Knot Garden

A Few Things

2010-12-03T11:56:00.010Z

Just a round-up of some small projects completed in the past couple of weeks.

Isn't she sweet? She is made from some Rowan Felted Tweed dk I bought half price in the John Lewis sale a while ago, with stuffed animals in mind. The clothes are various scraps in dk weight.

The pattern is Olga the Kitty by Twins. As you can see I changed the face quite a bit (didn't knit the nose and used only one colour for the cat), but the pattern is an excellent one and the shaping is great.

Shoes with bows!!

The tortoise is Tavistock Tortoise by Amanda Berry. I love all her patterns. I used Baby Cashmerino and gave my tortoise a button flower to wear.

The pot of primulas is from a pattern by UK company King Cole, and the pattern number is 9000, Spring Collection. Mr. Knot Garden plants primulas in our garden every spring.

If you're in the UK I hope you're managing with the snow. It's not too bad where we are now because the roads are clear, but the garden has disappeared under a sea of white.

Take care in the snow and ice.

Blasts From the Past

2010-11-02T10:27:00.019Z

Back in the 1980s and 90s I used to dabble in needlepoint, or tapestry as it's often known here in the UK. It was more popular then than it is now, although I think its popularity is slowly returning.

To needlepointers, this will be immediately recognisable as an Elizabeth Bradley design.

My Kaffe Fassett rabbit cushion is looking a bit worn these days, but it's still one of my favourite tapestry projects.

A classic!

One of the things I bought back then, with needlepoint in mind, was a hexagonal footstool which I never did anything with. I liked it because of the unusual shape. I remember buying it when my second daughter was a tiny baby. How I thought I'd ever get any sewing done at that time, I don't know. (She's 23 now!)

Recently I'd been thinking I should do something with it. I'd seen patchwork-upholstered furniture in magazines and in the Cath Kidston shops, and thought I would like something like that in my house, so I decided to have a go at covering it with patchwork. Not cotton patchwork, but something more substantial - wool.

(Knitted cherries from this book)

I made an actual size hexagonal template to work from, cut out squares and machine-sewed them together. I did find that woven wool is a lot more stretchy than you would think - and and some wool is more stretchy than others. The seams were quite bulky as well, so it wasn't quite as straightforward as I'd imagined, but I managed to get it sewn. On the plus side, it cost nothing because it used up some long-held stash.

I tried to include a few different weaves of wool for some visual texture. I lined it with a piece of cotton fabric to stabilise it, and stretched it over the upholstery pad. I don't think it turned out too badly. What really made a huge difference was replacing the modern "mahogany" finish with a new coat of paint.

♥

Another Cushion

2010-10-06T16:08:00.018+01:00

Another cushion, this time that blogland favourite, the round crocheted cushion. I expect you've seen plenty of these on your bloggy travels, and there are some lovely ones out there.

It's the second one of this type I've made, but this time I was able to find a proper round cushion pad to fill it.

It's just a standard flat circle in trebles (US dc) with regular increases on every round. The flowers are 2-layer ones, examples of which can be found in many good crochet books, or there are free ones to be found online. The pattern I used was from here (Ravelry link).

My flowers don't seem to look exactly like the pattern, but I liked this one because it has 5 petals.

I couldn't find a pattern for the small fat leaves I had in mind, but it was simple enough to improvise a very basic one.

Here's a tip if you want to make a circle with a smoother curved edge. You can get a rounder shape if you stagger the position of the increases on consecutive rows.

For example, if you move the point of each increase one or two stitches to the left on every round, and keep that consistent throughout, the pattern of increases will still be regular but will form a gentle spiral effect, and the edge will be more of a curve.

Other methods are just as good of course, it all depends on the effect you want.

Yarn info: The yarn is a a real mixture - aran for the cushion, dk for the border and 4 ply for the flowers. This was because apart from the pink, I wanted to use what I already had, and now it's done I like the contrast in scale between the different yarn weights.

