Tuesday Treasury - Back To School

Back to School ... a new school year, and Autumn just beginning, I love this time of year. I thought the last week of the school holidays would be a good time to look for goodies for the new term on Etsy ...

Minty Scribbles Pencil Case, I want green spotty pencils -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/littlebobbins

Little Giraffe Tote Bag, perfect for PE kit, or even lunch boxes -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/itbelongstoturtle

Apple Cosy, a great idea to avoid bruised apples -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFluffyDuck

Pack of 3 Handmade Notebooks, I can never have enough notebooks -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/chalkhillstudio

Another mini-treasury next Tuesday ...

Challenge 52 - Week 34

I've got a double challenge this week ... i've signed up to two swaps on blogs ...
A cupcake swap organised by Oh Sew Beautiful ...

And an Autumn swap organised by Blueberry-Heart ...

I've been doing a bit of shopping for these swaps in the past couple of days, but this Bank Holiday weekend is going to be all about creating and making. Each swap requires a least one hand made item - and because the two swaps are so different there's no chance of doubling up and producing the same this for each swap - it's going to be a busy few days!

I can't post any pictures of what I do until the swap has taken place, but i'll blog about what's happening in the coming weeks.

Arnold The Jellyfish

Meet Arnold the Jellyfish ...

He's the star of the latest fabrics I have designed on Spoonflower. Arnold was created when I was thinking up a character for this week's Spoonflower 'Plushie' competition. Jellyfish are not particularly cuddly, but I thought if I made Arnold cute enough I could win people over!

I've also designed a repeat fabric, it was great playing around with different colour combinations ...

If you want to look at this week's competition, click on the link below :-
http://www.spoonflower.com/contests/96

Tuesday Treasury - Patchwork

During this school holiday i've done a lot of cutting out paper hexagons and fabric heagons for my daughter who is making a patchwork throw for her bed - she likes the sewing, but not the cutting out!
For this week's treasury i've been looking on Etsy for handmade patchwork goodies to  inspire fellow patchworkers ... or to treat yourself if you don't fancy all that cutting, tacking and stitching ...

Butternut Cushion, I love this design, great colours -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/stephaniecoleDESIGN

Pretty Little Birdie Pincushion, a traditional patchwork pattern brought right up to date with modern fabrics -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/veryberryhandmade

Patchwork Owl Plush 'Trixie', I can't resist an owl -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/pinchface

Bobby The Bunny Original Artwork, i'm a big fan of this maker, wonderful designs -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/hensteeth

Another mini-treasury next Tuesday ...

Crochet Purse

Ok, so i've been meaning to write up this post for about a week, but i've been so involved in several practical projects that I didn't get around to it!
Last month my KAL (Knit A Long) project was this little knitted bag ...

The rib pattern gave it the feel of a 'retro' crochet bag, so with some encouragement from Meanyjar I set about transferring the design (in a way) into crochet. I decided to start small with a purse rather than a bag, just to see if the design in my head would work in reality, and here is the purse ...

Please excuse the colours (chosen by daughter, who immediately claimed the purse) - and the yarn, because it is a practice project, is the sort you get free in knitting magazines - it has its uses!
A full blown bag pattern will follow in the next week or two, but i'll post that pattern on Ravelry. In the meantime here is my purse pattern ...

Crochet Purse by Giddystuff
Written using UK terms and abbreviations)

You will need :-
3.5 mm crochet hook
Approx. 60g DK yarn, or 30g each of two colours.
Two buttons (12mm/15mm diameter)

Method:-
Foundation chain. Make 21 chain.

Base
Row 1. Work 1dc into 2nd chain from the hook, 1dc into each of the remaining chain. (20 stitches) Turn.
Row 2. 1ch, then work into 2nd dc, and then work into each of the remaining stitch. Turn. There are 20 stitches in each row of the base.
Repeat Row 2 six times, this gives you the base of your purse.

Sides
Make 1ch, dc into second stitch and continue along the row, add a stitch marker at this last stitch. Turn your work 90 degrees, and dc into each of the 'holes' from the side of the base of your work - you should make 8dc - don't be tempted to add any chain stitches when you turn, you are going to work up the sides of your base from now on. Add a stitch marker to the last dc you have made.
Now dc along the start edge of your base - you should have 20dc stitches, add a stitch marker to the final dc.
Turn your work 90 degrees again and make 8dc along the final side, working into the 'holes' along the row edges again. Add a stitch marker. These stitch markers mark out the corners of your purse so you can check that you haven't added any stitches anywhere and distorted the shape.
Join these four sides with a slip stitch into the original chain stitch at the start of the sides.
Basic row instructions - make 1ch, dc into second dc along row edge, and continiue along the 4 sides - 20dc, 8dc, 20dc, 8dc, slip stitch into the first chain to join the edge, turn work.
Repeat this row 23 times. If you want to do a colour change, change to the second colour after 16 repeats of this row pattern.
This makes the basic body of your purse.

