Birthday time!

This week, I decided it was time to get back to card-making - my sister had asked me to make some cards for a couple of weddings she is going to this summer, and Mr A's birthday was fast approaching (it's today, which is why I haven't posted these pictures until today).

Here are the results of a rather profitable morning's work:

Finished!

Still brimming over with crafty ideas - my head is just full of them! I've been scribbling them down as fast as they come - really need some new notebooks.....what a pity Woolworths isn't around any more, they were perfect for that sort of thing.

Anyway, here are the results from last week's creativity:

First up, the little memory box I mentioned in the last post was delivered last Thursday - a day before the baby in question actually arrived! Couldn't have timed it better if I tried......the brief wasn't the most obvious: the baby's sex was unknown, and I wasn't allowed to use any faces or eyes (due to the baby being of the Muslim faith), so that meant no pink or blue, and no teddies.....in the end I went with a cream and gold colour scheme and lots of swirls and hearts.

Here's the top of the box

the front side

the left and right sides were done the same

Then I was asked to make one of my drawstring knitting bags in a cupcake and polka dot fabric - came out quite well, although the pictures don't really show how pretty it was due to the poor light........

(whisper) - both of these were 'paid commissions' which means the 'wool kitty' has been replenished! :-) Oh, and the lady who bought the memory has also given me some 4ply wool - yippee!

I also finished my contribution to the 'Knitting for Joy' campaign - even though it is made for an adult-sized head, I think this particular model looks rather fetching in it!

Next up, I have joined three Knit-A-Long (KAL) groups on Ravelry - the first is called Sock Knitters Anonymous (SKA) - appropriate no? They have a Mystery sock pattern as their May 'challenge' - it's called Kiila (Finnish for gusset apparently) and you get a new clue every Friday for four weeks (but we have till the end of June to finish them). It's great fun, although involves cabling without a cable needle, which I am not finding very obvious.... I am doing mine in some lovely merino/tencel mix from the Knitting Goddess in a scrummy semi-solid shade of Peppermint - see the pretty little cables that go up each side of the sock? I have actually done this much on both socks, but I just can't seem to be able to take a piccy of both socks together......

The other two KALs are focused on knitting the patterns from two new books:

Sock Innovation by the amazing Cookie A (see my Monkeys from the last post)

and Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy D. Johnson

Now, I don't have my copy of Sock Innovation just yet (Amazon is having major stock problems with this book - it's obviously proven much more popular than they expected!), but you are allowed to substitute a Cookie A pattern that is not in the book - so I have started a pair of Pomatomus in Socks That Rock lightweight

- the colour is Incredible Shrinking Violet which I obtained through a Ravelry trade. I just love how the various shades of lilac and purple are working with the curved stiches..... I'm really having to concentrate on the pattern, so going to have to get my skates on if I'm to finish them for the end of May...Thankfully, the Wendy Johnson KAL doesn't actually start until June...

Oh, and last but not least, in order to help me keep track of all my sock projects (the wool I used, the needle size, who they were for, whether or not I liked the pattern), I quickly whipped up this little 'Sock Log Book':

Phew! It's been a busy week......

Flat Bottomed Girls

Hee hee - couldn't resist that as a title for this post! I had an absolutely brilliant morning yesterday, perfecting my ideas for the drawstring bags. Here, for your delectation, is the larger version, with a flat bottom and inside pockets:













So, now I know how many bags of both sizes I can get out of a certain piece of fabric, how long it takes me to make them - ooooooh, my brain is just buzzing with ideas!

Happy Days

So, I am not making much progress on the job front....but, instead of moping around, I have been filling my days with (for me) the most amazing creativity. Each morning, after spending the obligatory hour or so looking at job sites, I top up my coffee mug and head off to 'my room'. I open up the doors to let in the wonderful sunshine (it's lasted all week - how blissful?) and set to work.

This week has been super varied. I have made good progress on the Mystery Socks and my Monkeys are looking just far too pretty - sugar coated yumminess. And they are sooo snuggly - the sun might be shining during the day, but it's still a bit chilly at night, so will definitely be wearing these.

Knitting these has also confirmed that I am much more comfortable with toe-up socks - so that's all I will be doing from now on!

Then there is the 'Knitting for Joy' project - the amazing Knitting Goddess (aka Joy) asked for some volunteers to knit up samples of her wools so she could display them at the various events she's doing this summer. I chose to knit a skein of her Lavender Fields into a Ground Flower Hat I'm really liking how this is coming out so far - might have to add it to my wish list for future purchase.

