Mixed stitch blanket update

2012 is almost over!

I have loved reading about all the fab projects that have been completed during the year. It has made me realise that I really want to be able to do a 'projects I completed in 2013' post next year. I can't do one this year because I just haven't been taking enough photos! I also have no idea when a lot of my projects were started and finished. But that is all going to change in 2013! I'm going to make more time for crafting, and make sure I keep a record (and photos) of all my projects.

 

So, over the next week or so I WILL blog about the projects I have on the go already. I will take photos as they progress. And I will make sure that they get ta-dah posts when they are finished.

 

Today is all about my mixed stitch blanket. My first crochet-along, with little woollie. I do know when I started this one! I put it on Ravelry! It was 24th August, so has been on the go for 4 months. And I have to say, looking at it now, that it is not much of a blanket! To be fair I have worked on a lot of other projects at the same time, and the blanket was pretty much shoved into a corner in October to make way for Christmas crafting. But it is back out, and I am loving it :)

 

So here it is, my mixed stitch stripey blanket.

 

 

Wishing you all a happy, and crafty, New Year!

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Handmade Christmas gifts

Hello lovely people! Have you all had a smashing Christmas?

I do hope so.

 

A little owl that I managed to crochet up from the lovely hopscotch lane

 

Today I would like to talk about handmade gifts.

Because this year I properly got my knickers in a twist.

I had so many ideas - and so little time! 2 weeks before Christmas I abandoned several ideas and bought presents instead. And Miss M's gift was given to her unfinished! (Not that she minded, she's a good girl like that!)

 

Has this happened to you? Please tell me I am not just hopelessly unorganised! I want to make gifts, they are so much more personal, and I have SO many ideas. But then I have to go to work, and cook the dinner, and do the ironing, and all the other mummy jobs. And crafting time gets less and less...

 

Anyway, I did manage to finish gifts for my mum and dad, which I would like to show you if that's ok?

I used my new quilting skills (quilt update coming soon!) to make them each a Kindle case. And I am really please with them. Wanted to keep them for myself in fact!

 

 This one is my dad's.
Took a long time choosing 'manly' fabric!!
LOVE this button :)

And this one is mum's.
Red and elephants. 2 of her favourite things!
And I covered this button myself.
Easy peasy and looks pretty good I think.

I'm so pleased I managed to finish them.

 

And now crafting is much more relaxed. I still have A LOT of things on the go, but without the pressure of Christmas Day I can enjoy them a bit more!

Mixed stitch stripey blanket has been worked on quite a bit since Christmas Eve

 

 

This is an old photo, I haven't taken any in the last few days but I will! Really soon!
I am still really loving it, I'm terribly behind with the crochet-along but I'm sure I can catch up!!

I also have my other 'secret' project to share with you now Christmas Day has been and gone! More on that very soon :)

I hope your Christmas crafting wasn't quite as frantic as mine!

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I love my Christmas Tree!

Today we put up our Christmas tree!

 

I love Christmas-tree-going-up day, the choosing, the decorating, the Christmas music that just HAS to be on while the tree goes up!

And the smell!

I LOVE the smell of Christmas tree!

 

Miss M made a very speedy choice of tree today. Usually we look at LOADS. Twirl them. Dismiss them for being too big. Too small. Too wonky. Too skinny. I find one I like that is too big. We look at more trees. I end up buying the one that is too big!!

 

This year I had decided that too big just doesn't matter.

It's only there a couple of weeks so it doesn't matter that I can't get in the cupboard or open and close the curtains easily.

What matters is the loveliness of it all, and so bigger certainly means better!!

 

So this is the tree that Miss M choose for us.

 

This is (I'm ashamed to say) the best photo I could manage. I tried to take close up shots of some of my handmade decorations, but they are all blurry. Mr T is at work and he is my technical adviser :) I will get another camera lesson soon and take some photos of the decorations to share with you!!

 

Well, I'm feeling very festive now so I think it's time for a glass of wine and a little crochet (whilst gazing lovingly at my tree!)

Hope you all had a lovely weekend

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ETA - more pictures!!
These are the pictures I was trying to take last night, and failed!
Mr T very kindly took them while I was at work :)

These were all made last year.
This year all my hand made decorations got sold!!!
But I have a few ideas for new ones, it's not too late!!

Felt Christmas tree

Felt star with an insane number of beads stitched on!!!

 

This little angel was a first draft. I used her to test out a few ideas, then I made 2 more for my sister's Christmas tree using the little lace cap sleeves from her wedding dress. Now every year she gets to hang a little bit of her wedding dress on her tree. And I get to hang up little my first-draft!

 

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New crochet hooks!

I treated myself to an early Christmas present! - new crochet hooks :-)

 

 

These lovely hooks came all the way from China (via ebay!) and have the most lovely bamboo handles.

 

 

I have had a little play with one of them and it is lovely to work with.

 

I'm looking forward to many hours of happy crochet with these :-)

 

I also managed to sneak into the picture the beginnings of a little dolly blanket, worked in granny squares using 2 colours of stylecraft. I do love making granny squares!

 

 

And a sweet little dolly dress too! A friend asked if I could make her daughter some dolly clothes as a Christmas present. Such fun knitting such teeny tiny things! I have another little outfit on my needles at the moment. Will post pictures soon.

 

Hope you have all had a lovely weekend!