♥ ♥ ♥

Outside, I've been doing some late cutting back and overdue weeding between the rainy days this week. There isn't much autumn colour in the garden yet, but the leaves are starting to turn now.

This hibiscus bush grows outside the dining room window. The leaves with the sun on them are such a pure yellow, the photo doesn't really do them justice.

September

2010-09-08T15:36:00.007+01:00

This is one of my favourite times of year. I don't know about you, but to me September always feels much more like a new start than January does. I like the feeling of change in the air, the fresher breeze, the gentler sunshine and even the rain! Most of the garden work's done, and I can't pretend I'm not pleased at the prospect of cooler weather. It's just that whole back-to-school feeling (I was one of those kids who liked school - sad, I know!)

I must say hello to the new followers I seem to have acquired. I'm always amazed and pleased to get new followers. I've said it before and it's still the case - if you read my blog, I appreciate you!

Large acorn (with i-cord twig added): Christmas Ornament Patterns by Amy Gaines

Medium acorns: Finsbury Squirrel pattern by Fluff & Fuzz

Small acorns pattern by Flutterby Patch

Jubilee Ladybird pattern by Fluff & Fuzz

Oak leaves and crocheted fern leaf from 100 Flowers

Forget-me-not

2010-08-19T15:21:00.009+01:00

This is how I made the tiny blue flowers on my Posy Cushion.

Knitted on 2 needles.

Abbreviations:

K = Knit

St(s) = Stitch(es)

tbl = through back of loop

RS = right side

Tension (gauge) isn't important but if you use needles one or two sizes smaller than recommended for the yarn, you will get a more closely knitted flower. (I used Baby Cashmerino and 2.5mm needles.)

Using blue, make slip knot on left hand needle and cast on 2 more sts (3 sts in total, RS facing).

Cast off 2, knitting the last st tbl (1 petal made).

*Slip the remaining stitch back onto the left hand needle, keeping the RS of knitting facing you. Do not turn the work.

Cast on 2 more sts.

Cast off 2, knitting last stitch tbl (this just makes a firmer straight edge).

Repeat from * until you have a line of 5 petals.

Fasten off leaving an end a few inches long. Thread this end onto a sewing needle. With the right side of the knitting facing you, use the needle to gather the straight edge, being careful not to twist the knitting. Draw up to form a flower and secure. Where the two end petals meet, secure with a tiny stitch.

Darn in thread ends on the back of the flower, or leave long for sewing to whatever you like.

Using yellow, make a French knot in the centre, or you could use a bead.

You are welcome to this design for your own non-commercial use.

It was designed a s a forget-me-not, but as a general small flower pattern it could be made in any colour.

I hope you like it and will try it!

♥

Posy Cushion

2010-08-05T15:43:00.012+01:00

I've been waiting for a bright enough day to take these photos,we've had some dull weather lately! This is one of several cushions I'm thinking about, which will be knitted, crocheted or sewn.

It was almost an experiment really, just to see what it would look like.

I wanted some sideways flowers as well as facing-upwards flowers.

And a few different sizes of leaves.

I wanted this cushion to be all knitted, no crochet, and I looked for a pattern for a tiny knitted flower I could use as a forget-me-not. I couldn't find one small enough, so worked out my own forget-me-not pattern.

The cushion itself is garter stitch in chunky (bulky) wool, and was made to fit a 45cm cushion pad. The flowers were all DB Baby Cashmerino and the edging is Rowan pure wool 4-ply.

I really went overboard with decoration on this project, and maybe having an edging as well was a bit too much? It's done now but it has turned out quite a bit "fancier" than I'd imagined it. I think perhaps it might look better when it's been broken in and squashed a bit!

I enjoyed sewing all the flowers on.

Now for some pattern details.

Apart from the forget-me-nots, all the flowers and leaves are from these three books as follows:

100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet by Lesley Stanfield: Field Poppy, Large Leaf, Small Leaf.

Nicky Epstein's Knitted Flowers: Buttercups, Florets, American Beauty Rose and Rosebud, Small Basic Leaf Classic.

Designs For Kids by Lucinda Guy: Flower Posy.

