag

This totally rocks, not only from a knitting point of view, but from a "I'm obsessed about cycling" angle too. What a brilliant idea. Athough I think I'll have a skull motif on mine...
















Wednesday 2 September 2009

I am a 10:10 person!

I just signed up to 10:10 - a new initiative to reduce the UK's carbon emissions by 10% in 2010.

Ambitious, but very worthwhile :-)

Tuesday 1 September 2009

Beady

I did raid my beadbox just a little bit this weekend...




Super Crafty weekend

I've just had a seriously Crafty weekend. I've developed a mild obsession with crocheting flower brooches and it's only a matter of time before I dig through my bead box and get started on all manner of beaded accessories and jewellery!

Here are a few pics of the mini morsels I made this weekend which are all on sale in my Etsyand Coriandr shops:











Sunday 16 August 2009

On the needles - garter stitch blanket


Went to visit The Natural Fibre Company mill in Launceston (Cornwall) yesterday whilst on a visit to my mum.

Amazing how much machinery & how many processes go into producing a ball of wool! VERY educational.

Bought a load of natural UK wool and started making a garter stitch blanket for home - the different breeds give a stunning variety of neutral colours. It's going to take a while - finished size is King size. This is what I knitted up last night - about a square foot...

On the needles - Scree


3 weeks in (in between City&Guilds samples). Back nearly finished. Rowan Bamboo Soft is soooo good to knit with!

Thursday 13 August 2009

Crochet packaging


































Kate Jenkins' crochet packaging is absolutely awesome.  The Golden Syrup wins it for me :-)