Finally Some crafting

Here we are...finally getting to sit in my beautiful craft room and remind myself that I am a crafter...not just a knitter and crocheter but a crafter!!!!
I just found out the other day that Bloglines is closing down, which gutted me because I have been with them for years and really liked how simple their feed reader was.....but the point is...I had a lot of patterns clipped on there and had to go through them and do something else! Well I came across this pattern from the blogger Knick Knack and Rick Rack which I have been holding on to since 2008.
It is a testament to buying things that you don't know what you are going to do with them...because I've had this rick rack for a couple of year, the felt is bits I had left over from other projects....see that is why you have stash!!! Tell my hubby that next time you see him!!!!

Anyway, the only thing different I did to her was I put card inside the two circles of felt. I decided that I need the strength because the rick rack is the large type and was very stiff. The thin rick rack was to small for this project. I bought this stuff on a trip to London, so there are lots of memories for me!

Well, this is the start of a beautiful relationship with my new room. It isn't totally finished yet. I've got some more organizing and decorating. Though that is true, I found it so good to be able to find things easier!! Looking forward to having some friends over to do some craft fun soon!!!

Writing for Historic Crafts

My dear friend Eddie (Henriette) has asked me to contribute to a new website called Historic Crafts that her and a friend are setting up. I thought I would post my first blog post that she asked me to write. The topic is my first crafting experience that I remember. I had to be a bit broader then that, but thought that I would post it here and hope that you visit the website to see what others have to say.



Eddie is one of the wonderful people I have met though the knitting group I go to on Thursday evenings. We use to meet at Borders, may it rest in peace, but now we are meeting in Ikea. This is one of the pictures I took on my phone of my lovely friends all knitting and chatting away. I use to hate Thursdays, but because of them it has become my favorite day of the week.

I'm crocheting away thanks to Attic24. I've had these ideas for ages and she just has got me off my butt to do it! Thanks to all the bloggers out there that make me remember that I am a crafter, not just a stasher. Well off to write a review for Eddie, she is sitting next to me and keeps asking what I'm doing! Need people like her to keep me going.

Something for my new room

So what have I been up to? Well I've been buying stuff to go into my new room....that is finished yet. But I couldn't pass up this sewing table. It is my first ebay bid that I've ever done and I won it. It was just about 3 miles away so it would have been terrible if I hadn't won it. Sorry the picture is crappy, still learning how to use my new phone.

I've not taken a picture of the room, because there isn't anything to photograph really....once we get the lights in the room it will be easier to take pictures. It has been great because my favorite blog has been doing a month of craft room posts...check them out....

New Phone

Gradient Waves Wallpaper (iPhone) | Pixelgirl Presents - Only the Coolest Desktops, Icons & iPhone Wallpapers!

I have a new phone...I'm so excited. It was a bit of a struggle getting it up and running. Problems with our main PC and the new phone not unblocking like it should have, but a call to the supplier fixed that. So this is one of the pictures I've just downloaded to my wallpaper. One of my favorite blogs How about Orange talks about this website a lot, and I've used the pictures for my laptop wallpaper a lot. Oh well...back to playing with my new toy!

Sketch Book

picture from Amazon.co.uk

I found my sketch books that I've been hoarding. No, not a surprise to people who know me that I hoard! A couple years ago I tried to get more arty with my craft so I went around buying different notebooks. Journaling is something that is very difficult for me. I had a bad experience in my teenage years and I find it really difficult to trust writing things down that I feel. The first devotional in my new book (see last post) is to buy a journal, so instead of taking the opportunity to buy yet another unused book, I searched out this lovely notebook that I already had. No it isn't very pretty, but I've peeked and I see where we will be decorating them in the future anyway!!!

Had a really nice last day of the holiday. Saw my great friend Erika who moved back to Sweden last year. She is now living settled in her own apartment and Hubby and I were talking to her about the trip to see her in the spring...I'm sooo excited!!!!

New blog to check out....Dutch Blue....Lovely pictures and ideas!!!

3 posts in a couple of days...this is a record!

Crafty goodness

Well, well....new year and more crafty goodness to be done. More felt, more knitting and more sewing. My craft room is getting closer to my moving in. The walls and woodwork are done, except the doors and closets. I'm planning furniture and flooring at the moment. Hubby and I have decided we just have to throw some money and time on it. The last few days we have been cleaning up the house and organizing the chaos that happens when you are working all the time. I hope to working more with my friend Layla and Lilapod. My Mom bought me the above book for my birthday. I've been waiting until Monday to start working through it. I'm not good with this type of stuff, but I'm going to try and have a good time with it. I hope to post what I manage to do and blogs and stuff I encounter more in the future.