The edging is from Knitted Edgings and Trims by Lesley Stanfield and is pattern 69 Bunting.

I'll post the pattern for the forget-me-not soon.

Flower Soup

2010-07-22T11:05:00.009+01:00

These are for a knitted cushion which will have a cluster of knitted flowers on the front. It's evolving as it progresses, and it's quite fun making flowers of different sizes and colours, tossing them into the mix and seeing the pile grow.

For a small thing where the edges are going to be on show, I found there could be a big difference in appearance depending on the cast-on method used.

Just out of interest, this is a buttercup flower, cast on using the thumb method.

This is exactly the same pattern (from Nicky Epstein's knitted flower book), but made with a cable cast on.

Both nice in their own way.

I'm thinking of using this as an edging for the cushion, not all the way round but maybe on the two vertical edges. Not sure yet how that will look but we'll see.

Do you have a favourite baking recipe you come back to again and again? This week's baking was something I've made many times before, rock buns made using Jane Brocket's recipe. The taste is a wonderful combination of lemon and nutmeg.

They are easy to make and are a particular favourite of Mr. Knot Garden.

Birthday Owl

2010-07-11T13:53:00.011+01:00

In our family there are several birthdays close together at this time of year. This week it was daughter no.2's birthday - can you believe she is now 23. Not too old for a birthday tea made by her Mum though!

The birthday cake was a chocolate marble cake with white chocolate and cherries, with white chocolate buttercream icing.

She likes owls and had asked if I would make her an owl cushion. This is my homemade version of one she saw in a shop.

Firmly stuffed or what? A huge amount of stuffing has somehow disappeared into it.

Some respite from the stifling heat today. Thank goodness cooler temperatures are being forecast for next week. I might even get some gardening done.

This year I grew some marigolds and this is the first one to come out.

Enjoy your week whatever you're doing.

ETA: There is no pattern for the owl, it was based on a similar ready-made one and I just winged it (no pun intended)

Birthday Quilt

2010-06-25T10:01:00.013+01:00

I've spent the past few weeks working on this quilt, which was a requested birthday present for someone. It's been given away now, but I remembered to take some photos and now I can show you it, finished, quilted and washed.

The spec was for a multicoloured quilt with red and blue predominating, with the fabric choices left to me.

I think it must be at least a couple of years since I made a quilt, so I thought my quilting wheels would be rusty, but amazingly, like riding a bike, it all came straight back.

The idea was that it would be used for the seat area of a sofa. Fine, I don't mind if they sit on it. Also, part of the requirements was that it be twice the size actually needed, so it could be used folded. Hmm!

I stuck to the instructions though, and generally I'm pleased with how it turned out. I think the red border does a lot for it.

The best thing was, I was able to make the whole thing entirely from stash. The biggest thing was the backing, which I made by joining 3 shorter lengths. I already had the wadding, so the only thing I had to buy was thread.

Some pattern info: The quilt is based on Amy's Four Patch, a 2003 pattern by Jo Morton, but I added an extra row of blocks to change the proportions. I also did the outer border pieced instead of all one fabric, and made the border wider.

The circular motif I used for quilting the blue blocks is from 60 Machine Quilting Designs by Pat Holly and Sue Nickels, published in 1994 but still available. I've used this book many times. I reduced the size of the pattern to fit the block, and made templates to transfer the design.

It's been too hot this week to do any work in the garden, so I've just been keeping the plants watered that need it, and making sure the bird bath's full.

I'm not keen on the heat, but it's nice to see the garden full of flowers again after a long cold winter.

More flower pics another day.

Owlish

2010-04-30T11:14:00.014+01:00

Who can resist a cute little owly? He could be made in so many different colour combinations. He is just 3" tall and can even stand unaided.

I used various old dk from stash. The most difficult thing for me was getting the beak right. It took me several attempts to come up with a beak I thought was half-decent! But that's just me and my nit-picking of my own work. What's not to love about this pattern? It's from Etsy seller Amanda Berry who has several lovely animal patterns to choose from. I found the pattern very clearly written and super-accurate.

