Been knitting

My lovely Dad does woodwork as a hobby and has recently made wooden bangles, mine are in the picture. I have therefore made a hot water bottle cover for him. He has a huge amount of grass to mow and has a ride on mower, actually its more like a tractor and he can get parky at the back end of the year. He has a hottie to keep him warm there and in his workshop but it is nude my friends.

So with this in mind I decided to make one for him but in knit. I had to buy a book on how to knit to help me out. I am prepared to say now that I can knit but not well or fast. I even did the collar with DPN’s!!! Well all that sock making over at Alice's blog made me curious. Well its full of mistakes but at least I could say I can do it now. Going to have a crack at cable next. I have used Stylecraft classique cotton Its fairly new and lovely to work and comes in some nice colours.

It is the annual primary school summer fair on Saturday and I have been making a few things to sell mainly corsages  like these here. I think I would like to share this as a tutorial with you as although they do exist out there I have ironed out a few kinks and I think they look great.

 

As for the running please do not think that I have transformed into Paula Radcliffe over night.

I am a big girl.

I don’t want to be.

I am trying weight watchers and it used to work for me.

I am over 40 ww doesn’t work any more.

Drastic measures must be taken.

I found this programme on the NHS website. You download podcasts and play them as you go. Its a 9 week plan and it assures me that I will be able to run for 30 mins at the end. I’m not bothered about that I just want to be a healthy size. I am on week 3 and have built up to running for 3 mins!!! I told you you'd be underwhelmed. Its a run /walk programme. In week 1 I ran for 60 seconds then walked for 60 seconds while a lovely lady tells me how marvellous I am for doing it. I go down a lane where no one can see me and I come home puce and sweaty. I am amazed to say I don’t hate it and am happy to continue especially as I have lost 3lbs in 2 weeks. I promise never to mention it again and only do so now as a mental image of a wobbly old bird might make you smile. I do!!!

Fab Friday

A while ago I looked around for new blogs to add to my reading list. One of the ones I found was In the sky. Lucy’s blog is so creative and I have truely enjoyed investigating her blog. I was especially glad that I found her blog when I won her ----tieth birthday giveaway!!!

Wow Lucy thank you. Afternoon tea will be an occasion. I am going to wash my hair and put on a frock!! Fingers are my ultimate, I could and probably will eat the entire box.

I am also grateful to Lucy's blog as it has enabled me to finish a UFO and that was one of my resolutions this year. I had made this colourful coffee cosy but had no idea how to attach it so it stayed on. Lucy drew my attention to Kumihimo-Japanese Braiding . It is such fun, so quick and the result is amazing. I used acrylic yarn but the finished product has (I think) a cotton texture to it. Great stuff thanks.

Other things I have been doing (between gradual spring clean of the glory holes and extreme dust bunnies)

More baby boots for my Aunts friends daughter, free pattern here

A knitting project because I am actually ashamed of how badly I knit. These are to cover creme eggs but they take me ages. They are Jean Greenhowe creatins and are also free Go get some!!

Finally I found this on tinternet  here its a great tutorial and quite easy to make. Its up to you how to decorate.

The best bit is the handle detail, I LOVE this. I have already made several to fill with easter yummies and give to lovely friends

 

I can feel that I am in a manic phase of crafts as I have just spotted a new crochet blankie idea, it calls for Noro silk garden and Kureyon. I bought some silk garden a while ago (£12 what was I thinking) Its awful!! So I am looking for an alternative (cheaper version) It is going to be a Riot of colour. I will share this with you just as soon as I have had it sanctioned by the reigning in police. Have a smashing weekend, I am off to crochet, what else!!

The mail MUST get through

Saturday we had snow, sorry no pictures as it came and went so quickly but was enough to delay postie till well after lunch. Did she not know I WAS WAITING FOR A PARCEL!!! None to patiently either. My dear blog sister Louise and I have exchanged handmade items for the aroung Valentines time of year.

 

Look at these goodies. I am in awe. Louise you are such a needlewoman. Far better than me. Your hand stitching is so neat, precise and wonderful.  You see this was the reason for this activity, we would both appreciate the work and love that goes into such gifts. Not everyone does. Plus this is such fun.

