Summer shrug

I have still been working away at 1 of the 3 blankets this week, but this afternoon I decided I need a little break and thought I would try a crocheted shrug for my little miss. We went to a birthday party last Saturday night and it was quite cold after the sun went down so I thought a little shrug would have been good over her sundress to keep her shoulders warmer.
To find a pattern/idea I googled and checked out pinterest (of course) and I came across a lovely idea using a shawl pattern but shorter and adding a little stitching to make 'sleeves'. The actual shawl pattern is here and I am tempted to make one for myself later on. I am using 4 ply merino wool and a 4.5mm hook. I decided I didn't want it to be too 'lacy' as I wanted it to give her some warmth, hence I chose a slightly smaller hook.

So far I have done 18 rows and I will check out the size on her tomorrow morning (half tempted to wake her now to check, but I know that would be silly!). If it's okay then it will just need some finishing off with stitching and single chains around the neck .... and maybe a shell edge to make it a little frilly! I have another ball of the same yarn and am contemplating making another for a friends daughter. Her birthday is coming up so it would make a nice gift and we are seeing them this week so I can have a little look to check if sizing will need to be similar or bigger/smaller than this one.
Hope to share some better pictures of my blankets soon!

Happy New Year!

I have finally logged on again! So many times I have thought about it in the past few months, but I just haven't turned the computer on. I found I was using my phone so much more for googling and reading blogs, facebook, pinterest and emails as well as banking and paying bills that I hardly used a real computer at home the last few months. While that has it's advantages of being more portable and being able to do those things wherever I am and whenever (waiting in the car at school pick up!), it also has it's disadvantages. I found I was spending too much time online and yet achieving much less than I used too :( This year my plan is to limit my phone online time and make sure the time I spend online (computer or phone) is productive and not just mindless trawling for ideas!
So, what did I end up creating in the last few months of last year .......
August - my 'baby's' 1st birthday party - favors, decorations, games, cakes, etc. A little pink cardigan for my little miss.
September - it didn't seem like much!! But thankyou cards did get sent and there was also a second cardigan for my miss and then I started some squares for a blanket using the left over wool ...... and they are still in the basket :/ I also made 16 flat sheets and 16 fitted sheets for my children's childcare centre! That was a learning experience for sure! I have never sewn with fitted sheet elastic before and my wrists ended up sore from the continuous tension required to stretch the elastic as you sew it on.
October - School holiday activities and I went back to work :( .... But I joined in a dishcloth swap hosted by Mel from One Crafty Mumma and received some gorgeous ones in return. I also made 4 dishcloths for my MILs birthday and a couple of others for myself and for gifts.
November - Another dishcloth swap with Mel and this time I used some gorgeous cotton/microfibre blend yarn, nice and chunky. I also tried my hand at making some homemade cordial - lemon, lemon and orange and strawberry (with vanilla and black pepper).
December - Christmas card making and lots of baking for Christmas gifts and for my little miss who turned 4 the week before Christmas!
That's kind of it for the end of the year. I didn't end up doing much sewing other than the sheets as I discovered my machine was in dire need of a service! Both spool holders dropped into the machine, luckily I caught the second before it disappeared, but I ended up having to use a rubber band to hold it in place which did not help the spool spin well. Since the service I have not got it out again, but soon hopefully!
So .... plans for this year ....
Well, so far in this last week, I have started 3 blankets! Lol! note I say 'started' not 'finished'! Two are using the Beachcomber Baby blanket and are progressing well. I ran out of yarn while working on the first one and while waiting for my online order to arrive I decided to start another. It's a lovely pattern and with the second one I decided to use 3 strands of yarn together and a bigger hook (8.0mm) which is making a superthick blanket, just perfect to use for tummy time on a hard floor. The other blanket I started is a granny stripe one. I liked the look of all the ones I saw last year and had picked up some yarn in a sale, so thought I would start it off. My brother and his fiancee are moving soon, so I hope to be able to give it to them as a housewarming gift, something to snuggle up with on the couch.
And, the other thing I have started is a bag! I saw a great pin on Pinterest where you blanket stitch along the edges of a zipper and then crochet in the stitches. I have a selection of zippers I was handed down and one of them matched some bargain cotton I have a few balls of, so ...... off I went! I think this might be a good project to keep in my handbag for those times when I am sitting and want to keep my hands busy.
No photos today, sorry. If I waiting to post until I had photos then I would never start again! I will try and remember to take some in daylight and share them soon.
I hope your year is starting well!