The embroidery in the background is an ongoing project I can hardly put down. For a while now I've been thinking about doing some "vintage" embroidery from an authentic old transfer. If you're a long-time reader of my blog you will know I can mull over an idea in my mind for months or even years before I actually start it! That was the case with this.

The transfer was one of a job lot bought on ebay some years ago. If you're interested in old transfers, ebay is worth checking out. It was fairly scruffy and tattered at the edges but the hot iron process did work, and it only needed minor touching up with a permanent pen. My stitches aren't perfect but I think that's all part of the character of this type of embroidery. Cottage gardens full of flowers are what it's all about.

Whatever you're doing this weekend, have a lovely Bank Holiday.

Elephant

2010-03-20T21:03:00.008Z

I made this for a friend who loves elephants. This pattern has been around for a while but it's such a clever one, and I've been meaning to try it for ages.
It's an absorbing and fun knit, and was definitely a learning experience for me, but everything is clearly explained in the pattern.

It's knitted entirely on dpns and stuffed as you go. At first this feels like quite a strange way to knit. Even the ears are knitted on in the round and the edges grafted together, so it really is completely seamless, and so cute.

The wool is some dk I already had, which I thought was quite a good elephant grey, but I gave him a scarf as well to add some colour.

The pattern is Elijah, by the genius that is Ysolda Teague.

Spring

2010-03-09T12:05:00.004Z

When I was little I used to love tiny things. I still find there's something particularly appealing about something nice that's very small.
The nest is 2" across and is just one of the many details in Alan Dart's Easter Parade pattern for ducklings in the April issue of UK magazine Simply Knitting.
It's knitted flat and seamed, and the eggs are very fiddly, but are sewn in with the seams underneath, which hides a multitude of sins!

I made the nest as per the pattern, and was going to leave it at that, but then I thought some embellishment wouldn't come amiss, so added the flowers, and I love the effect.

Spring is arriving late in the garden this year, but at last we have snowdrops in flower.

I tried to do some gardening yesterday but it was too muddy, and parts of the ground were frozen. I made a start though and I'm looking forward to sowing the seeds for this year's flowers for cutting.

On a Heart Theme

2010-02-13T21:06:00.016Z

Two pairs of fingerless mittens

for two grown up daughters.

The pattern is Roses from Queen of Hearts by Louisa Harding. You do have to follow a chart to do the heart design, but it's only a small one (16 stitches). Normally I would run a mile from charted instructions with symbols telling you what to knit, but I wanted to knit this pattern so I gave it a go, and it wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be.

Any dk yarn could be used for the pattern.

***

It has become a yearly tradition in our house for me to bake Mr. Knot Garden a heart shaped cake for Valentine's Day. (In return he supplies me with chocolate.) This year it's a Raspberry Valentine's Cake with cream cheese frosting, from Gorgeous Cakes by Annie Bell, a fantastic book with very reliable recipes. I had this book for Christmas and I've been working my way through it.

A thank you to everyone who has signed up to follow my blog recently.

Hope some Valentine's treats come your way!

Cakes and China

2010-02-03T09:31:00.008Z

Something I do quite a lot of and really enjoy, is baking. I bake for Mr. Knot Garden and myself, and also for other members of my family. I'm a firm believer in the wholesomeness of home baking with good quality ingredients. Synthetic, mass produced cakes just aren't the same.
Having said that, these are probably highly calorific, but who cares. I wouldn't eat them every day. Naughty but nice. The recipe is Peanut Butter Cupcakes from this excellent book.

We've got some rare sunshine today. Isn't it lovely when the gloom lifts and there's some real light in the house? I was going to take some garden photos, desperately seeking signs of spring, but nothing much is happening out there so I'll show you some recent charity shop purchases instead.

The charity shops in the town where I live are very few and not very good, so I sometimes travel further afield in my search for charity shop goodies. That's how I found these, but not all at the same time. If I can find one thing I'm happy.