That being said I have been so motivated by this blog Attic24 that I have pulled out the Rowan Handknit Cotten I've had for my amigurumi (see cat duck in the photo on my profile). I'm using it to make her hexagon blanket. I've had this idea for ages, and I was glad to use her pattern to get it going. It looks so pretty and I'm just playing with the colors I have. (OK, I did have to buy a few more.....but I bought most of them on sale!!!)

Hopefully pictures in the future. Sun is hard to come by this time of year, so the first thing I'm making in my new room will be a light box!!!!

2010

Wow a new decade is upon us!!!! The last decade was the best in my life, even though I have spent 5 years with clinical depression, left behind my animals and my country, and gained lots of weight. On the plus:

• Married LOVELY husband
• Moved to England

• Have had lots of lovely rodent pets and now have 2 wonderful cats

Poppy after the Collared Dove incident

• Have 1 crafty niece and 5 sort of crafty nephews who seem to love us visiting, even though it isn't very often (That is hubby above getting massacred by almost the lot...told you he is Lovely)

• Have the largest group of friends outside of work I have EVER had, and they all seem to really LIKE me. And the kicker is....THEY CRAFT. It is amazing!!! Now don't get me wrong, I've always had friends, but they were connected with work which is different. I have my Guild that I joined, I have the National Needlework Archive that I volunteer for, and my Thursday night knitting group who are THE BEST!!!! (Wish I had a picture of them!)
  
• I've learned so much about Europe and have made great friends from different countries who I can visit in the future!
• Married the most wonderful husband IN THE WORLD....oh...did I already mention that????

Paige learns to finger knit

Shrewsbury Flower Show

Can you believe the look of this? There is such care taken and everything is so big. Nothing like my moth eaten tomatoes etc that I have outside!

Love these flowers so much. I'm hoping to find them...but don't know if I really get them to grow..stupid slugs

This where as big as my head...no kidding....

I like leeks...but not sure if I could eat a whole one of these!!!

Sascalia makes these beautiful pictures. When I saw it on the front page of Etsy.com I knew I had to have it! It was going to go into our entrance way, but now that we have painted a wall in our kitchen yello, I think it will relaly go well in there. It is a print mounted on wood which I think is an interesting. It is nice not to have to frame it.

I went to the doctor today and found out that I've pulled a muscle around my ribs by coughing and that is why I'm having so much pain. I mean a lot of pain. She gave me an anitbiotic which I was surprised about and a cough syrup with codine. Hopefully this will help. I didn't get the sewing done I wanted to because I find it hard to move my left arm around much. But I've been wanting to post about that picture so I did do my promise of posting!!!

Making promises

Hmmm...wonder if I can keep promises to myself yet. I can keep them to others no problem, but to myself? Yesterday I said I wouldn't get on facebook and play games...but I did. Spent most of last night doing it. What am I suppose to be doing online??? Maybe looking at blogs and getting inspiration to put some crafting goodness on here and some book reviews on my book blog???

Right I need someone to promise to, so I'm putting it on here and hopefully anyone that reads this will comment and kick me in the butt to get things going here. I mean really, what use are the stupid computer games when I have lovely fabrics, buttons etc to be playing with!!!!

I've got a room to decorate so that I can do lots of lovely crafts and get back to being the kind of crafty person that I love, instead of a computer game slob. So I hope to blog a bit about what I'm crafting, the decorating I'm doing (hopefully picture of my new yellow wall in the kitchen maybe!) and some great stuff that I've bought too!

So don't give up on me! I'm promising that every Wed I will blog about what is going on and lets have fun again!

Finished project

Yes, this is finally finished. I actually knit it last year and even did the sewing...but then I took my time getting the ends sewed up. The yarn is great, but since it is like a tube of cotton, just weaving the ends in wasn't enough. I used sewing thread to sew up the ends and that work great. It is a bit tight, but I'm losing weight (I hope) so it should fit better soon.

Kiki Mariko rug

I'm having a great time working on this rug...rug you say...it looks like you are doing it in the round....well I AM. How cool is that. The pattern is from "Mason-Dixon Knitting: Outside the Lines". I've had this book for awhile and I love the Fair Isle patterns. So, when my friend Kate and I went to a Fair Isle workshop I figured it was about time. Plus, the place we went (Get Knitted in Bristol) had the yarn it called for so I thought it was a sign. The workshop was great and I'm so proud...I CAN KNIT WITH BOTH HANDS!!! I never though I would master English/American knitting...but I can now and it has made this rug so much fun to knit....oh and the knitting in the round. Well it is much easier to knit the stitches with two hands then purl, so doing it in the round you don't have to...but you do have to cut your work apart. AAAHHH...I figured that since this project is to be felt first it should make it a bit safer!

