niggly knitting

DOUBLE POINTED NEEDLES!!
AGGHHHH!

I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I desperately want to knit a pattern I have found for a knitted doughnut!

So after much putting off (after reading and re-reading 'Ultimate Knitting Bible' : I love this book, I keep it handy for reference) I have started but I can't hold the needles so it's easy to knit with and I'm lost about what round I'm on and the tension is baggy at the ends!

But, it has also reminded me about why I like knitting, it's addictive and the rhythm is like a mantra, once in the groove I'm calm and at peace (usually!) so I will persevere.

This weekend I have cleaned and fired up the heirloom Singer:

It's a Futura model from the late 1970's which has an electronic 'brain' according to the manual!

Hi-tech indeed!

It does have a dazzling array of stitches and feet, which makes it better than my current newer budget model which is a Viscount.











The stitches look a little crude and the straight stitch has a bit of a uneven line, but it works so I will give it a test run, probably on the Oliver + S Lazy Days Skirt I keep meaning to start!
Getting started has always been my problem!

I am also currently trying to make my blog look better, but I am struggling to get Blogger to work how I want and I still haven't got a good photo for my header, so I'm trying to do homework on what I can achieve.

Hope to be doing a car boot this weekend, I'm desperate to clear away some clutter but I think the biggest challenge will be not bringing anything new home!!

Sew Mag

I found this new mag in my local Sainsbury's before holiday last week, it's a new magazine, this is issue one and at first glance I thought it was jumping on the 'Sew Hip' bandwagon, but after reading I was pleasantly surprised.

It comes with a proper tissue paper pattern (with every issue it promises) and covers a wide range of sewing makes from dressmaking to homewares to a kid's project. It is also a lot more professionally put together than Sew Hip, the photos are a lot glossier, the research and information is accurate there are not so many typos! I am a subscriber to Sew Hip and I loved the first 3 issues but the content and feel of the magazine has been slowly dwindling, the content is thinner on things I want to make, the design and layout is too sparse and it feels lacking in direction, which coincided with the loss of the first editor maybe?!

So I have read 'Sew' from cover to cover and I'm hungry for more, the cover price of £5.99 is a sticking point though, slightly over my usual budget so I shall wait and see what issue 2 offers from the shelf before parting with hard earned pennies!

Back Home...

Back from the Forest, back to real life and plenty of washing!
Had a lovely mid-week break at Center Parcs, second time round it's still as relaxing and homely as I remembered. There's something about living in all those trees that resonates with me and feels so right, I overheard other people commenting on this is how we should live, within nature, sympathetically living side by side. Forget foreign holidays (no aeroplanes for me thank you!) this is my kind of treat. Trees, sunshine, bike-riding, swimming, rollerskating (yes, me!), badminton, kayaking and eating pancakes, this is surely the life!
I did take my knitting in the vain hope I might feel chilled out enough to re-start my second knitted monkey (in blue this time) but no, after a full days activity I couldn't muster up the will.
The coming home (to bills and reminders!) is the horrible bit though, so until work on Tuesday I'll keep looking at the holiday snaps and smiling!

Shaak MonkTi

Introducing Shaak MonkTi!!

Look at this fabulous sock monkey commissioned for me as a present by my other half for my Birthday, It's by the wonderful Sian of Siansburys (http://siansburys.blogspot.com)

She's my fav Star Wars character (bit of a SW geek!) and she looks absolutely fabulous, I've been dying for a sock monkey for ages so can't wait for Monday when she arrives!

Off on hols to Center Parcs on Monday too so she'll be coming with us!

Wowwee what a Fair!

http://vintageandhandmade.blogspot.com/

So glad I made the effort to go all the way to Chipping Sodbury today, the Vintage & Handmade Fair was fantastic, so many great stalls, it was eye candy heaven! So much to look at, browse, rummage I could have stayed all day, if I had more money to spare I would have indulged in lots more lovelies. All the stalls were beautifully set out, there are some pics via the Vintage blog, it seemed to be very well run and set out. Having tea and cake was really welcome too, it kept the kidlets amused, well sort of one was being very grumpy!

So after looking around, going away for a think and coming back, what did I treat myself to....?


This very lovely button bracelet, very fun and colourful, from a fabulously set out stall by Ludabelle (http://ludabelle.blogspot.com/) I think. Apologies if this is incorrect, I didn't pick up a card to check.

And then I bought something else which is not something I would have liked previously but I now love these sort of flowery/corsages and have ummed and ahhed over making one. But this one was a fabulous colour, aparently it's Liberty fabric and the quality is lovely, the colours all work well together and the stitching is beautiful, well worth the £7 from Brocobelle (http://brocobelle.typepad.com/brocobelle)

I then had to drag myself away as aparently it was Picnic Time!! So we stopped off at Westonbirt on the way home which is lovely, very sunny and tranquil. So a long, tiring day but a good fun filled day, now hopefully a lie-in tomorrow morning! Fingers crossed.

Vintage & Handmade Fair

Looking forward to going to this fair tomorrow, the weather should be good and they'll be cake! Will be good to see new crafters and hopefully spend some pennies, money that is!!

Visit the site for the details:

http://www.vintageandhandmade.co.uk/

I hope to report back tomorrow.

Knit It Monkey

I have been very bad at blogging, after being at work on a computer all day, I have realised how much I don't like to spend too long on it in the evening! But I do want to still have a place I can call mine, which is supposed to be an outlet and inspiration/motivation to craft. so I will try harder.

'Sock' monkey as he is now called, was finished quite quickly, I really enjoyed knitting him, so much so that I straight away started another one, but in blue! Sadly my knitting has stalled, my hands get so dry that I find wool snags on my skin, which is really annoying when trying to knit! It's a fine balance on moisturising enough to get my hands soft and making them too greasy to hold the needles!

I am hoping to start a small project soon, there is a newly started craft group at my work and we have set our self a topic this month with the thought of all making something/anything related to it! This months theme is 'Tea time' and I was hoping to knit a doughnut as seen in the Donna Wilson 'Odd-Bod Bunch' book!! But it involves double pointed needles and I've already found casting on a problem, so we may have to persevere a bit longer!

I did also do a little iPod cosy, I just knitted to the width of my iPod Nano and then knitted long enough to make a little pouch, which I sewed up the sides and tried to do a little moss stitch for the top flap! It's not perfect but it keeps it from getting scratched in my bag, so I'm happy.

My other thought this month has been to organise! Had a trip out to Ikea, would really love some storage space to organise all my crafting supplies into one area in the house, but would need a table and various shelves, boxes etc which are a bit of a luxury at the moment. What I wouldn't give to have my own space with inspiring pictures and a comfy chair! I shall carry on planning in my head, have a real hankering for a car boot rummage soon too, but it may not be a good idea! Should be de-junking not accumulating according to 'him indoors'!

Other project ready to go is an 'Oliver + S' pattern - lazt days skirt for my eldest, I bought some pink & white fabric from Ikea, which I'm keen to see if it'll make a hard-wearing skirt?! Watch this space! I also have my Gran's old 70's singer machine to test out, to see if it's better than my current budget model, fingers crossed!