Splashes of Colour

2010-01-24T11:27:00.005Z

I finished my hottie cover and it turned out to be a perfect snug fit for a standard hot water bottle.
I'm not so sure about my Fair Isle skills though - it seems ok in the middle but not so good at the edges. Maybe I need more practise. One thing I do really like is the stripe pattern at the top and bottom. There's something about nice clean regular stripes, and I like the element they add to the design.
As mentioned before, the pattern is from the Fall/Winter 2009 Debbie Bliss magazine. I did find a couple of minor errors in the pattern, in the shaping of the top edge and in the cast off (this one was just the placement of an asterisk), which was slightly annoying, so I just did what I thought it should have said and it seems to have worked out.

The ripple blanket is one I made a couple of years ago but didn't blog about at the time. I recently dug it out because of the very cold weather, and I was glad I did because I'd forgotten how nice ripple blankets are. I remember it consumed a huge amount of yarn, but it's quite a good size. I think it was worth it for such a nice cheery splash of colour to brighten up these grey winter days. Where has the sun gone!

Multicoloured

2010-01-17T09:46:00.003Z

I had a lot of fun taking these collage-style photos. I hope you enjoyed daydreaming in colour with me.

Pink

2010-01-16T09:41:00.001Z

One more tomorrow.

Blue

2010-01-15T08:26:00.002Z

Red

2010-01-14T08:36:00.003Z

ETA: The pattern for the row of cherries is called Cherry Jam from Crocheting On the Edge by Nicky Epstein.

Yellow

2010-01-13T08:36:00.002Z

Purple

2010-01-12T08:36:00.002Z

Daydream In Colour

2010-01-11T08:41:00.005Z

This week I'll be posting some daily colour-themed photos. They are all similar in style.
With the continuing snow I think I've forgotten what grass look like, so let's start with green.

Keeping Warm

2010-01-05T11:54:00.010Z

We've got several inches of snow today and it's still falling. I took some pictures of the garden from the window this morning. We haven't had snow like this for years.

It looks pretty but only if you don't have to travel in it!

The road outside is unusually quiet, what traffic there is is crawling along, and many of the local schools are closed. It's the right weather for staying inside with a hot drink and getting on with some knitting.

It's many years since I attempted Fair Isle, so I chose a small project to brush up on it with. It's actually very absorbing to do, as you are constantly counting the stitches for each colour, and you see the pattern grow before your eyes. You wouldn't think so at first glance, but there are only ever 2 colours in each row. It should look smoother when it's blocked and pressed. For now I'm trying not to think about darning in all those ends!

Almost forgot to tell you what the pattern is - It's a hot water bottle cover from the most recent Debbie Bliss magazine, Fall/Winter 2009, and the wool is DB Baby Cashmerino which I love. It comes in a fantastic colour range. It can be bit "splitty", but I can put up with that for the softness and the colours.

Hope you're keeping warm!

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T10:01:00.000Z

Christmassy

2009-12-23T09:20:00.007Z

We don't have a huge amount of decorations up at Christmas, but I am prepared to make some effort - it's either that or risk being labelled a killjoy, or as my daughters would say, a "fun sponge"! So we always have a real tree, and that tree has as much squeezed onto it as possible.

The food preparation is one of the things I enjoy most about Christmas. Everyone has their own preferred way with mince pies, don't they? Cranberries are my secret ingredient. They add a lovely sweet sharpness and an extra kick of flavour to ready-made mincemeat.

Wishing you a happy and peaceful Christmas.

Short and Sweet Knitting

2009-12-16T20:28:00.009Z

I'm back with two more things, this time knitted.
I've been waiting for days to take these pictures. I just needed some. . . what's that thing that used to be around, but never seems to be there nowadays? Oh yes, LIGHT. In the end I just took the photos anyway.

I used 4 ply for the bunny and the smallest needles I had, for a smaller scale than stated on the pattern, and she is 7" tall including her ears. Working a tight fabric on fine needles can be quite hard on your hands though, so I wouldn't recommend doing it for too long at a time.
The uber-cute ducky is in dk weight on 3mm needles. The button "wheels" are what sold this pattern to me!