I like the colors, though I was really limited to what they had. I think my color sense is getting better!

Wednesday is craft day!

I'm very happy with myself today. I actually crafted! I saw some work by some ladies where they took bluejeans and cut them up and made material out of it. I liked the idea, because I've been wanting to recycle and jeans can look a bit....well....naff in some projects. I've been wanting to make a bag that I could carry my embroidery around with me. I had a freebie that worked really well, but I needed to replace it. So here is what I've been doing. All material is from the same pair of jeans, just one side. I wanted the checkerboard effect more then the stripe, but though both sides don't have to look the same! I've zigzaged around the outside and then used a thiner zigzag on the horizontal lines. I don't want it to be perfect and so I've left the vertical so it can fray. My idea now is to use a fabric for the top and use another piece of jean to sew the bottom together. I want it to have a bit of a box like bottom to it. My scary part will be the zipper, but I found a good tutorial I've been saving here.

So Hurray for Crafting Wednesday!!!!!

Snow 2009

How cool is this??? Was so surprised when Rich said there was lots of snow on Monday morning. Just walked out and was amazed by how beautiful it was....of course I'm bored of it now! Now that I've had to walk to the train station in it!

Right....it is about time I get on the stick....

I'm starting to sort myself out. Since I'm feeling so much better, the house is getting a bit on my wick....but we are getting there. I can't believe that I've lived in this house for so long with out redecorating more then just the bathroom!!! And that took about 4 years......

I'm going to try and get back to crafting again. I've actually went through my room and cleaned it out, I was so impressed by how little time it actually took. I got rid of just a few things. Now I'm starting to think of how I'm going to arrange the room when I move it to the big room...so watch this space. Wednesdays are the days. I've had a lot of stupid appointments on Wednesdays and with the boiler not working...seemed like I never stayed home long enough to actually craft.

I have been knitting like crazy for Christmas, but no pics....

Few things to tell you about though.....


Met this Layla in Much Wenlock and fell in love with her stuff. We hit to off and I can't wait to work with her a bit. I bought the above print for one of my nephews. They are so lovely.

Well, off to try and get some more embroidery done!

World unraveled.....

This is awesome...you must see it......

Franklin Habit

Last night was the best. Went to London and had a bit of shopping and then to I Knit London tot to meet Franklin and Tom and have my book signed. It was wonderful. Here is a pic taken by the guys at I Knit to prove it....

It is a small world as always, turns out Tom has family that live around Mattoon where my Grandfather has owned a cabin on the lake there for ages. So it was really good for me to get a little of Illinois for a very homesick girl!

I bought stuff of course....couldn't resist. I'm going to make this hat for one of my sis's....(scan down a bit and see the red hat.) I also bought some orange yarn to make me some gloves. We saw some really nice ones at Liberty's....but I just couldn't buy them when I can make them......especially at that price!!!!

Sorry no real pictures. I'm going to get myself a more compact camera so that I can actually carry it around with me more.

Websites to check out

While sitting here all covered up in upteen blankets and clothes I've been trying to catch up on some web goodness. I've found a couple things I want to pass on....

Yarndex Yarn Directory is a website where you can look up yarns and see patterns that go with them, reviews and also substitutions. It looks like a great help. I need to do a bit more scouting around but found out about it through Cast On.

The other cool site is the Knitting Scholar. This has reviews of knitting books and should be a really good source for those of us (yes me!!!) that should go on a bit of a book and yarn diet......I found out about this through Franklin Habit's blog Panopticon. I can't wait until next week. I'm going to go to the store I Knit in London and meet him!!! He has a new book out called "It Itches" which feature his cartoons. I love his work...and well....he is from Chicago...so is a bit of home.

Oh I'm so stressed about the election. I hope that everything turns out ok....nail biting stuff.....

Sick of being sick

Yep, here I am....bedridden with a nasty cold....messing around with the internet trying to get caught up and maybe...just maybe a bit organized. If any of you visit me on Rav...you will see that I've stashed a bunch of sock yarn I bought this weekend. I couldn't resist...I told hubby it was the virus that made me do it. I went several times to visit The Web of Wool stand, and by stitching their pattern for Mitt-Glove-en pattern in a bright pink/green/orange/blue Regia yarn....I sent many people their way. I love enabling (as many of you know.)

So where was I that I was buying all this yarn? At the Creative Stitches show in Cardiff helping at the NNA at booth for Poetry in Stitches 2. The pictures they have are gorgeous. The idea is that you take a poem and then interpret it through fibre. Sorry I don't have any pictures...but if you look on here....you can see some of them. The Otter if my favorite though during the weekend I kept changing my mind.

Anyway, I bought some jewelry supplies too. I keep hoping that I'll sort out my room soon and be able to get somethings done.