Beautiful day

Just beautiful little things. Apparently this gnome is 'ukkle sam'!


I noticed the bowl of modelling wax on the windowsill was right in the sunshine, and all the bits were so soft! So I decided to take the opportunity to sort out the random bits and blobs and mix them into pleasant shapes, easier to start with when they aren't so warm. And who can resist colour...deer is eating


I can't believe she actually made little green leaves!



Then I did some chores and when I came back, all the blobs had disappeared. Concerned, I asked Abi where they were..how could I have missed this! Shed lined them all up so beautifully



And finally, best of all, a wonderfully shattering walk on the downs, I have a lovely picture but forgot to ask friend if I could share it as her son is in it. Well I don't really even like asking in case people feel obliged to say yes! But it is a fab picture of our boys up a tree!
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Must do this more often...

Even when I can afford fresh flowers, I'm a bit hmm about the ethics and environmental impact, especially of supermarket type things. But for the first time I have a bit of a variety to choose from in the garden...


Not quite petrol station standard, and all the better for it! Feverfew, thyme, love in a mist, White clover and a random weed!

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Saturday stuff

Mmmm we picked these today...



One chap said they are 'cherry plums', and another said greengages. Either way they are yummy and sweet and sour and may ripen a little more on the windowsill!

Also mordanted 200g merino



In case I found something worth dyeing on our walk, but there was too much yummy stuff to pick.

We also made little tiny fairy cakes. I'm trying to grow out of icing any cake I bake, so these were livened up with mixed spice and caraway seed, which we all found very yummy indeed.



And meg, they're yours! Pm me your address and I'll be glad to finish them for you, pg mamas have plenty of baby things to knit (I'm so jealous!) so you deserve something for you! X



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Duffers

Firstly thanks for yesterday's comments, I managed to find a computer earlier at the library but, like my phone, it wouldn't let me return the favour, hmph. Is blogger being weird at the moment? Anyway no the jumper isn't machine washable, but I tend to wash woollens as little as possible so it's not a problem.

And she is starting to like pink rather a lot, but is still happy to allow other colours into her life, thank Gaia. Long may that last!

Anyway, my slippers are looking thoroughly pathetic. I love them and their many darns but they are a little embarrassing. So the other day I found a funky looking pattern called 'duffers' and decided to give it a bash. I'm usually hesitant with patterns for felted items as most are written with American washers in mind. Not silly uk ones which you can't stop mid cycle, you just have to pray. But this seemed to be a uk pattern so I went with it, and hoped for the best.



They knitted up good and fast. But look...



A pre-felted slipper should surely not come that close to fitting. Admittedly, I have big size 8 feet. So I followed the writers direction for sizing up, to a size 9 as I know this yarn likes to felt a LOT. But I wasn't feeling good about it.
But now they were knitted there wasn't a lot else to do but try it (apart from felt by hand which I cannot do)
Anyway, doesnt it look lovely?



I'd estimate it came out at about a size 3, and I managed to stretch them to about a 6. I can get my foot in, but it hurts. A lot. Sigh, felting can be cruel. If anyone nice has size 6 feet, I'll knit them the other one too and you're welcome to the bastards.

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Finished object Friday...crazy jumper

I finished the crazy jumper a couple of weeks ago but have been a slack blogger so only posting it now...



I'm really pleased with the yarn as I was worried it would be too bulky, but the alpaca content makes it a bit lighter



Dd is on a bit of a pockets kick so she's happy. And I'm pleased with the shawl collar as I didn't really know what I was doing with that.

The annoying bit is that I forget to set the sleeves in, which a thick jumper would benefit from. But she doesn't seem to care. The pleasing thing is that I managed to get on and knit it without interruption or distraction, which is vital when making it up as you go along if you want things to be vaguely symmetrical!

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Dyeing...

If you can only cope with one kitchen activity when you have a stinking cold, make it natural dyeing. Especially if you plan on burning stuff (cos you didn't hear it boil over due to having blocked up ears grr)



Made some pretty boring beige


Now my fave...I've been ramming a jar full of these for a pretty long time now



And it's looking so good I'm going to have a bash at drying them to see if I can reuse for a paler shade. I managed to do this a few times with madder, the only reason I eventually chucked it was that i can't have dried it thoroughly enough the last time, as it had started to mould in the jar :( well worth the trouble tho i reckon!

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In the garden

This is the first time I've ever tried growing edible things, and so far it's far from impressive in terms of scale...but just watching these blackcurrants ripen is total magic



And today we ate our first home grown thing...a strawberry cut into three! It was v nice indeed.
Abi had a nasty ol bump in the garden earlier and submitted to the 'ling



And a happy handsome chap!


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Evening stars

This is what dan and I made this evening






Happy sigh :)

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Compulsive toy knitting

There is such a buzz from seeing a made thing appreciated by a child. Just a tiny little cat, knitted during eastenders, and left next to my bed for Abi to find in the morning, to joyous shrieks of 'at! 'at! 'at!'




The pleasure gained by both of us is out of all proportion to the effort involved. It doesn't even have a face, yet it has participated in many games today. Most requiring it to say hello a lot. And being stroked, and stroking abi's hair.

So instead of finishing that jumper, which really shouldn't take long, I find myself knitting a little lady to help look after the cat.



I wonder what she'll look like when she has a face and hair and arms. You can never tell.

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Finished object Friday...socks

I finished these a few days ago, though they have been nearly finished for much longer!
They still fit, but not for long.