My fave is the quilt that depicts her house…

  

 

 

 

 

 

and mine

I call it Louise street

 

 

The scarf was a near identical match for what I was wearing at the time of receiving it.

 

 

The felted purse!!!! OMG (as the kids say)

 

Lovely Louise, Thank you, from the bottom of my heart and please start checking your home e-mail at weekends cos I wanted to chat!!! No worries I will bother you at work. Ha ha

Hearts for hearts sake

I’m not a fan of V day but I do like hearts around my home and I have been making. This project could be a good one to do with children. Either by hand sewing or even gluing.

Cut out hearts from paper, 2 of each size .

Lay one heart on the other and sew  up the middle don't stop keep your thread continuous   I varied the size of my hearts but I guess it would look lovely all one size.

Now fold each heart along the sewing line. Display with pride.

You may note that I have embossed my paper and also die cut them. I got a swanky tool for crimbo that does all this for me. Its a bit like a mangle (as my Dad put it) but its not necessary. I think that I’d like to add beads or something extra, maybe glitter.

 

I have also had a go at making these from the wonderful world of colour that is Elizabeth Cat. Elizabeth how on earth did you know!! Whilst making my spot blanket I have had multicoloured ends and saved them up. Yep weird I know. This coupled with the recent purchase of a pom pom maker. Again weird and I know how easy they are to make but this one makes them heart shaped! Too cute, or so I thought. I made one, got cocky and then had 4 disasters so my bits tin filled instantly.

If anyone has had any joy with the little bleepers can I have some help, I am clearly special needs.

Aaaaaaannnnnnnyyyy hooooooooo I have loved making these

All the best

I will be back after the break but wanted to wish all the new friends that I have made a very happy Christmas and a peaceful new year.

 

I have just finished the clear up after a particularly nasty burst pipe in the loft. My nerves are shattered and I am badly in need of a bath. That nasty hum in Oz, NZ and the US is me, sorry folks. Quite a few of my neighbours are in the same boat due mainly to temperatures of –12 for a prolonged time. Please don’t tell me how you all cope at minus 97, I realise that brits are soft and I’m not in the mood quite yet. (give it time and 3 bottles of fizz)

 

I was cheered up by the fact that I received a swap parcel from a Christmas in July project that I took part in. The parcel has been on its way since 29th Nov… Wow.

 

I got this

 

I sent this

Pray for my pipes. Mr H is super lagging as we speak.

This has been the best year ever, no really, It has been my greatest honour to meet you all and I look forward to more shenanigans in the New year (dry ones only)

 

Much love

Lou ( I only let friends call me that)

Therapy

  Well my dear sweet friends, I had intended to blog this on Friday but I had a bit of a day, more of that later……

First off Hellooooooooo  to all the new people who are so kind as to swing by. You are so welcome here!!

This week I thought I’d show you the other nearest town to me and that's Harrogate. The Brits might know that Harrogate is posh ( I think it is) full of posh people in Aston Martins. Not me happily but I’m thinking you knew that already. It is rambling and you have to walk alot to get anywhere but there is much to see. 

My bestest favourite place to be is here. Betty's tearooms. Its huge but very English and proper. Yummy food and a deli/bakery shop. When you come to visit we will go there together!! or maybe a virtual visit sometime soon.

Ive not done the place justice but I was shopping and I am so rubbish at it so I was stressed.

On Friday I had planned a wonderful crafternoon and just like Jane I planned to clean madly in the a.m and then feel less guilty playing in the p.m. I volunteer for a charity as treasurer so I got the books up to date filing a return at companies house only to be attacked by the guy who runs the thing and all because I wanted to leave. He poured so much pressure on me to stay with such unpleasantness I felt as if I was being held hostage. So instead of staying until the end of October I am glad to say my hands are washed of the whole awful situation and I am no longer obligated to the man.

Sorry that was a rant, don’t read it!! anyway I felt physically sick (still do a bit) and so crafternoon was no more. I rallyed though and finished this.

