Toasty Toes!

Well they've started!...

2014's 'makes' Hoorah!

Yes the creativity is slowly starting to flow. I know its actually mid January and by now I should be zooming along but I was quite poorly over the new year so it's only now I feel I'm starting to rev up.

My first make of the year is this pair of thick slipper socks for me! Yes dear reader I am of the age now where I feel the cold, especially around the ankles! Why just the ankles I have no idea, it seems very strange to me but there you have it. I knitted these from the pattern Nola's Knitted Slippers which you can find on Ravelry. The pattern is on the Seamen's Church Institute site along with other patterns suitable for seamen, hats, scarves, socks etc. I have changed the pattern as I found that even though the socks are meant for a man they were too small for me even though I'm only a size 6! I must have been doing something wrong but I don't know what. I also changed the top of the sock from garter stitch to stocking stitch as I thought it looked neater.

  My first commission of the year and a very gentle one to start with. A pair of tiny booties.

 They really are teeny-tiny.

 I couldn't resist making a little gift box for them.

 All tied up with ribbon. Aaaaaah it makes your heart feel good.

 Next I ventured up into my attic workroom. This room also doubles up as a guest room and my son's room when he's home from university. I've not been in here since before Christmas! Oh how I miss my quiet little workroom when it's full of a big lolloping uni student, wired up to computers and consoles! lol. But it's all quiet and peaceful now. It's all MINE again.

Oh I've missed my fabric stash. I love opening the doors of this wardrobe and scanning up and down the fabrics. Today I'm looking for a quantity of silk dupion!

 My choice of threads and ribbons to go with the silk, all ready for my next commission. 

What is going to be?

Well you'll have to wait until next time dear reader.

love Fi x

Radiance Shawl.

 This was my New Years knitting project.

A delicate, lightweight shawl for myself. 

I've never knitted a shawl before but then I've never had need of a shawl before. 

In fact the last time I wore a shawl was when I was 13 years old and a bridesmaid for my auntie. My dress was jade green which I was none too keen on and I had a white woolly shawl (which I'd forgotten about until now) as it was a March wedding. I was going to post a photo of me a la bridesmaid but unfortunately I only have old fashioned paper photos and they're up in the loft somewhere and I'm sat in front of the fire two floors below. I could heave myself off the comfy sofa and away from the cosy fire and go and search them out for your perusal but...we both know that's not gonna happen. 

Anyway I digress. Now being the wrong side of 40 I feel a chill sometimes and thoughts of woolly Cranford-esk shawls are starting to appeal mightily.

I have to say, I did enjoy making this one. The pattern is from Ravelry and is called Radiance Shawl by Helen Stewart. I'd bought the yarn (merino and silk) at the Knit and Stitch Show in Harrogate last year. All the details of the yarn and pattern can be found here. It was very straight forward and the pattern is written so that you can tick off each row as you do it and it also tells you how much you have completed as you go along. 
Easy-peasy.

How about a bit of patchwork next time?
Gosh! Listen to me...woolly shawls, patchwork quilts, you'd think I was getting ready to hibernate!

Till next time
love Fi x

Rosey Cosy

Fancy a cuppa?

Hello all. Before anything else I must say a huge thank you for all of the 'Boxing Hares Felt' love on my last post. I am quite thrilled and a little surprised with it myself, which might seem a strange thing to say coming from the artist herself. But anyone who wet felts knows it's a bit of an unknown quantity. We make allowances for shrinkage and movement during felting but even then you never quite know what to expect when you unroll that wet sheet of wool! Anyway the hares are now languishing on the spare bed in the attic waiting to be embroidered. 

There has been more felting of late but we'll save that for another time and switch over to knitting fun today. What do you think to my chunky garter stitch tea cosies? 

This has been one of those projects that sits simmering for years and years, you know the type, we've all got them. They're the 'One day I want to make a ....' project. There is an ulterior motive for making these cosies, I have been invited to take part in Christmas Craft Fair and  a mild panic is now starting to set in. 

I knew I wanted to knit a really, really chunky, big garter stitch tea cosy but could I find a pattern for one? No I couldn't (I know at this point you're all shouting at your laptops that there is one available at such and such a site.) anyway I couldn't find just what I wanted so there was nothing for it but to design my own pattern! Yes my lovelies, it may only be very basic and it may be taking it a bit too far to call it designing but this is the very first item I've ever knitted without a proper pattern! Whoohoo! (apart form a Dr Who scarf at the age of 12!)

I knew I wanted garter stitch and I wanted it BIG. I knew I wanted it to fit a 6 cup pot (the red one fits an 8 cup pot) and to fit snugly around the handle and spout. I knew I wanted to pop some flowers on the top like the lovely tea cosy on the front of this book, but something with a bit more uumph!

SCRUMMY! 

I luuurve the finished result...lets hope my craft fair customers do too.

Till next time

love Fi x

Catchy-uppy!

Hello my lovelies. 