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Pretty in pink

I do love it when one of my friends has a new baby - so many sweet little things to make!

 

This simple card was quickly stitched (once I had finished all the Christmasy stuff!)

and I think looks lovely!

 

Pretty in pink!

 

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Christmas Bazaar!

Well, I did it! And survived!

My stall at the Christmas Bazaar looked pretty good I think...

 

All thanks to my lovely mum who set up for me (I was teaching all day, not just being lazy!)

 

I managed to borrow back some of the blankets that I have crocheted as gifts recently, but was a bit disappointed that nobody even looked at them!! Well, I suppose they are not Christmasy.

 

There were a few very frantic late nights of stitching before the bazaar, mostly finishing off the bunting (thank goodness for the wall bars to hang it all on!)

 

I was (and still am) really pleased with the bunting. It has been sold and I'm thinking about making some for our house this Christmas :)

 

 

 

I have just put all the "left-overs" into my folksy shop

 

So now I need something else to spend all my crafty time on...

 

Oh who am I kidding?!

I already have about 3 million ideas for my next project(s)!!!!

There just aren't enough hours in the day!

 

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Busy, busy, busy!

Hello!

It has been quite a while!

I have been busy.

Busy, busy, busy!

 

Having opened my Folksy shop not that long ago I decided a Christmas bazaar at one of the schools I work in would be a fantastic way to get my little 'shop' known. Spread the word. Put myself 'out there'.

 

So there has been lots of Christmas crafting!

Want to see?

 

Sparkly Christmas tree cards...

yummy gingerbread man cards...

red, red, robin cards!

Mini stockings with buttons...

mini stockings with initials.

Gingerbread man tree decorations

lots of them :)

and a baby's first Christmas card.

So it's Monday. I've just got in from work. I have a few hours of crafting time tonight, a few hours after work tomorrow and that's it!

The Christmas bazaar is on Wednesday, straight after school!!

 

Wish me luck.....!

 

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Birthday Blanket ta-dah!

Yay! One of my secret projects is finished!

This blanket is for my very lovely friend's birthday.

Which is today!

So now I can show you!

Although I very nearly didn't finish it in time!

 

The colours were secretly matched to the colours in her lounge and I worked away quietly, stripe after stripe after stripe.

It was a very lovely, relaxing pattern. A bit ripple-ish.

 

Lots of photos now.

Sorry!!

 

Ta-dah!

 

Now I can get on with Christmas stitching!!

 

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ETA - I forgot to tell you about the stitch I used for this blanket (thanks for reminding me Fiona!) I found the pattern here when I was searching and playing with ideas and totally fell in love with it! I decided against the border though, as it was a bit too frilly for the simple look I was after. xx

Thirteen

Yesterday Miss M turned 13!

My baby girl!!!

So it has been a busy weekend, filled with girly celebrations.

 

Friday evening Miss M and 3 of her girlies went ice skating. Afterwards we brought them back home for pizza and cake.

I made a marble cake, but then totally ran out of time so had to turn the decorating over to Miss M. Which she loved obviously! So the marble cake turned into a chocolatey chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream and chocolate decorations, mmmmmmm!

 

 

They destroyed it in record time!!

 

I thought at 13 the girls were probably a bit big for party bags, so I made a few pencil cases/make-up bags and filled them with sweets. They were a big hit!

 

 

Saturday evening there were lots of presents and a lovely family meal at our local Indian restaurant, Miss M's favourite :)

 

Sunday I got myself back into the kitchen for some more baking. Miss M was banned as this was to be a surprise cake. It did take me pretty much the whole day! Once it was finished and iced Miss M was allowed to see.

 

We took the cake with us to our friends for our annual fireworks gathering.

 

Miss M had a little accident whilst helping with the younger children and managed bash into the handle of the buggy and split her lip on her teeth. Poor birthday girl! She was a bit sad for a while but the cutting of the cake cheered her up!!

 

I think it turned out ok!

 
Miss M has gone back to school today, complete with a sore lip :(
I'm catching up with some crochet today! Hopefully a ta-dah post will follow later this week!
 

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Poppies

Hello lovely bloggers!

 

It seems like AGES since I have been here, I have worked far more than I anticipated over the last few weeks which has left me very little crafty time :(

Add to that the secret, un-bloggable projects I have on the go and I find myself with nothing to write about!!!

 

But I have found a few moments to crochet up these little lovelies.

 

I had been playing about with a few different keyring ideas and my mum asked me to make her a poppy keyring. Quite obvious really if you read her blog poppycottage48 !!

 

So I fiddled about for pretty much a WHOLE DAY until I was happy with my poppy. And happy I am! I really love it. I made 2, with the only 2 large black buttons that I had in my button box.

But then I decided that my poppy would make a really pretty brooch (I hate that word SO much, but can't think of an alternative!) 

 

So I ordered lots more black buttons and some brooch backs and set to work!

Miss M has one on her school blazer...

 

and my mum has one too!

I'm obviously wearing one too but am staying very much on THIS side of the camera thank-you very much.

 

I made quite a few.

They are fun.

Quick and pretty.

A real change from my 2 big secret projects.

And my 'me' blanket that has been totally neglected lately!!

 

The rest of them can be found in my folksy shop and will hopefully be joined by some Christmasy goodies soon.

Just as soon as I finish this blanket...

 

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