First Christmas Project for 2013!

Yes, I have started a Christmas project! (please don't ask why I haven't concentrated on finishing one of the other zillion projects already underway!! lol! It's just what I do!!)
After checking out this lovely table runner by Samelia's Mum the other day I decided to have a go and to use it to try machine quilting too. My machine isn't fancy, and I am not all that crash hot on the straight neat stitching, so we shall see how that bit goes soon, but for now, here is my pieced top

Not too bad and all from my stash, so that is a good thing. The instructions were really easy too and I think I may add it to my list of projects for other leftover fabrics, non-Christmas themed. I hope to also have a go at the Snowball Topper too and use the same Christmas fabrics so they will kind of match and they can be for the hall stand and the coffee table at Christmas. If I can get the wall hanging don that I mentioned last post, then I will have that to match too with them all using the same selection of fabrics .... well, that's the plan! ;)
Have a great week! K x

July plans ....

Well, I have a few plans, but of course the school holidays take up the middle 2 weeks of July, and we are half way through them already, so I am not sure how successful I will be at completing all my plans. We shall see .....
Knitting/Crochet: Still going on the jumper. Started a cardigan for A2 and a Larksfoot blanket for my Grandpa (in his footy team colours for Father's day)
Sewing: Still need to piece that cowboy quilt, then quilt it and the foursquare quilt that has been basted for a few months now! oops! Need to make some fruit shaped beanbags for A3's birthday games too.
Papercraft: Preparations for the little guys birthday with some food signs and drink labels and maybe some thank you notes to have ready to send out soon after.
So, not too much really! ROFL!!! sure!!!
I was also checking out the And Sew We Craft Christmas in July Linky party and I have seen a couple of nice table toppers/runners (thanks Samelia's Mum!) and I know I have a stash of Christmas fabric from *cough, cough* 13 years ago! Actually that is another UFO guilty secret! I have a Christmas quilt/wallhanging that I started at a one-day workshop in 2000 and finally finished pieceing about 3 years later .... and yet it is still not quilted and bound! Something else to add to my list ;)
Anyway, I think I might give one of those projects a go to use up some fabric and also to try machine quilting on them. I usually handquilt because I am not sure I can sew straight enough for machine quilting, but on a small project I might be okay. It might be a nice gift for someone too. And there is also this lovely wallhanging from Blossom Heart Quilts that I might add to my list too ....
All right, that's all  from me, back soon to let you know how I am progressing!

PS I will also be doing the July block for the Modern Blocks QAL too! I haven't forgotten that one!

He is VERY cute!

Something I did get finished last week!

Yes, I made him a very hungry caterpillar beanie! I used a beanie pattern I have used before (2 strands of 8ply to make it chunky and warm) and then adapted some free instructions I found online to create the eyes, nose and antennae. Lots of fun and this photo featured on his birthday invitation too. I will also be creating a few other VHC themed things in the next month, so I hope to share them too.

Knitting update

Slowly, slowly! I have finished the back of the jumper and an almost up to the shaping on the front, yay! I decided to do the jumper not the jacket so I had one less 'piece' to knit and also no band with buttonholes ;)
Here is a photo of it from last week, so it is a little longer now.

I know it is going to look nice when it is done, but I can certainly see why the pattern is marked 'P' ... for patience!!! the pattern is certainly time consuming! I will keep plodding along, though with the hope my little guy will still fit into it when it is done!

1st Birthday planning

Yes, I know I am 'supposed' to be keeping on with my knitting, but in the back of my mind I have been planning little one's 1st birthday party and I decided I would like a picture of him to put on his invites which means getting organised soon. We are going with a Very Hungry Caterpillar Theme - not all that original I realised after trawling Pinterest lol! - but cute and colourful and perfect for our little guy.
Anyway, getting back to what is delaying my knitting ....

Can you guess what it is? Hope to finish it on the weekend and I can share a proper photo next week :)
Other than that, I am having an open house this Saturday for my stamping customers, so I have been busy setting up for that, but I have enjoyed getting to play with new stamps and colours .... if only there were more hours in the day!!!
I have to admit to myself that I am not going to get my cowboy quilt pieced by the end of the month, but it will be top of the list for next month ... and I am getting excited about the July block in the Modern Blocks QAL!!! Lots to do in July, that's for sure!
Back soon! K x

Next one to finish off ...