This is getting to be a bit of a bad habit, not blogging regularly enough and then having to have a catchy-uppy post and squish too many things in! Ah well, never mind, one day I'll find the culprit who keeps stealing days from me. 

Above is my beautiful crochet scarf that I finished a long time ago, but never blogged about. It is now being turned into a kind of shawly-tabbardy-thingy to wear when I'm chilly and just need that extra bit of warmth around my back. All will be explained when I actually get it completed and photograph it properly.

Next is something completely new! This is my version of a 'toothbrush rug'. So called because years ago toothbrushes had a hole in the handle which meant you could snap off the brush head, round off the end and use it as a large needle to make the rug, hey-ho a toothbrush rug! Unfortunately toothbrush manufacturers seem to have overlooked this important aspect of toothbrush design and now only make bulky, rubbery, ergonomically designed brushes, absolutely no good for rug making. What were they thinking! 

 So, much head scratching, and wearing of thinking caps ensued and after a quick rummage through THE DRAWER. You know the one! The one in the kitchen with all the odd keys, broken knobs, lifeless batteries and general crap. I came across a little plastic craft knife. Doing my best impression of Fagin finding a bulging wallet, I checked over my shoulder and around the kitchen door to make sure I'd not been seen, then as quick as a flash I snaffled the little knife up and whisked it away! Ha! It was mine! I snapped the blade off, rounded off the end with my emery board and heated the end of a metal meat skewer in a candle to melt an 'eye' in my new 'needle'. Voila!

And I must say rather smugly, it works a treat.

So one, 'past-it' single duvet cover, a small curtain and a piece of sheeting later I have a rug the size of a small bath mat. Reversible and washable and really quite addictive. It may grow a bit larger...I need to have another look in the linen cupboard ;)  

 Aaaaw... so cute! This is my 3rd pair of baby booties, can't resist em. These are a commission for a lovely friend.

 But they just needed something to make the gift extra special, so out came the paper and the scissors...

snip, snip and a beautiful gift box was made. Just a perfect size!

 Lastly and just in case I don't have enough to keep me occupied next week when I'm away on holiday, my lovely dad, arrived not only with this scrummy basket of granny squares he has made...for me to crochet together! But he has also made me a Swift for winding hanks of wool. What a total superstar he is. Thank you Dad. x

Argh, I need all those stolen days back and more. lol.

I'm away next week with Wonderful Man celebrating his special birthday in a pretty little cottage over looking the sea. Just him and me. Bliss! I think I've packed more craft projects than clothes! 

till next time

love Fi x

We all need keeping warm.

You may have noticed on your recent visits to my blog, a pretty rainbow up there at the top of my sidebar on the right saying Crochet a rainbow.This is a link to Sarah Londons lovely yarny blog asking for help for the victims of the recent Australian floods.

For a few weeks now I've wanted to help in some tiny way but didn't quite know what to do. I'd see other blogs asking for quilt blocks to be made and another asking for a sewing kits for the women who had lost theirs in the flood waters but I knew as much as wanted to help, realisticly I would never get around to making these items.

There were lots of good intentions but you know what it's like.

Then I discovered 'Crochet a Rainbow'.

Perfect!

All Sarah was asking for was to crochet some granny squares no bigger than 5 rounds. You don't even have to sew them together, just post them to Sarah and she would do the rest.

I knew I could fit this in here and there. A granny here and a granny there and HeyPresto a lovely bundle of grannies ready to be posted off to Sarah ready to be made in to blankets.
Why not snatch a few minutes here and there and do a bit of grannying yourself.

It feels soooooo good to granny for the good of others.

Go on...you could have completed the first round whilst reading this!

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Staying on the same thread. I've been doing a spot of knitting. I must admit that's not something you'll hear me say very often as I'm not a very keen knitter, but I couldn't resist these little sandels.


And as there is a baby due a next-door-but-one how could I not give them a go. These little shoes are to fit 3 month upwards, so I decided a practical denim blue colour might be best,
but what if it's a girl?

Then I'll add some little crochet primroses.

Pleeeeeeeaaase let it be a GIRL!
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love fi x

Keeping Cosy

Hello from a very wet and windy North Yorkshire. Rain, rain, rain. There has been rather a lot of it this week. The children's school and college both had to close on Wednesday due to the awful rain and flooded roads; not surprising really as they are both over the border in Cumbria. My heart goes out to those poor people whose homes and businesses have been flooded in Cockermouth and Workington. It brought back memories of 2007 when Hull and the surrounding area was badly flooded.

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Back then we lived in Beverley which is about 7 miles outside of Hull. I can remember being at work, it was a Monday morning and although I worked in a very busy branch of M&S, the place was deserted. It was raining heavily outside, I could see from the doorway that the gutters on the buildings across the street were overflowing and the drains in the pavement seemed to be bubbling up. It was very eerie and quiet in the usually bustling store, but at the time apart from it being very wet outside we didn't really know why. Then news started to trickle through; colleagues began phoning in to say they couldn't get into work because the roads were starting to flood. Then the water started coming into the store! Water was dripping from the ceiling lights and in the stock room water ran freely down the inside of the walls, computers and stock were hastily moved away. A radio was turned on upstairs in the office to keep us up to date with the flood warnings and more and more staff left mid shift to try and get home while they could.