Purse Flap
Ch1, 1dc into 2nd stitch along 'back' edge of purse, continue until you have produced 20 dc. This will form the flap of your purse.
Turn your work, ch1, then dc into the rest of the stitches in the row - 20 dc.
Repeat this row 9 times.
Now to make the buttonholes - Ch1, the work into 2nd stitch, 2dc, then make 3ch. Miss three dc stitches, then 8dc. Make another 3ch, miss three dc stitches and then dc until the end of the row. Turn work.
1ch, work into 2nd chain in row, then continue along the row, working dc into chain stitches from previous row too - 20dc. You will be able to see your buttonholes now!
Repeat the last row two more times, then fasten off.

Weave in any ends. 'Close' the purse shut, remember the sides will fold in, and mark where buttonholes are with a pin.
Sew on the buttons.

Please let me know if there are any glitches in the way I have written this pattern, it's the first time i've written up one of my crochet designs for others to use!

Remember this pattern is not for commercial use, but you may use it to make purses for personal use/gifts or to raise money for charity.

The Wool Boat

How many people can say they went to buy some knitting yarn on a narrowboat?
Well, that is exactly what I did yesterday. Emma Maye - The Wool Boat, owned by Colin and Carole was moored up in Wightwick (pronounced Whittick) yesterday, so we went for a gentle strole along the canal to the marina and bought some wool!
I love their boat, so cosy, and they made me feel very welcome.

Picture from http://www.colinandcarolescreations.co.uk

Their floating yarn shop sells James C Brett yarn, which I only ever seem to see when I go to shows at the NEC in Birmingham, so I stocked up on Marble yarn for knitting winter hats!

I also bought some Kool Kotton, perfect for the Granny Square blanket i'm crocheting at the moment.

Next weekend The Wool Boat will be in Kidderminster, and you can check their website for other places they will be visiting before the end of the Summer ...
http://www.colinandcarolescreations.co.uk

Challenge 52 - Week 33

You may have noticed that I haven't mentioned a KAL - Knit-A-Long this month, and that is because it's only just started. There is a theme of Organisation/Storafe, but other than that it is a mystery.
I've also had to do a swatch in preparation, so I know i'll be using slip stitch colour 'mixing' techniques.

These are just some scraps of yarn from my stash that I have used for this sample - i'm actually using some Patons Colourworks Aran in Orion for the main body, and some Wendy Norse Chunky in Eider for the detailing - so i'm swapping around the multi-coloured yarn and pain yarn around ...

Knits in the City Website



A Woolly Tail Website



I'll post more information when I know what i'm doing. In the meantime, if you want to join in, find out the details here :-
http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/one-skein-kals/1773591/1-25#10

Hawaiian Quilt Contest

A few weeks ago I designed a 'Knitter's Quilt' pattern on Spoonflower, based on Hawaiian quilt patterns. The design is a 'cheater' quilt, so I just need to stitch along the lines of my design, no piecing together or applique. I ordered the fabric, and it arrived from the States at the end of last week, so i've been out and bought some wadding and quilting thread - it's been years since i've done any quilting! The finished item will (hopefully) be a little quilt I can sit on while I knit in the park or wherever ...

I've also entered my design in this week's Spoonflower contest, and was thrilled when I saw it on the contests front page yesterday.

If you have got time, please click on the link below and look at the quilts that have been designed - and if you like my design, please vote xxx.

http://www.spoonflower.com/contests/95

Blackberry Muffins

A bumper 'hedgerow harvest' means that we had more blackberries than normal ... and the ones in our garden still have to ripen off too!
Here is a great recipe given to me by my dad for blackberry muffins ...

Ingredients
300g plain flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
115g caster sugar
1 egg
300ml milk
80ml vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
180g blackberries

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200c. Put paper cases in a 12-hole muffin tin.
2. In a bowl sift the flour and baking powder, then stir in the sugar.
3. In another bowl beat together the egg, milk, oil and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients to this bowl all at once and stir until they have just blended. Gently stir in the blackberries.
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin cases and bake for 15 to 20 mins until well risen and golden. Allow to cool before trying!

I actually managed to get fourteen muffins out of the mixture. They taste great, not to sweet and so ideal for breakfast.And i'm sure the basic batter mix would work well with other berries.

Tuesday Treasury - Blackberries

On Sunday we went blackberry picking - not the sort done in the 'phone shop, but the hedgerow foraging sort! I was surprised that so many were over-ripe already! Mine are going to be made into muffins - more blogging about that in a day or two, but in the meantime here is a selection of blackberry inspired goodies from Etsy ...

Handmade Blackberry Rave Soap, you get two bars of this, bet they smell wonderful -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeavenAndSmell

Blackberry Doughnut, looks good enough to eat -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/mrswoowoo

Blackberries and Cream Earrings, I love the contrast of the purple glass against the pearls -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/themagpiesdaughter

Blackberry Nunofelted Scarf, this 'One Of A Kind' item looks so warm -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/red2white

Another mini-treasury next Tuesday ...