So, earlier this year, I started putting my UFOs or 'works in progress' into one of those big plastic tubs with the idea that that would make it easier for me to grab them out and finish them ... hmm, not altogether successful so far! lol! However, now that I have finished the crocheted top, I thought I would pull this project out and try to get it done so my little man can wear it.

Confession time ... I actually started this 3 years ago! And I only got half way up the back! Oops! I have written on the post it note that I was doing the 12 month size, but counting the stitches it looks like the 18 month size, so I think it will be a good size for Aaron as he is 1 at the end of winter. I haven't decided yet whether it will be the sweater or the cardigan, I'm leaning towards the cardigan though, I think that will last him a bit better than a sweater and I know I have some buttons that I think would look good on it.
Heading off now to get going on it.

Cute model

The little crochet top is done and here it is being modelled by my little miss ....

I am really happy with how this worked up. It is a little shorter than the pattern suggested I make it, but I was getting a little short on wool and decided it was better to do a couple of rows less than have to try and match wool I bought 2-3 years ago! Plus I was happy with it being a  bit shorter so she won't sit on it quite as much and catch it on things. As you can see, she is pretty happy with it too!

Do you pin?

Are you a pinner? And by that I mean a virtual pinner? I do love Pinterest for lots of ideas and inspiration. It's definitely my go to site for party planning, so great that you can see the pictures before you head to the links.
Anyway, just thought I would share the ModernQAL pinterest board if you want to follow along and check out the blocks all the other talented ladies are creating.
Have fun checking them out!

Close to finished

I am really enjoying crocheting this little top! Being worked in the round means there won't be any seams to sew up at the end, just a few yarn ends and I did some of the top ones earlier. I have about 4 more rounds to go, then sc around the armholes and it will be all done, That will make about a week to create it, not bad. I checked it out and it was a pattern I bought via Ravelry. Definitely worth it!

  

As you can see, I am working on it while tucked up under the quilt my aunt made for our wedding and the remote isn't too far away! I have been catching up on some Downton Abbey while I keep busy :)

Something new ...

With my ripple blanket, I enjoyed the fact I could sit on the lounge and work on it, or if it got cold, or I was wanting to put my feet up at night, I could also work on it in bed. Neither of those things are something I can do while sewing with my machine! lol! So, although my second UFO challenge of this month is to finish piecing the cowboy quilt top, I did want to have a crochet project on the go for when I need something to do on the couch. Now, I do admit, if I looked in the boxes and bags in my craft room, I probably could have found something half finished (please don't judge me!!!) but I decided to start something new! Plenty of time for me to work on the other UFO in the coming months!

Isn't it a cute top? I thought it would be great for my little miss over a long sleeve top during winter and if she doesn't grow too much, maybe as is in summer too. As you can see, she saw it on the table and was telling me she wanted me to make 'this one, mama!'

The yarn is again from my stash (yay!) and I will decided as I get further down whether I add the band of contrasting colour or not. I also probably have enough to make it a dress by continuing further along, but that may not be allowed if 'someone' starts demanding to wear it!

I am pretty sure the pattern came from Ravelry (I had printed it off and stuck it in a 'to do' pile), but I can't remember if I bought it or not. So far, so good though, just about to start down the front and back so that the armholes are created. Hopefully more to show soon!

Ripple Blanket finished!

Yay!!!
Remember way back in February, when Mel over at One Crafty Mumma organised a crochet blanket Ripple along? I know,it's a while ago now! I have been rather slack with keeping up with my blanket, however, I have finally finished it!

The first half went quickly, but the second half did take me a while, however I am so glad I stuck with it. The coziness of it is just lovely and it has been keeping me warm as I have been working on it!

I lay it out to measure it and my model decided to roll all over it, but it measures approx 41" wide by 46" long. A decent sized lap blanket anyway and my yarn calculations worked out really well. A little bit of the lavender left, I had to use a little of a second ball of cream which had a different batch number, but the same dye number, so that wasn't noticeable, and then I decided to add 3 rows of single crochet (with 1ch spaces) around the edge to finish it off, which used up pretty much all of that second ball. So approx 6 balls of 8ply yarn all from my yarn stash using a 5.5mm hook.
The other thing that makes this blanket special is that the yarn was added to my stash from my Nanna's stash. Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to her late last year when she passed away and it has been really hard since then to not be able to visit or pickup the phone and just talk to her. Some days I still forget that she isn't here anymore and of course, the last month or so with Mother's Day and her birthday have been a little less happy occasions this year. My grandpa began sorting out the cupboards early this year and knew that she would want me to have her knitting and wool, so I inherited a yarn stash as big as the one I already had, and working on this blanket with the yarn I know my Nanna had chosen at one time or another has helped me feel closer to her, just for that bit longer.

