This makes me happy!

I am going to do lots of pretty things from Attic24  like this  or this so when the Babe gets her own room, it will be lovely. I have a few months to prepare, after all, we have to wait for the Changeling to decide on a university or whatever, then we can swap bedrooms around again. :-) Or I maight do some things from this lovely blog. All I have to do, is finish about a dozen other things, then I can get started!

Plans A and B for March

So I was gonna do the Fairisle mitts for the Changeling, and try one of the toy patterns I have bought (eek! paid for!)  as well as the Comfy Slipper pattern  (payed for again!) but since the weather is warming up and it is National Crochet month, I thought I would set them aside and concentrate on crocheting.

I am doing lots of squares as I have joined a block a month crochet along on Ravelry. I don't have a single project in mind for this though. I wish I had the money to buy some yarn to actually do something with my squares, but I will just try them out for now, and maybe do an actual project in the future with my favourites. 

I have been watching the Bernat mystery CAL as well. I wish again that I had the money to get some of the Bernat Waverly yarn sent over as it looks lovely. Or even to buy some Aran stuff here and take part, but I will try another time. I have never done a Mystery CAL and it looks like fun!

I am doing one of the CALs with Ravelry's Shoulder Wrappers Group. I was on the verge of giving up, as there were too many CALs to choose from, and then I had to find appropriate yarn in my stash. I was looking through my stash and found some packs that I want to use for Shawls later in the year, so it was a bit productive, but I didn't find anything I really wanted to do the Frosty Night Cowl CAL with.

And then I found it! The undyed yarn that Martine got for us a few years ago. We have done a couple of batches, but there was still some left! So I got it out, and managed to dye it and have it hanging to dry before the allotment society AGM on Saturday! I had wanted more orange than yellow, but what I got was more yellow than orange.

It is cheering me up though and I shall start crocheting today! 

The Babe is happy as well because she has yet another hat. Ok, so she doesn't like to wear hats often but I still keep making them, and this one she actually puts on her head herself and runs around the house going Toowhit Toowhoo!!

Just as an aside, that cardigan she is wearing was knitted for me when I was her age. So it is about 42 years old and still going. I think it is acrylic, because I just chuck it in the washing machine, but it still looks good, if a bit furry now and then. I hope some of my things will be around in 40 years!

I am working on some craft fair things in crochet as well. Here is the beginnings of a poncho...

And the beginnings of a cowl that I am making for myself in the lovely stuff Martine made for me...(It looks better in real life.) I had tried to do some shell patterned cowls from the Lion Brand website, but in the end they just didn't look right. This is a version of crocheted moss stitch which is making a fine texture and showing of the hand dyed yarn much better. :-)

So here I am at my last craft fair as well. It was the first time I was outside, and it was a bit of a cold day to be outside. Of course, when you are outside there is a lot more foot traffic, but this day was dire. 7 hours sitting in the cold, and I sold one hat, which paid for the stall. It was rather depressing. This is me at the beginning, naiveley smiling away. My display is a bit cluttered because I had left some of my acoutrements at home.

These are some of my children's hats. The weather is changing now so I will try to get some more spring and summer things ready.

In further honour of National Crochet Month, some things that make me happy are here and here. I have ordered some of this yarn so I can attempt to emulate those lovely and talented crocheters. (This is where I find out if my husband reads my blog as I am not supposed to be spending money on yarn!)  I want colour and cheer in my life right now and I can't wait to crochet with these colours! I will probably make a couple of baby blankets to sell at the craft fair I have booked at the end of March (after which I think I will give up.)

Another happy thing  is that we have an allotment, which means that I will be digging and planting and weeding and watering, while still trying to crochet and knit every minute that I get left alone to do so. (Not so many of those these days.) I am planning an asparagus bed and a strawberry bed and some other fruiting bushes, so not ambitious at all. :-)

And a very sad thing as well. This was my new teapot.

I got it from Oxfam for £4.99 and I loved it. For about a week. As you can see, it got its handle smashed, and we can't really glue it, because the handle is hollow and the glue would be exposed to the boiling water and  brewing tea. It was one of the few things I was excited about buying myself, and it is just sitting around reminding me why I don't buy myself nice things. :-(

So I will have to get back to making nice things. Happy Crochet Month everybody!

