New year and resolutions

So I have promised myself I will post a new item here every day. 

Today has been a lazing on the sofa day apart from one very blustery rainy walk around the block with dog and husband. 

So on to crafty plans for 2015. Our house is up for sale so I hope to have loads of creative new home projects going eventually! 

Before the decorations go away I do want to rejuvenate the fairy on the top of our tree. She used to adorn my mothers tree and is at least 50 years old. I remade her dress a few years ago but her wings are crying out for gossamer thin slithers of angalina and silk with lots of sparkles. 

What better to do on a cold lazy day than pick up some wool and a crochet hook. 

Here is a simple star project I found here that is ripe for personalising.  http://littlewoollie.blogspot.nl/2013/05/crochet-star-making-tutorial.html?m=1

Lovely way to use up some scraps of wool. 

I love little woollies designs and the fabulous colour mixes are bright and cheery. I will post a picture of my efforts later.  Happy New Year everyone. 

Craft Books

I have attachment problems with books. Novels I am happy now to have on my kindle I cant share them easily but can recommend them and as most are around the 20p price it is not too onerous for others to purchase  BUT craft books I covet, usually read a copy from library or if possible or download sample via kindle if I am unsure about purchasing but once in my hand it is very hard to let go. Just maxed out library card on 6 delicious knitting and quilting books and a couple will sad to be returned

My 30 year old Pfaff sewing machine has died, ok I killed it somehow, going to try to get it fixed, needs a new crankshaft I think, or guess so from the noise it makes, also the clutch is slipping. Making do with a £20 slightly broken budget machine for now which keeps breaking the threads and has it's needle stuck on the left hand side so no zig zag either, I usually have it set just for machine embroidery with no feed dogs and stitch length set to 0 and it is fine for experimenting but I need something reliable for regular sewing....Sooooo treated myself to a new machine, very exciting, looking forward to it's arrival on Tuesday.

Brioche knitting

Well here we are brioche knitting sample mark 4 on the needles and no mistakes  yet! Syncopation attempted and successful on a whole row as you can see in the pictures the dark is thrown to the back and the light comes forward and the opposite in the reverse. 

So glad I invested in the Craftsy Class as well as the book. by Nancy Marchant

Now when I try to do a stitch at a time as though to make a gradiented effect I get into a terrible mess. Back to the book and the class, for more revision. I think I am changing things on the wrong row but we shall see.

The knitting here will become a scarf  I have unpicked so many samples I have nothing to show for hours of practice so a completed item is needed to boost the confidence and get the muscle memory working on this stitch.

Ponies and Brioche

Oh joy just after my last post I had an email from Craftsy and the Explorations in Brioche knitting class was on special offer. A bargain at just over £9. I have now got the whole barking and burping thing sorted (technical terms for this style of knitting!) so this evening it will be progressing to two colour brioche... watch this space!

My daughter asked me to make her some knitted ponies, I still have some adapting to do but so far have come up with this cute little Shetland pony which my daughter thinks is hilarious..  not the reaction I was hoping for but ..... see what you think?

He does need a comb and a hair trim but the proportions seem to be ok.

I knitted a scarf with some hand dyed wool I have been hoarding for a long while. Got to about 2' long and realised I didn't have enough wool to make it long enough. So off the needles and back to the start with a 

narrower version crochet this time, as it is quicker, I hope!

Booties, books and afghans

Well it has been a while but I have been busy crafting over Christmas. Topped off with colds and losing my voice, I think holiday times we all congregate close all the doors and just swap gifts and germs. How has this stopped me typing I hear you ask. I will think of a good excuse later..but in the mean time a Happy New Year to you all.

 I have just made three of the tiniest pairs of booties from a simple pattern for my good friends premature baby granddaughter weighing in at 4lb. The baby not the booties they are just little bits of fluffy wool and ribbon. I found the pattern here It is a simple easily adapted pattern and knitted in four ply on small needles 3.25mm.

First pair were stocking stitch with a rib cuff, then a pair stocking stitch again with a moss stitch cuff, I found it made the tiniest booties, I then went up to a 4mm needle and still casting on using the smallest size cast on, made as the pattern says in garter stitch main and a moss stitch cuff. I can recommend this free pattern for beginners and a quick knit to use up all those scraps of wool.

Talking of using up scraps of wool I made a baby blanket over Christmas for the fun of it. Crocheting granny circles into granny hexagons and the beauty of it is you join as you go so no tedious sewing up at the end.

Just treated myself to a new knitting book. Nicky Epstein's Knitting in Circles it arrived yesterday and I am working on my first circle, one from the back of the book of course. Start with the hard ones and work your way forward is my usual plan of attack! A fascinating book full of lovely patterns and ideas to use them. A nice variety of stitches and working too, not all circular needles. Nice to have a proper hardcover book as opposed to the posh paperback style that most craft books now come in. I used to buy two or three magazines a month but they are so costly and I usually only want one item of interest from them.

knitting Brioche by Nancy Marchant was a Christmas gift from John. I had wanted this book for a while, it kept me amused for days trying out new stitches and designs. Eventually managed to get a sample to look like the illustration, so now I am waiting for a special offer on her Craftsy class Explorations in Brioche Knitting I think it will fill in the gaps.The book is fine it is me that is the problem.....More on this later....Here is a link to the class on Craftsy

Phew what an effort I had trouble with my pictures loading last night. Purely my fault, I realised where i was going wrong but it was too dark to sort it out last night so here we are all pictured published and revised the glasses case pattern is now live!

Very Crazy Quilting

I have written a pattern for my very OTT  glasses case. Although I am ashamed to use the word pattern more a random explanation pf its construction but if you wish to make it and get lost or confused on the way do message me and I will do my best to explain!

Collapsing in an exhausted heap now. Pattern is in my Cratsy store.
Grateful thanks to Adele who has sung to me all evening and kept my sanity intact.

Wishing you all pleasant dreams..