Thanks for the inspiration Mel and I am happy to have it ready and waiting to be gifted to the right person! Have a look here to see Mel's and some other beautiful ripple blankets!

Kids Mother's Day gifts

In the April school holidays I thought I would get a bit organised with the kids (the 2 big ones, at least!) and make a head start on a couple of Mother's Day gifts. I wanted the kids to be able to do something a little crafty, but not something I had to do too much with, more that they were creating themselves.

And then as I was thinking what we could made for Nanna and Grandma for Mother's Day I thought we could make some flowers using cupcake wrappers and pop-sticks. They cut out and coloured in some leaves and stuck them on too.

 Love the concentration here!

Nice and colourful .... but what to do with them .... Aha! Because I have had to formula feed, yet again, I have an abundance of formula tins and this time I really refuse to put them in the recycling bin, so I have been on the hunt for ways to use them and get them out of the house without actually throwing them out! So I cut slits in the plastic lid of the tins and then we poked the pop-sticks through, then we baked some biscuits the day before Mother's Day and the kids decorated them (lots of sprinkles!) and we popped them into the tins.

Nanna and Grandma loved them, including the handwritten label by A1 ..... and I got rid of 2 more tins!

I used several at Christmas time by decorating the outside with scrapbooking paper and a 3D flower on the top, then filled them with my Christmas baking. Everyone commented on them, they couldn't believe that's what they were and several tried to give the tin back to me "for me to use again"! LOL! I also read about using them as a bin-bag dispenser, so out came my scalpel and I cut a cross in the lid to feed the bags through and our roll of bin bags is now easy to find in the cupboard under the sink and doesn't come unrolled through the cupboard all the time!

Block 2 already!

I was very excited about having my first block completed in the Modern Blocks Quilt-a-long that I visited And Sew We Craft early yesterday to see Block 2 and this afternoon got to work cutting and piecing. This block was chosen by Tonya at The Crafty Mummy, head over to her blog for the instructions.
Here is my block ...

I wanted to show off one of these gorgeous flowers on this print, so I made sure it was in the square I cut for the large piece. And I chose the striped fabric for the ends of the 'spool' because I felt they would fit in with that shape. It was also handy to help my sew straighter for those thinner pieces to have the stripes to guide me!

If you look closely, you can see I used the blue floral fabric in the Follow the Leader Block, but the small size of the triangle didn't allow much of the flower to be shown, so it's nice to be able to do that on this one.

I am also starting another block for a Mystery Block of the month quilt that I purchased a kit for. I have blocks 1 and 2 so far and am about halfway through piecing Block 1. It's kind of exciting because when you purchase the kit you get a variety of fabrics (in a colourway that you can select, mine was blues and greens) and then you put it together, so I suspect it will be a lovely scrappy kind of quilt when I am done, and the great part is I won't have to worry about choosing the fabrics, just go with what arrives! Hope to share the finished block soon!

UFO Challenge

As you would know if you read through a few of my posts, I need a bit of motivation (kick in the backside!) to get moving on some projects! I love to get going on projects, but then often find I lack the time needed to finish them off (when it gets to the fiddly bits :/) and so they sit there and sit there, waiting ....
Tonya, over at The Crafty Mummy has started up a 'Finish a UFO Challenge' to inspire those of us that need some help to get these projects finished and out on display/gift them/use them/etc instead of them gathering dust waiting for the final touches.
My first UFO Challenge is 2 part
1. Finish my Ripple-a-long blanket! I have to stitch in all the ends and then I decided to add a border too as there are a few wobbles along the sides that I would like to tidy up and I think a few rows around the edge will make it look nice and 'finished' and it won't be sitting in my basket waiting for me any longer!

2. Finish piecing my cowboy quilt top. I started piecing it a few months ago and got sidetracked and the pieces got dumped in a box! I need to get them out and put them together so I can then start on the quilting. Luckily I took the picture below so I can figure out the layout of the unpieced bits again!

 Okay, so that is my plan for June! Let me know if you are joining in too and what your plans are

Block 1!