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I only lived 10minutes walk away from the store, so stayed and finished my shift. I was surprised when I left to find my husband waiting outside for me with an umbrella. Firstly because he didn't usually come and meet me and secondly because he was using an umbrella which I'd never seen him do before. We crossed the road and turned down the next little street and then I knew why he'd walked to meet me. We had to wade the rest of the way home, the water being mid shin deep. I held on tightly to him, and asked why he hadn't come in the car but at the corner of the next street I could see for myself the main road was completely flooded.

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Back home we watched the water rising in the little ditch that ran along the lane at the bottom of our garden, luckily our garden sloped up towards the house so we were OK. My parents weren't quite so lucky; I felt so helpless when my mum phoned to say their garden was completely flooded and they were watching the water rising up the door step and lapping at the door frame. My dad had tried to block the air bricks around the house to stop the water from getting underneath and coming up through the floor. Luckily the water didn't come into the house, but they still needed humidifiers and a large fan to dry out the floors and air space underneath it. They did lose items in the garage which did flood. They still counted themselves very lucky.

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Up until a few months ago there where still static caravans parked in front gardens along the main road to their house. It's taken nearly 2 years for some peoples homes to be habitable again.

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So back to our little corner of the world, wet and windy but nothing too bad. Only one local road impassable but that's clear now. So the best place to be is indoors, all warm and cosy in front of the fire.

With a spot of knitting.

It's not really my thing knitting but I enjoyed doing this.

Have you guessed what it is yet?

BIG, BIG CLUE!

TA-DAA!
A tea cosy with little bobbles around the bottom.

Keep dry and cosy.

Fi x

Knit and Stitch

Hello Ladies, look where I went today. The Knit and Stitch show at Harrogate. Just a few piccies as there was far too much to see and touch and stroke and oo and ah at to take photos. Sorry but I only had 7 hours!
A bit of a show stopper, a life size sailing boat completely covered in knitting. It was surrounded by knitted pebbles and sea creatures.

We managed a 15 minute lunch break hear in this beautiful theatre at the center of the exhibition halls.

A very blurry shot of the Wensleydale Longwool stand.

Not quite sure what this is but we were allowed to photograph it so I did.

Beautiful hand made note books.

Well that's it as far as photos, many of the stands did not allow photographs and to be honest it took the pleasure out of the day having to ask each time if you could take a photo and then being refused. So I'm afraid that's your lot.

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I do have a couple of pictures of my own latest project to show, but you'll have to pop back again to see them next time.

I'm off to soak my tired feet.

Love Fi x

Birthday Weekend.

Hello you lovely people!

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Look at these beautiful flowers.

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They were from my lovely boss, a gift for my birthday yesterday.

And this scrummy cake too. OOPS! There seems to be a SMALL piece missing.

This magnificent chocolate cake was made by my 14 year old daughter. All her own design and craftsmanship. What a sweetie!

My Mum and Dad came up at short notice for the weekend, which was a lovely. Mum always takes great care with her parcels. They are always beautifully wrapped and tied with real ribbons which I snaffle away.
But the best part of her present was this amazing bag that she had made me. Yes that's right, she MADE IT! I'm only going to show you this one photo as I think it deserves a closer look. Next time we'll take a closer look at it, so I'll save it till then if that's okay with you?

Still on the subject of home made gifts.(I luuuuurve homemade gifts, don't you?)

This little bear has been knitted by my lovely friend Sam. I'm not sure what she's saying with the specs and the pearls, but the needlework is definitely me!

Look, isn't she fantastic! It must have taken her many evenings after putting the children to bed! It's soooo beautifully made. Thank you Sam you make me smile, and I miss you. (Especially because you are a total nutter!)
The pretty gift boxes from my mum contained a bundle of old fashioned cream cotton lace, wrapped in the most beautiful floral tissue paper. Don't they look at home on the top of my newly painted larder unit?
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Oh, you've not seen my cream and pink larder unit, have you?
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Well it's still not finished. I'm just waiting for the pull out counter top to be rescued from the depths of the shed! And when I say rescued, I mean RESCUED! You wouldn't believe how much wood it's hidden under. I'll take us the best part of a weekend to dig it out!


There it is. At the end of the kitchen in all its ice-creamy, creamy, pinkie loveliness. Hmm, I think we'll have to take a closer look at that too....when it's got its counter top of course.
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Lastly I'd just like to say a big thank you to my Wonderful Man and best friend Carol. They very sneakily arranged for Carol to secretly travel the 120 miles from her home to our little village, where she leaped out from behind the fruit machine in our local pub and surprised me soooooo much I burst into tears and blubbed all over her shoulder!
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What a weekend! I hope you all had a good one too.
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See you next time for some close ups of that gorgeous embroidered bag.
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Love Fi x