Organisation actually works

So focusing on certain things each month actually works. My brain is usually all over the place, capable thing that it is, but choosing some things to work on, and then actually working on them actually gets things done. Who knew?

As I said before, the shorts are done. OK, so they were a Jan focus, but they are done, so let's not quibble.

The hat to go with the January  Cigar gloves is also done.

He likes to wear it with the brim turned up, in spite of the fact that he asked for it to be baggy. Also, we don't know what it looks like with the gloves, as he has lost those. Cold hands again, but this time, it isn't my fault. :(

I also managed to  do a hat for the Meister, who had asked for a black and sparkly one.

It is made with the lovely Lang Lanulux from Purl City Yarns, which I got on a spontaneous visit. It doesn't photograph well because of the sparkles, I guess, but it looks quite nice, and has a bow.  It is helping to make up for the disappearance of the Frog Hat. On Dec 20th, 2011, on the way back from home ed drama, she was harrassed by a group of 4 kids from St Anthony's Catholic College in Trafford. They knicked her hat and ran off with it. :( It was a well loved Frog Hat (called Frank) and we shall have to make another one, but in the mean time, we have glam and sparkle.

I also finished the fingerless mitts that I was doing for the Changeling.

They are actually being sent to The One Who Has Flown The Coop, as she  didn't seem to mind them too much, and being hard to impress, I'll give her first refusal. That is fine, as I can then make the ones for the Changeling in the colour that I was going to do originally for her. Or I could do a pair to match the Fairisle gloves I am getting ready to start.

I also have a craft fair this weekend, at the Horse and Jockey in Chorlton, but I haven't really done any extra to prepare as I have a lot of stock.  Although I did do this one, which I tried on The Babe for sizing. 

I think I might like GREEN!

Here are some recently finished objects. It occurs to me that I do like certain colours. Although the Changeling did pick out the King Cole superwash Merino in the olive colour for her Owls jumper. And I have been doing lots of other crocheted things for craft fairs. So much so, that my right hand was beginning to develop a bit of a tremor. Have decided to take a break and do some knitting instead. I am trying to work on the Rebecca cabled shorts pictured at the bottom, but the pattern is rather confusing and I need lots of time to sort it out.  They are also going to be for the Changeling, although the Meister is asking for her own Owls and Shorts too. Oh dear.

Owls by Kate Davies



Diamond Ridges Hat by Kristy Ashmore



Lattice Hat by Sarah Arnold



South Bay Shawlette



In progress - Rebecca Cabled Shorts

Making the world a prettier place...

and not being silly at all because I am getting older and my eyes are failing me.
The new reading, crocheting, knitting glasses have arrived.

Update on the craft fair. I sold 3 hats. At least I paid for the stall. I am doing it again, to see if I can pay for all of the yarn I used to make the hats in the first place. And now making some fingerless mitts as well, and more girly headbands and chokers and bracelets and things like that for stocking stuffers.

I have not done much on the cabled shorts for the Changeling, but goodness me the pattern is difficult to figure out, and I need a good couple of hours slot to get going. So far, I have not managed the couple of hours. They need to be uninterrupted hours. When will that happen?

Knitting instead of blogging

So having a 22 month old who has learned that if she grabs your working yarn, she will get lots of attention is fun, even if it does prevent you from being that productive. I have practically given up on blogging for the time being, but when I do get free time, I am still making things.

Flowery headbands. :-)

Daisy purse. Actually made a few months ago. I have made another purse for a friend for a birthday present this summer, but failed to get a photo of it.

Baby knitting!

Yemma's dress test knit. Knitted yoke, sewn onto skirt. The skirt is actually a recycled dress that I made for my elder daughter about 10 years ago.

Beanie hat and flower made with left over bits. The hat is actually made with yarn that was given to me by another home edder years ago. It is at least 20 years old. So, does that make this vintage? ;-)

Jayne Cobb hat - Fave character from Firefly

Made with Drops Karisma from Purl City Yarns.

