Baby & Crochet

Long time no post!  It's been some time since I last blogged but then again it's been some time since I made something.

My recent project has been a baby cardigan, a crochet project.  This is the first time I've made a garment using crochet, most of the time it's been scarves!

This is the photo provided with the pattern so I know what it's meant to look like!  This is made from Stylecraft Wondersoft DK wool.

These are the two front sides, so far so good!

Front sides, back and one sleeve.  Looking like a cardigan!

Joining the parts together then the seams.

Voila, one baby cardigan.

Remember the 90's?

Once again fashion is repeating itself, this time it's friendships bracelets.  I remember making these by the dozen when I was a kid.  Mollie Makes (Issue 16) features a few bracelet designs and couldn't help but feel a little nostalgia.  So off to the local shop to pick up some cheap embroidery threads....

Armed with my thread I proceeded with glee to make my bracelets though it took a couple of attempts to get into the swing of things.  The end result wasn't too bad.

I intend to make more...many many more!

New and Shiny

Finally back on the blog now that I have my new camera!!!  Just in time too for my holiday.

I got bored one night and cut up a paint sample brochure from Farrow & Ball and glued them onto a piece of card to make some sort of artistic thing!! Voila!

 I need to take a picture of my slouchy top, I hope the next one I make is a lot better. 

For my next project I will be knitting a baby blanket for a friend who is expecting next year!!  Should be relatively easy.....guess I'll find out.
 

Craft Overload

It's been an exciting weekend with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee so I thought I would use this long weekend to catch up on my crafting and other household chores.  Though I have to admit I've been doing more crafting than the household stuff...but I have done the washing up (but now there are more dirty dishes from today to wash up).  That ever-growing ironing pile went from small pile to large mountain and the place around my log burner still needs painting.  I'm not doing very well, it didn't help today that I slept in and spent half the day being lazy (bad Rachel!). 

My slouchy top is going well, apart from the front bit where I got a little enthusiastic and knitted more rows than I need at the shoulder and is now a bit longer than the back piece. Oh well, next time I'll get it right.

 This is the back piece nearly finished.

Now I'm working on the last section on the front piece, then I need to block it and sew them together!  Will post when it is done.

I went shopping in Carlisle on Saturday, finally found a pair of shoes for Abby & B's wedding to go with a dress I already have, I'm going to be trailing a lot of glitter around!  I also got some lovely cotton to crochet with by Rico Design.  I had already come across a pattern for nesting cups and I had a go at making the small one...

...I have to admit the photo doesn't do it justice, it's so cute and fits in the palm of my hand.  Now I'm working on a medium sized one and then a large one.

Another project I'm working on is jazzing up some re-useable bags I have from the furniture shows I attended at Birmingham.  I bought some lovely Liberty fabric on email for a couple of quid and using my yo-yo I'll sew on my little fabric beauties on the bag making it look a lot better than it does now.

I'll put the blog on my blog list for the nesting cups pattern, I'm also going to try her origami boxes.

Until next time!

Razzle Dazzle

I've finished my necklace, just need a swanky do to wear it to!

 Now this project is complete I can re-fcous on my slouchy top, yay!!

Til next time...

Sequins & Baking

As you can see my sequined necklace is coming along nicely, a nice project to do while watching tv, lately I've been watching a lot of NCIS Los Angeles. 

Since I've concentrated my efforts on my necklace my slouchy top isn't getting anywhere, I think I've added a few centimetres to it but thats it!

I've been shopping this weekend in Penrith, bought my Mollie Makes magazine and I decided to trot around the charity shops (to help me save my pennies), my bargain of the day was a Monsoon silk/polyester type top I found for 50p in an Age UK shop, you've gotta love a bargain!

Today I've been a busy bee baking cupcakes!  I made maple & pecan cupcakes and they are very yummy.  I also did a little experiment and made peppermint cupcakes (I've yet to make the icing).  I did have my heart set on making a rainbow cake but couldn't remember which magazine I found it in..or where the magazine could be!

So I will continue to sew my necklace and watch NCIS LA while sipping on my pina colada,  see ya!

Birthday and Envelope

Friday was my birthday, I didn't celebrate the day but my mum and family came over and dropped off a birthday cake.

Yes it is a chocolate cake, yes it was very yummy.  I just finished it off today after my dinner, yum yum yum!  I have a receipe for a rainbow cake but I need to do a test run.....if all goes well guess what kind of cake my sister is having for her birthday!

 My dad came up to visit me for the weekend, yay!!  So of course what did  I want to do...shopping!  I got some wool for my slouchy top project (it's a different colour to whats specified but what the heck) and some stuff for some other projects.  I think I'm doing three at the same time now.

I finished the crocheted envelope this afternoon...

 Now all my stray correspondance has a home!  In time I might put some embellishments on it.

I've also started my slouch top...

...so far so good, no dropped stitches! 

Another project I'm working on is a felt necklace with sequins on.  I got the template from a book Chic on a Shoestring by Mary Jane Baxter, all sorts of ideas in that book.  I have never made jewellery before and thought this is entry level enough for me!

I chose a matt gold and shiny blue (of course) sequins, I'm usually crap at putting colours together but these are working out well if I do say so myself!

I've spent all day doing my laundry and my ironing pile has stacked up again, but not to worry as my dad bought me a new iron for my birthday (yes I requested an iron for a birthday present I also requested a bag of coal from my mother...what I need things like this don't judge me) and I'm gliding through the ironing, literally gliding because of the ceramic plate.  Hey I've had my previous iron since I was at uni, the spray no longer works and leaks water all over the clothes I'm about to iron, it was time for it to go.

So next time you'll hear from me I will have no ironing and hopefully completed one of my projects!

Rolled Paper Bowl

This project is from Making magazine issue 20, I took one look at this and thought I could do that so I did!  Not bad eh?  Made from old magazines cut into strips, rolled into a tube, flattened, then rolled up again into a coil.  Many coils later and voila one bowl!

Now that I've made one I have designs to make more..maybe in one colour or a different size!  I've already started cutting up my magazines and looking around the house to find more.

I've started to look for my next project, a slouchy top from the same magazine.  Just researching the best price for the wool I need, it might take some time to buy it!  In the meantime I've come across a blog (http://violetbellasworld.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/crochet-envelope-diy.html) and found this crochet envelope pattern so I'm on with that at the moment while watching 2 Broke Girls (hilarious!).

Til next time...