 

Oh how I love the VW camper. This is styled on the 1967 split screen version or splitty as they a referred to sometimes. One day maybe.

I am feeling more like me now I have made some squares for SIBOL. My grandma always told me to count my blessings (she was Methodist) and thinking about others has definitely taken my mind off me!!

My lovely boy is sleeping over tonight so guess what me and Mr LouLou are doing? Minds out of sewers please, we are going out to eat!!! ALONE!! No DSi no comic books or endless conversations bout Hulk vs Ironman. Skippity skip weeeeeeeee. Have a lovely evening be it family or no, join me in a glass of wine maybe,

Cheers friends

Lou

xxxx

Mount youfoe

As requested my lovely friends, behold my shame………………..

Here are a selection of the latest ufo’s. My most spectacular ufo is as old as my son and I believe that the statute of limitations has passed on that one.

These are some finished christmassy things that just need to be put together into a thing or something.

This is a yarn  eater cardigan  made for a friends baby, a bit fussy maybe. Just needs finishing. The baby is 2 so it wouldn’t fit her. I did finish another jacket so don’t go thinking I let babies shiver.

 

A toddler shrug for my niece ( she starts school soon) It has sequins and beads and is gorgeous. Only needs a cuff, more beads and buttons. Embarrassed about that one.

This is some crewel work I did and want to make a cushion. I have the innards ready for it. Just need to do it. Hmmmmm…..

There is also the union flag blankie, granny jacket, socks (they're hard), wavy scarf (nearly done how's yours Louise?), wavy bag,baby blanket ((more chilly babies), 2 Christmas table runners and Wavy Davey the bedroom blankie that I will tah dah soon and feel better about myself as I feel pretty ashamed just now. I’m off to stand in the corner, look sad and say doh.

Life is a bowl of cherries

Harvest begins in earnest in North Yorkshire. The cherries are destined for jam, any recipe advice would be welcomed by the way.

The peas we ate for Sunday lunch ( I froze a few too) 

and the chilli just has to look pretty for now. He does have friends but they are still on the plant.

Keeping with the cherry theme I made this to house the carrier bag that I made and posted about last time. Its the Lucy ripple in leftover granny yarn. I am off to make some more SIBOL squares now for the straw berries and cream challenge then maybe some beachy ones too I will share them later on.

Thinking bout Christmas

I think about Christmas a lot and do try to get a head start on things but this takes every biscuit in the barrel. Anyway I came across this site that organised an event for the whole of July.

I paid what turned out to be £20 (sterling) $42 Aus. For that I get a new project EVERY DAY. There has not been a single one that I haven’t wanted to do. The projects are mostly sewing (it is a quilting shop after all) but they are making Christmassy things from non Christmassy fabrics which I love. I wake up every morning thinking “I wonder what I will get today” So far there has been gift bags, ornaments for the tree, a hanging, a stocking, a table runner, a wreath and a tablemat for Santa's cookies and milk. I will be sure and show you anything I make.

 

This plus a few other distractions have meant not much hooky. I made the union flag as a paper pieced quilting exercise. I had never done it before but its quite effective if you can get your head around it. I want to make a cushion. You know the decorative kind and not one that you let your husband lounge on. After that I knocked up a frock (as we say up here in the North) because I couldn’t get one to fit my substantial bosom. Sorry, too much information but its a real problem. I am hoping that as I lose weight they might shrink. Sorry no pics yet but I will try to show you. I have not done dressmaking for  ages but needs must.

 

This is my so far granny jacket that I mentioned here. I cant decide weather I love it or hate it yet. I need to persevere with it. You start with a hexagon and both me and my friend Louise  could not for the life of us work out how the heck it folded into that shape. It just does, you just have to make it and it will. Unfortunately the outer rows take more than a 50g ball so I will have to get more yarn even though I bought enough . I will show you as I progress further .

Today I mopped until  I could mop no more then I hoovered and ironed so this afternoon I played. I have made a new project bag. I used a Sainsbury carrier for my pattern. The idea came from this site and was easy to follow  although the pocket for containing the bag is no good. My fabric is too bulky. I think I will crochet a pouch for it. Watch this space