Crocheted halter to match the Ribbed Bolero. Bad photo - they look better in real life. Made with Paton's cotton twist.

Shalom cardigan in Rowan Cashsoft Chunky. The yarn was a bit of a disappointment as it was not very well spun and had lots of knots and slubby bits. :-( But the finished cardigan is appreciated.

I have some more baby knitting to do as well. Am nearly done with 2 sets of booties for Al's colleague who has had a baby girl - 4 weeks early! And there is a new baby on the street, who is in need of a brightly coloured vest. :-)  Then I have to get started on some knitted, cabled shorts for The Changeling.

Photos of craft fair stuff.

The photographer daughter has gone to work, so I am taking photos with my kodak. The colours look washed out in some of these, red looks orange in some, but oh well. It is too hot and muggy to worry about it. :-)

children's hats

toddler hats

chokers and headbands. Pink tie ones available in orange and purple.

adult baggy beanies and sun hats

baby hats

bracelets and wristlets by Martine

scarves/ tie belts by Martine

toddler sun hats

Babe in a tie on headband. :-)

Fund raising fail and fun away from home

The craft stall I did at Celebrate was a big fail. The festival is much smaller than in previous years, and I was one of three commercial stalls there, if you don't include food. I should have done the Didsbury one, but I didn't know it was on until I had booked this one. Poop. Oh well, I made about £40 if you count the hats that home edders bought when they saw me preparing. So I have about 40 hats to sell, as well as things contributed by Martine, and some crocheted chokers and hair bands. At least it was fun making them. I am much better at crocheting, and giving things away, than I am at selling them. :-)

Other than that, we have been on holiday. Well, most of us. Al and me and 3 youngest went to Penrallt, which is a magical place. The sea is so fun and healing.

Me in the caravan

The man in a wetsuit

The Babe enjoying the sand.

The Babe in a canoe. I went out in this later. :-)

The Meister in a Kayak.

The Boy spent most of his time with guitar in hand, making music in the caravan, by the fire, up a tree, or just walking about randomly in the fields. But here he is, enjoying the beach.

This was a return to a family camp that we went to for several years before the older girls' activities started taking precedence. It was so nice to be back, even without the two oldest kids. I hope we get to go back next year. But very glad we went this year, as we can't afford to go any place else this summer. It was pretty fab!

Didn't get much knitting done though. Started some socks for the Meister, and managed to crochet her a nice summer hat, but all of that sand was not condusive to knitty things. :-)

Crochet and WOW! and lots of references to Martine

I am crocheting like a madwoman, trying to get lots of stuff for the stall I am doing at the Celebrate festival. Hats, headbands, choker necklaces, and hopefully a few little bags. I am getting very good at lots of different kinds of flowers. But I cannot seem to focus on much of anything else.

So I am distracting myself, by doing my favourite thing, looking at patterns on Ravelry.  Have come across this on somebody's blog and it is bloody wonderful. Attention any felters who are reading this (waving to Martine) but GO THERE NOW!

Here are some flowers...

Here is some lovely yarn, that Martine spun for me and was my 44th Birthday present!

And here is Martine, reading a pattern book with The Babe. :-)

Lovely young things are a good reason to crochet.

I have booked a stall for the Celebrate festival in Whalley Range at which I will be selling my hats and things. So I am having fun writing up patterns and trying to size things. Hopefully I will get around to putting them on my patterns blog. I would like to get better at writing up patterns, so I can share a little crochet love, and encourage others to make their own lovely things. :-)

Here is the Babe in Hat and Dress. The hat is Paton's 100% cotton DK and is dominated by a split shell stitch, and the dress in RYC Cotton Jeans in Peacock Stitch which I found in a Pauline Turner book. Just made them up, and didn't write them down very well, so will have to try again. Oh well, at least there are nice photos.

The button band isn't perfect, so I will have to sort that out, but it works. And I had the perfect coloured buttons lurking in my sewing box. So all in all, pretty pleased. The Babe's outfit reminds me of the book we have My Mum and Dad Make me Laugh. It's the spots and stripes. :-)