A few weeks ago I saw that one of the blogs I see on facebook, And Sew We Craft, was having a Quilt-a-long. I want to try out more piecing designs and improve my skills so I decided to give it a go and now I have finally finished my first block! Check out And Sew We Craft for the details of the Quilt-a-long.
First (of course!) I NEEDED some fabric ;) It just so happened that the weekend I saw the QAL info, I had been looking at a gorgeous fat quarter bundle at Fabric Patch and then they announced it was on special! yay me! Here is my beautiful bundle of Flutter fabrics by Riley Blake.

Once I received my bundle, I picked up some coordinating homespun in a cream colour and then it has sat there for 2 weeks!!! Finally got my backside into gear though, and have completed the block for May ready for the new one in June.
Here is my little helper, she is concentrating hard taking the pins out of the blocks after I stitched the cream squares on. She was so excited to be helping!

And here is my finished block..... (link to instructions here)

Slightly wonky of course! But, once it is eventually quilted hopefully that will be less noticeable.
Very excited to see the next month's block now and hoping to get it done earlier in the month this time!

Ooops! Has it been that long?!

Wow! Those school holidays flew past and already we are in week 5! How did that happen?! Scary fast!
I don't have anything to show you right this minute because I am downloading on my computer and it is taking for...e...ver so I don't want to risk interuppting by plugging in the camera or anything, but I will have some things to share soon.
I wanted to put it out there too, that I am hoping to join in one (or maybe 2!!) quilt-a-longs! I have some fabric here and if I get off the computer shortly to get my other jobs done, I will get going with the block for May! Exciting stuff!
I have been visiting lots of blogs lately and I am really enjoying reading about these kinds of projects, where everyone makes their own version in their own home but can use the internet to share their work. It's a lovely idea and makes the lonely nights you might spend doing your crafts at home by yourself seem a little less lonely :)
Off to get some work done while this computer keeps downloading and hope to be able to share my block soon!

Batman party!

I have to apologise for no Ripple-a-long update this week .... I have done NO rows!!! oops! I promise I will definitely get back on track this week though ... if for no other reason that it is rolled up on the floor next to my bed and I trip on it almost every time I get up! lol!
However, I have been busy planning my boy's 7th birthday party, so I have some photos to share ...

 

This is the cake I made on his actual birthday when my parents and in-laws came over for tea. My first proper go at using fondant to make the decorations - lots of fun and A2 had fun sitting and playing with play-doh while I played with the fondant!

Favor boxes - for girls and boys :)

 Ready to go.....

 My superheroes! A2's costume is from a couple of years ago, I added a cape to the shoulders and a 'logo' to the front of a long sleeve onesie (she added the tutu when she got dressed!). A3 is wearing a onesie with a red singlet over the top to which I had sewn a square of felt to the shoulders (a little bit gathered to create a cape look) and then I created the 'Robin' logo and stitched it to the front = boy wonder! and A1 (birthday boy!) is wearing the costume he received as a gift!

 Cakes and biscuits - bat and superhero shield shaped biscuits (really recommend Bisk-Art for shaped cookie cutters! Awesome prices and service. the cutters were packaged so carefully for posting too!)

 The Batman rag quilt! I only started it last Sunday night, so I was pretty impressed I had it finished and ready for Thursday morning!

 And it was covering a Lego table! This table was made by gluing 4 baseplates (Liquid nails) to an $8.95 IKEA table! Awesome price and he is stoked to be able to build on a sturdy surface instead of on a carpeted floor.

 A2 with the card she made for her big brother! 7 logos stamped because he was turning seven!

 Cake for the party - more fun with fondant!

I used an oval fondant cutter to cut small ovals first then a scalpel to cut out the bits to create the bat shape.
so, that's what I have been up to this week! Hope you like the pictures and would love to hear your thoughts :)

Catch up photos

I managed to get the photos off my phone! Yay! Even better, it was me that figured it out, hubby kept saying I needed new software, but no, I just needed to tell the phone to connect (although I had to go looking in the menus to figure this out!)
Anyway, I have already shared my updated photo of my ripple blanket, but here is one of the taggie blanket I made .....

And the dress for A2 .....

My sewing of clothes needs some improvement (and perhaps using a proper pattern might help? lol!) but they look okay and she is happy with them, so that's the main thing.

And lastly these are a couple of baby boy cards I have made. One to send to my friend with the new baby boy and one for my 'box' of cards to be ready to send .... in my aim to be better organised!