Why am I making stuffed animals? What does a grown woman want with knitted toys? There are no young children to give them to in the family, my daughters are grown up, but I love making these small pretty things, and I enjoy the creative challenge. Plus, they look nice on the sewing room shelf.

Patterns by Debi Birkin.

Christmas Birds

2009-12-11T10:05:00.007Z

Hello, busy in the run-up to Christmas but just popping in to show you some recent projects.
More birds, this time from Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle. I intended to make some of these last year but didn't get round to it. They are fiddly to make but well worth it, and just the right size for hanging on the Christmas tree.

The lace is vintage and the ribbon flowers were bought from the annual Harrogate K&S Show, not the one just gone, but from a couple of years ago now.
I particularly liked the idea of sewing a metal ring to the top of the ornament to thread the hanging cord through. I think this gives quite a professional look, and and from a practical point of view it enables you to easily hang your bird with the best side facing outwards! I got an inexpensive packet of jump rings with lots in from Hobbycraft.

Hope you have some time for needlework in amongst all the Christmas preparations. We're getting our Christmas tree tomorrow! Back soon with some knitted projects.

Birds

2009-10-15T15:51:00.010+01:00

Birds have featured in a few of my projects over the years. Some of them are perhaps looking a bit dated now!

These two are from my folk art phase.

This one is several years old, but I recently gave it a makeover with a scrap of lace and a tiny glass button, and I like it better now.

An applique bird. . .

. . . birds in cross stitch. . .

Once I even tried my hand at a painted bird.

My latest bird is a knitted one in lovely Baby Cashmerino.

(Pattern by Sandra Polley.)

A Few Minutes. . .

2009-10-02T11:05:00.006+01:00

. . .was all it took to turn a china ornament from a charity shop. . .

. . . into a pincushion.

I've Seen the Future and It's Knitted

2009-09-22T09:35:00.018+01:00

Well, back after a summer of not much blogging, but quite a lot of knitting. Have I any readers left?

I think I've mentioned before that I used to be a keen knitter when I was younger. At that time though, I knitted purely to obtain the finished garment. I would sit and knit all evening after work just to achieve the finished item so I could wear it. (Should have got out more!)

But all that has completely changed with this second wave of knitting. Now, the reward is all in the process. It's so pleasant to sit in a tranquil state accompanied by the gentle rhythm of needles and yarn, or "wool" as it's still generally called in the UK, regardless of the fibre content!

I've even made a couple of cardigans - once I had come to terms with the fact that I can't now knit the same size I knitted 25 years ago!

Do you think I'll have enough scarves this winter?

The grey scarf pattern was from a recent issue of Yarn Forward magazine and is by the exceptionally talented Ysolda Teague. The other two patterns I found through Ravelry.

If you want to find them in Ravelry, the green triangular one is called Aestlight and the purple ruffled one is Cinnamon Grace.

All these scarves were quick, interesting and fun to knit, and I learned a lot from the very clever techniques used in all of them.
If only it would get cold enough to wear a scarf.

The hedgehog pattern is by Little Cotton Rabbits. Such fun to knit and so sweet. I love the small scale and his tiny feet.

It's been quite a busy summer, with our younger daughter's graduation and of course lots of garden work. If we ever move I don't think I want quite such a high maintenance garden next time.

Some late summer colour from the garden. The sunflowers are a small variety called Valentine, which are long lasting and perfect for cutting.

I'll try not to leave it two months before I post again!

Pansy Bunting

2009-07-13T14:54:00.011+01:00

It was my daughter's 22nd birthday last week. How many daughters has she got, you're thinking, they seem to have birthdays all the time! There are two of them, both grown up now and making me feel old. I think I must have had children very young. . . yes, I'm sure that's it!
Their birthdays do always seem to get mentioned on my blog, but that's because I usually make something decorative for the birthday girl. This time it was pansy bunting, or a pansy garland if you prefer.