However, the absolute best bit about this project is that the volunteers are being paid in wool! I chose a skein of Joy's Heather Trio
- I just can't find the right superlative for this, it is sooo gorgeous. Desperately looking for suggestions for the right pattern that will do justice to the colours.


I've also made some more stitch markers for the shop(s) - really enjoying making these, especially now I have found a good, mini-sized wire cutter!!

















And now for the really big news - in fact, it needs a proper, official announcement: Look Ma, I Can Sew!!!! Now, what you might not know is that, historically, me and sewing machines have been sworn enemies (I have bad memories of the summer Mum decided I was going to learn to sew and I ended up in tears more days than not.....). My darling Mr A bought me a mini Janome for my birthday last year, but that (initially) was only for adding embellishments to my cards and layouts......and then I started to think - "well, why don't I give it a try and see?" A few months back I made a roll for my double-pointed knitting needles and crochet hooks - it came out all right, but my stitching was definitely not straight 100% of the time.

With my recent discovery of sock knitting, I found myself wanting something pretty in which to store / transport my current projects. Thanks to this great tutorial from Happy Things (she's also got some really good quilt tutorials, which I intend to explore at a later date), I dug out some bits of fabric I had lying around - and I made this! I cannot express strongly enough the sense of totally thrilling achievement I am feeling about this - I have made a proper, sturdy, drawstring bag, that has straight (!!) seams and which looks cute on top of it all!

Yes, those are the Monkeys hiding inside.....

















So, what's on for next week? More bags - this time with a flat bottom and inside pocket. Then I really have to make a start on the famous wedding album - I've got the materials assembled, just have to start working on it. I have also been commissioned to make a baby memory box for a friend - I've started on it and should have it finished by mid-week. Will post pictures when it's done......

Have a lovely weekend everyone - enjoy the sunshine (no, I don't believe the forecast!)

Too cool for Skool?

Just had to share this picture. What are they like? I know the sunny, warmer days seem to have finally arrived for good (touch wood) but this is ridiculous! And yes, Miss A is still insisting on Mr A carrying her most of the way to nursery each morning......

Updated 30 June to show the layout I made with this picture, and using the wonderful kit I got in the Kit Swap on UKScrappers

Time for a merger......

....some of you will no doubt be wondering what has happened to me? Yes, I have been a naughty blogger -at least, on this blog. This is partly to do with the fact that, despite the large quantities of free/spare time I now have on my hands, I haven't been even remotely inclined to do any scrapping. I'm very puzzled by this - and am determined to do something about it! Mr A has given me strict instructions to not only start - but finish! - our wedding album in time for our 6th anniversary in May. I have all the bits and pieces collected together in the appropriate colour scheme (gold, beige and cream in case you're wondering!) and I'm going to work my way through my backlog of Scrap Like You Mean It at the same time......keep your eyes peeled!

At the same time, while I haven't been scrapping, I have been having great fun with all sorts of textile stuff - I've made a crochet afghan baby blanket for the baby son of some friends, finished my first ever pair of socks and am rapidly approaching the end of the 2nd pair. I have also spent far too much time in recent weeks on Ravelry, the most amazing knitting/crochet online community, where I have made lots of new friends - you could call it my new addiction. I have also spent more time blogging on my other blog. Initially, I set it up to keep the paper and the textile crafts separate. Now, however, I think it's time for a merger - after all, each of my creations, be they made from card and paper or cloth and wool, are a reflection of my personality and crafty inclinations. So, today will be devoted to transferring the knitting posts over here so everyone, knitters and scrappers, can enjoy the results!

The Sock Saga continues.......

Yes, I've started another pair of socks - these are Blackrose in the cherry Wendy Mode 4 ply that I mentioned in my previous post. There is soooo much yardage in this wool, I have ended up doing ELEVEN pattern repeats down the leg! Wow! I'm not overly impressed with the wool to be honest - it's very fluffy and a bit splitty, but I'll get there in the end. And it's definitely made me realise that I much prefer doing toe-up socks.....

The really interesting news however, is that the making of these socks led me down a completely new 'creative path' - namely, the design of some co-ordinated stitch markers:





Cute no?

This in turn has led to a period of mad wire winding and I have made several more sets - you can see them for sale in my Folksy shop here or my Etsy shop here