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Jumper back

Have decided to knit the rest of the jumper in stripes in the hope it will mitigate the OTT nature of the front!



And just cos it's sweet...



Daniel has been learning the chachacha at dance class today, I wish I had a photo of that!

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Work in progress...

Oops a day late! Jumper front is finished. The neckline looks v odd, but assume this is the appropriate shape for a shawl collar. There's only one way to find out!




Also, some finger looped braid for the medieval purse. These are really fun to make.



One has a button loop.


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A colourwork jumper

Well, at the moment all the things I knitted for Abi last year fit perfectly. This means that soon, they won't fit at all! And so I'm getting started ahead of winter.

I always think I am rubbish at colour knitting. And I'm not great, but after the medieval knitting I feel empowered! And this is nice chunky yarn so I should be able to hack it! I did start regretting the intarsia pockets with stranded hearts, but I do like the result. I must not get distracted by other projects as this is all ad lib and I'll forgot my plans if I'm not careful.



Abi likes two pockets, so she can tuck both hands in. This yarn is nice and soft so I plan to attempt my first shawl collar...wish me luck!

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Plant dyed wool

I have just discovered I can blog from my phone as long as there aren't too many photos hurrah!!!!!!!!!!! I have missed you little blog xxxxx

Here is some wool I dyed recently with various plant dyes, mostly gathered by me. Except the madder!



And to see if my phone can cope with two photos in one post...



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Medieval knitted pouch based on scion purse

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Monday...crochet and washing and all that

Monday, first day of the week.  With extra joy for the sunny weather and knowing that tomorrow, my mama will be here for a visit.  Look at this little flower, thrusting up from a little crack in the pavement, determined to enjoy life

and this young thing, dashing about on his bike

and a little lady taking a stroll in the sunshine

anyway, now matters either more interesting or more trivial, depending on one's perspective...

I am crocheting a THING

have you ever made a THING?  Something for which you may or may not have an idea of its intended finished state?  Something which you hope will serve a certain purpose but are unwilling to admit it until you know for sure it comes off?  I have made many THINGS, some more successful than  others.  This thing will have to wait to be finished and felted until its fate is known.

Also, the yarn I dyed with onion skins finally finished drying today, thanks to the sunshine

And, just to make full use of that glorious warming force, I got round to some handwashing

Nothing  I can do will ever stop the feet of those tights being such a filthy colour...well possibly cleaning my floors more often may have helped

Day 7...crafting time! 2KCBWDAY6

Today we are supposed to write about the time we spend crafting, where and when and how etc.  I don't really have a specific crafting time.  I was starting to worry how I would write a vaguely interesting post for this topic, let alone find relevant pics.  But then it occurred to me that there are different types of knitting for different types of crafting time.

I knit in front of the TV in the evenings.  A lot of TV went into Shalom. 

Sometimes, if I did a lot of knitting in front of a particularly moving film or documentary, all the feelings I had whilst watching it come flooding back the next time I pick the knitting up.  Weird.

I knit whilst browsing online.  Often there is a small mindless project next to the computer, like this:



I sometimes knit whilst singing abi to sleep (less so now its not such a long process)

I knit when getting a lift with a friend to toddler group.  Good for dull mindless knitting which allows easy conversation, like this (4ply, ugh...and I keep knitting the yos, double ugh):

I used to knit a lot whilst sat next to her as she played, but somehow I seem to spend more time on my feet now that she can handle me not being more than two feet away from her.

I knit when cooking pancakes at the weekends, I sometimes knit standing in the kitchen (apparently there used to be special knitting holder things on belts which would hold the wool so folk could knit whilst they walked between their chores, I think sometimes they even held a needle in such a way that the knitter could knit one handed whilst doing other things, though I have no idea how I came to 'know' this...maybe it was a knitting obsessed dream??)  Dischcloths are good standing knitting, doesn't matter if it gets a bit grubby

I knit...quite a lot.  But often not for extended periods of time, its just here and there, up and down, ya know?  Sometimes I get to a point in my knitting which I can see just requires some stamina...for me to just sit and knit and knit...then I find something good on the tele, or devote an entire nap time to knitting regardless of housework, and just go for it, and then something will get done really fast, like this:

And at the end of every row I have a sip of

 (OK I drink coffee really, but I wanted to post my tea cosy pic!)

Weekend stuff

The children have been elsewhere today so I have spent most of this beautiful sunny day at home sorting things out, sigh.

BUT this is good, because it meant I could start getting part of Dan's birthday pressie sorted out

a woodworking corner in the craft room!  No longer will it be a realm of knitting and sewing and books relating thereto (very small sigh) but a space where I hope we can craft and spend time together (yay!) We are in need of more fun quality time together.

I made onion soup and baked rolls for my darling brother who then somehow managed to not turn up, grr!  I still lub him though, and at least it meant I didn't resort to chips as I usually do when the children aren't here to see

Whilst the onions were cooking, I noticed I have managed to collect over an ounce of onions skins now.  So I got those boiling away too

for some angora yarn, and a scrap of silk which I decided to cold water dye, just to see :D  I was a bit worried about the angora, its a lovely grey shade and I'm worried dyeing it won't do it any favours, its so pretty already

but the silk is looking rather gorgeous, drying in the sun

so I am optimistic about the wool too.  Then I headed into town and picked up the other half of that fleece to be washed (I think this might be the bottom end, hmm)

which created a bit of an appetite for actual yarn I can knit right now...

oops.  I am hoping one skein will be enough to create some sort of summery top for dd...