This pansy is a classic design, slight variations of which appear in many different printed patterns. Mine is the pansy from this doily.
The only modification I did was in the edging stitches of the two large petals (I worked 1 chain between the stitches instead of 3).

I used Patons 100% Cotton 4 ply and made 7 pansies in 2 colour variations, and added some leaves. The "string" is a length of chain in 2 alternate colours, and I used a double strand of each colour for strength and scale.

So far this summer has been a bit too warm for me. The sunshine is very nice and the garden seems to like it, but I'm hoping for some cooler weather.

Enjoy your week!

Summer Poppies

2009-06-12T10:56:00.008+01:00

The idea of knitted flowers with longer stems which would actually support them has been floating around in my head for a while now. I thought I would try it with the poppy pattern (see previous post), and I made 5 in different poppy colours.

I wasn't aiming for botanically accurate imitation flowers. What I had in mind was something that looked obviously knitted, just something whimsical to show off the texture and colour of the knitting.

For the stems I made some knitted i-cords and reinforced them with green paper-covered wire. I've seen a similar thing done using plastic drinking straws, but I wasn't keen on the idea of straws, and I thought pipe cleaners might be too bendy. The ends of the wire are bent over and hidden under the flower centres, so there's nothing sharp to catch on anything. Each poppy is about 2.25 inches across. Not too big and not too small.

The yarn is Baby Cashmerino by Debbie Bliss. I think this is my new favourite yarn. It's a bit finer than standard dk weight and comes in a wide range of beautifully flat colours. This is a peek from my stash and shows just some of the colours.

I used 2.75 mm needles, or old UK size 12's.

They were fun and interesting to make, and they make me smile every time I look at them.

Knit Bits

2009-06-02T10:39:00.012+01:00

This blog seems to be all about knitting and crochet at the moment, doesn't it? Quilting has taken a back seat for now, although I still intend to sew from time to time!
I'm very much enjoying working with the lovely yarns that are available now. I learned to do basic knitting when I was four years old, so in a way it feels like things have come full circle and I've returned to my knitting "roots", but with a new perspective. I don't mean that as introspectively as it sounds. I've always been interested in many different crafts, and have concentrated on different ones at different times.

Everything in the photo is from this book.
I was very pleased with the leaves, I think they turned out beautifully.

One of my favourite patterns in the whole book is the garter stitch poppy. I like garter stitch anyway, and I think it's a very effective design.

I haven't finished with the poppy pattern, and I'll show you what I'm doing with it in another post.

Cakes

2009-05-19T12:02:00.011+01:00

I have succumbed to the cupcake craze, at least where knitted ones are concerned. Not that I've any objection to real ones. My daughter asked if I would make her a knitted cupcake, so I made her three.
I spent some time looking at cupcake patterns and found some nice ones on Etsy. The two bigger cupcakes are from the pattern by Little Cotton Rabbits. I made one in cotton and the other in wool. The pink crocheted rosebud decoration is one I had already. I knew it had to come in useful one day.

The pink cake isn't strictly speaking a cupcake, but a tart. This is another pattern from Etsy, from a seller called Cakes Cakes Cakes who has several yummy looking cake patterns.

Both these patterns are sold as downloads, which I think is a very convenient way to buy patterns.
I think either of these designs would make a very good pincushion for a knitter. They're fun aren't they, and they would be just right as somewhere for putting yarn needles. You can make endless variations with different colours, beads, etc.

The blue crocheted cake I'm keeping for myself and is from this pattern (thank you BitterSweet). It was very quick to make and turned out really well. I used a lightweight (4 ply) cotton because I wanted it to be a tiny size. It's less than 2" tall, including the wooden bead cherry.

Much less fattening than the real thing.

May Flowers: Sunday

2009-05-10T09:33:00.000+01:00

May Flowers: Saturday

2009-05-09T08:28:00.001+01:00

May Flowers: Friday

2009-05-08T08:58:00.004+01:00

May Flowers: Thursday

2009-05-07T08:21:00.001+01:00

May Flowers: Wednesday

2009-05-06T09:18:00.001+01:00

May Flowers: Tuesday

2009-05-05T08:58:00.002+01:00

A Week of May Flowers: Monday

2009-05-04T11:01:00.004+01:00

I always think it's amazing how the garden leaps into life in spring, especially in May.