Challenge 52 - Week 32

Another week and a new challenge, and this time i've got one that will go on and on!
While trawling through the forums on Ravelry I came across an exciting project for using up oddments of sock yarn ...

The Beekeeper's Quilt by Tiny Owl Knits

Photo by Tiny Owl Knits

Lots of people are doing this project at the moment, so there's a real buzz about it on Ravelry (sorry, couldn't resist that pun)! Each section of the quilt is called a Hexipuff and takes about 5g of 4ply sock yarn.  You make them 'puff' by adding polyfil before you cast off, you can even add lavender! It's going to take a lot of Hexipuffs, but i've made a start ...

As you can see i'm using blues - there are lots of blue oddments in my many stash boxes, and just in case i've ordered this little quintet from The Knitting Goddess.

Photograph by The Knitting Goddess

I've also made myself this little bee stitch marker just for this project.

Hopefully i'll have some more pictures to show off as the project grows ...

You can find The Beekeeper's Quilt pattern to purchase and download here:-
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-beekeepers-quilt

The mini skeins can be found here:-
http://www.theknittinggoddess.co.uk/

Crocheted Cornishware

A few weeks ago the Angel Eden blog had a fantastic tutorial for crocheted tin/jar covers. I wrote down the information in my trusty green notebook with the intention of making one when I was on holiday. I've been doing lots of crochet on the train this week, and had some lovely comments from young and old alike on my travels.

I decided on a blue and white pattern with the intention of my finished cover looking like Cornishware.

Somewhere along the lines I must have added an extra row on the base of my cover (too much talking), so it was a bit on the large size! Not a problem - when I got home I found a large coffee jar I had stashed away in the dresser, and so my jar is now a container for all the chunky and fine knitting needles that don't seem to like staying in my needle wrap.

I love Cornishware, the blue and white striped pottery that everyone recognises. I've got some bits and bobs, including some Cornish Green, which is no longer available. The original blue and white design by T.G.Green & Co.  was inspired by the blue skies and white waves of Cornwall.

I've just discovered the online shop and their are some lovely things, and the packaging is fantastic.
http://www.tggreen.co.uk/

And if you are interested in making your own tin/jar cover, the tutorial can be found here ...
http://www.angeledenblog.com/2011/07/crochet-pottin-cover-tutorial.html

Portmeirion

This is one of my favourite places, and I love the icecream colours of the buildings ...

Tuesday Treasury - Yellow and Grey

At the moment I just can't get enough of this colour combination so I thought i'd find a few lovely things on Etsy for my mini-treasury this week ...

Yellow, Grey and Black Button Bracelet, I love buttons, this perfect -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Noodlefish

NEW YORK Print, great retro styling -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TaylorsType

Three Yellow Acorns, crochet and felting combines, brilliant -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/astashtoys

Mixed Thread selection, use these yellow, pale blue and grey threads to create your own ideas -
http://www.etsy.com/shop/therainbowgirl

Challenge 52 - Week 31

Better late than never with my Challenge 52 post - the Internet has been playing up all weekend!

It's a new month and a new sketchbook challenge, and I really like this one:-

EVERYDAY OBJECTS

Sometimes it's very relaxing just to draw the things that surround you everyday. I've started by drawing my little pink coffee pot.

Yes, my actual coffee pot is pink, but I started drawing it with the green water-soluble graphite pencil that was on the bookcase at the time! Then I used red and blue 'Inktense' pencils for the background. It's not a photographic representation, that's not the intention. I just wanted to relax, draw and experiment with a bit of colour ... 

Love Wool UK 5th - 11th September 2011

The Campaign for Wool had organised Love Wool week to promote wool in the UK. There are wool weeks going on around the world at this time, but there are lots of things going on in the UK and it's easy to get involved ...

You can organise an event within your local community or school, or like me you can gather some friends together for a slice of cake, some knitting/crochet and a chat. You may be lucky enough to have a local yarn store that is organising an event.

La Galleria in Pall Mall, London will be organising the Wool Modern exhibition from the 7th - 29th September 2011 ...

... and there are also patterns that you can sign up to download from the Love Wool website ...

http://www.campaignforwool.org/love-wool/

And you can get little ones involved by making these lovely pom-pom sheep, an activity that has been organised bu Flock.

www.jointheflock.co.uk

Wool week is only four weeks away, so it's time to get organised, and also have some fun in the process!

Colour -Compassion

This rose has been in my garden for ten years, it looks and smells wonderful ...

A Handbag!!!

Finally we have had some bright sunshine (rather than it hiding behind the clouds). and i've been able to photograph my July KAL.

As you can see it's a little handbag. I knitted it using some green Rowan Cotton Silk that had been in my stash for years. With a KAL like this you don't actually know what you are knitting - it's knitted in the round, although it's square, and at first I thought it was one of those knitted tidy boxes that you can put in your bathroom (and started to regret the green), but then when I saw that I had to cast off three of the sides I guessed it was a bag or satchel.

The buttons were from bought from a charity shop, and seem to go really well with the green yarn, and yes, the bag has already been claimed by my teenage daughter, she loves it!