WIP's

 Last week I made a start on a pattern from The Hoopla book.

The mutant girl pattern designed by Cate Anevski. When I showed my mum this week what I was doing she said, 'Oh, that's nice'. I don't think she noticed that the girl has tentacles instead of arms and legs.

Another thing I have started is knitting a baby cardigan from this pattern.

 I have used this self patterning wool before on cardigans for Little L and always love the way they turn out. The cardigan is for my eldest cousin's daugther, Amy who is expecting her first baby and as this will be the first baby of this generation in the family my knitting needles were out straight away. I only knit using white but Amy has just found out that she is expecting a girl so I can use more colours now.

Bird Silhouettes

I have been meaning to do an embroidery of some simple bird silhouettes for awhile and every time I spy these mugs in the kitchen I remind myself to do it.

This week I finally got around to making one.

I don't know why it has taken me so long to get around making something so quick as the materials were items already hanging about the house.

Filled in with straight stitch

and straight stitch for the wire. ( Mine turned out quite wonky though )

New Crafty Books

Today I went off into town with the kiddies on a mission. Traipsing around all the charity shops looking for an old typewriter. My youngest boy has his heart set on one. He spied one in a case months ago and didn't know what it was until I opened it. He'd never seen one before ( pity I can't say I'm too young to know what they are but I used them in my typing lessons at school ). Anyway he begged me to buy it for him but the only trouble was I was laden with bags and still had to do the food shop and those things are 'heavy' especially walking any distance with one. We did go back, empty handed on our next trip to town but it had gone so we are still looking for one - no luck today though.

The only other thing was to buy a book for my husband. Book shops are my most favourite type of shops and can even feel a bit disappointed if nothing catches my eye and I leave the shop empty handed so it's a good job that I don't have the opportunity to enter one too often.

Today I came home with The Liberty Book of Home Sewing. It is a beautiful looking book with plenty of patterns and a small history of Liberty fabrics in the foreword but unless you are mad about Liberty fabrics I don't think that is worth the cover price of £20. I paid £6.99 for mine from The Works.

When I arrived back home, I had a parcel waiting for me which I had been expecting.

It was the Hoopla book which I ordered. I first saw this book when it was featured as a give away last week on the feeling stitchy blog. I whizzed on over to Amazon with the intentions of popping it in my wish list but ended up buying it. It doesn't happen very often that I 'just have to have' a certain book, they usually hang a round in my wish list for months or even years. Anyway while looking at Hoopla on Amazon, I clicked 'the look inside' doo dah and I think it was Sherri Lynn Wood's tattooed baby dolls that made me just pop it in my basket instead. The book is pretty chunky and there are lots of interviews with the featured artists, some I have heard of through craft blog's, some new to me which I can't wait to read.

Loads of great photos and interesting projects. I love this jackalope but I tend to like anything rabbity/ jackalopey/ wolpertingery.

I've only had a quick flick through it yet but I think I'm instantly drawn to at least five projects. I can see this book being one of my favourites for a long time.

Now I can't wait to get the kiddies in bed tonight so I can nestle on the sofa with my new books. Is it too early to send them to bed now at 3:00pm ?

Wishing For Warm Weather

.... or just a little warmer than we have here at the moment would be nice. We have not had any snow here just some hail and sleet with frost on top making the pavements and roads lethal. This morning was a slippery one and the paths leading to Little L's playground don't get gritted so it is a good job that I put reins on her as within 2 minutes of leaving the house she slipped right over but because I lifted her reins as she fell she was just suspended in the air a bit like Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible.

When I came back home I nipped in to the garden to take some frosty photos but didn't keep many as they were too burry. I treated myself to a new camera last week and am still trying to work out how to use the thing. I am useless with reading instructions. I think its because I find them so boring, they just don't sink in so with something like a camera unless its a function I use regularly I have to refer back to the instruction manual.

Last week I was and still am in a bit of a fidgety, restless mood. I can't stand just sitting still doing nothing but I don't know what it is that I actually want to do. Craftwise, Little L's crocheted cushion cover was finished and I made a cute crocheted bunny from this pattern.

The sooner I decide on what I actually want to do and this daft mood passes, the better.

Chocolate Brownies

On Friday night I had the urge to make some Chocolate Brownies so rustled up a batch. The recipe I used is one that my sister pasted to me about 15 years ago and it always goes down well with the people in this house.

Ingredients -  for the cake -  225g caster sugar                                           

                                                40g cocoa powder                                    

                                                75g self - raising flour                                

                                                0.5 tsp salt

                                                2 eggs

                                                2tbls milk

                                                100g butter

               

                        for the topping - 100g butter

                                                    150g icing sugar

                                                     60g cocoa powder

Gas Mark 4, 180c, 350f - 40 minutes

Cake

1) Stir together the sugar, cocoa, flour and salt.

2) Whisk together the eggs and milk and pour in to the dry ingredients.

3) Melt the butter and beat in to the mixture.

4) Pour in to a greased,lined square tin and bake for 40 mins.

Topping

Place the butter in a bowl and beat in the icing sugar and cocoa. If the mixture is too stiff to spread add a few drops of warm water. Spread on the cake when it is completely cool and cut into squares

Hexagon Blanket

Last night I finished the hexagon blanket that I was making for my youngest boy. I don't think that I have ever completed a blanket this fast before, I feel like I have just whizzed through it. My hands are paying for it now so I will have to lay off hooks and knitting needles for a while but then again I always say that and only manage a couple of days.

I haven't made a blanket which needed sewing together for along time, I usually crochet my bits together so I did this as I went along then it wouldn't seem so much of a chore. Most of the ends were crocheted in so I didn't need to sew them in at the end.

My youngest boy doesn't know that it is finished yet so it will be a nice surprise for him when he gets in from school and sees it on his bed though knowing what he is like, he will bring it back downstairs and wrap himself up in it on the sofa.

WIP's

After re-starting my youngest boys hexagon blanket (this time making hexagons and not pentagons), the end is almost in sight. I started to sew them together this weekend and only have 20 something more to make until I can start on the edge.

Also this weekend I tried out this diagonal crochet pattern which will eventually be made into a pillow for Little L's bed.

The tutorial for this pattern can be found here.