Violas

2009-04-28T11:43:00.010+01:00

I thought it would be fun to make a short string of simple small flowers to use as a spring decoration. I had in mind something small-scale and understated, in soft spring colours.
I used the crocheted Viola pattern from 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet and made a dozen, joining the flowers together as I went, making the join at the point of finishing off each flower. This flower is a bit fiddly to make, but after the first few I found I was getting through them quite quickly.
Some leaves at either end enhance the flowers, and serve as a connection between the garland and the chain ends.

I intended it to hang swag-style from a shelf, but when it was finished I thought something like this could also be used as an edging for something, a runner for example. Click on the photos to see the detail.

I used all 4 ply weight yarns of various brands and a 2.50mm hook.

Hope you're enjoying the spring!

Quick Chicks

2009-04-11T12:14:00.002+01:00

I just had time to knit some Easter chicks from this pattern by the very clever Barbara Prime. These are so quick to make. Go and knit yourself a spring chick!

More Flowers

2009-03-27T08:31:00.008Z

This is my version of the popular round crocheted cushion that's been seen on several blogs recently. I used the pattern from the Complete Guide to Knitting and Crochet, but changed the edging and found a different flower pattern to adorn the centre. The leaves are my own improvisation.
I've found that circular cushion pads are difficult to find, at least where I live (a cultural desert!), so I modified a square one instead.
I used Rowan Pure Wool Aran for the cushion and scraps of dk for the flowers.

Talking of flowers, I must mention this book.

I don't know when I've been so excited to get a new book as I was when this one arrived. I knew last year that it was going to be published, and had it pre-ordered. What would we do without Amazon?
There are patterns for both knitted and crocheted flowers in the book, which is nice if you do both these crafts. The ones I've tried here are all crocheted, in either dk or 4 ply.

All the patterns I've tried turned out well, although some are more complicated than others, and do require some concentration!

Some of them are quite ingenious in the way they are made. The forget-me-nots are a case in point (the bunch of 3). If you try them you'll see what I mean. The other blue one is amazingly simple but very effective. The pansy was definitely complicated.

The butterfly is one of 3 different ones from the book, of which I thought this was the nicest one.

I'm not sure what I'll do with them all, but it's quite nice to have a few flowers put aside for attaching to different things as and when. The main thing is it's fun to try them out!

Another time I'll show you some of the knitted flowers from the book.

Stripes

2009-03-19T11:53:00.007Z

I finished my striped blanket at last. I did a couple of rows of white around the edge, then for the outer picot edging I borrowed an idea from quiltmaking and used leftovers from the stripes to make a multicoloured "binding".

This way I was able to use up ends of wool which were only a few feet long, while continuing the stripe theme in a different way.
Thinking of doing it like this really was a lightbulb moment, and I'm very pleased with the effect.

The finished size is about 46" x 44", and the yarn is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. This isn't budget yarn, but it is truly gorgeous.

You don't need a pattern to make a blanket like this. It's basically just stripes, which can be as wide or as narrow as you like, and you can make it any size. All you need is a basic knowledge of crochet.

Any good beginners' book will tell you how to construct crochet in rows, but you do need to make the foundation chain loosely.

If anyone would like details of the very simple picot edging, I've written up how I did it in the post below.

I really enjoyed making this blanket, and now I almost feel sad that it's finished! Do you ever feel that slight sense of loss when you finish a long-term project you've enjoyed?

Simple Picot Edging

2009-03-19T11:47:00.006Z

Working into a base of an even number of stitches:

*1 dc in each of next 2 stitches, 3 chain, slip stitch in left-hand side of last dc worked. Repeat from *.

To make the slip stitch, you need to insert the hook into the 2 vertical strands at the side of the last dc worked.

I have used UK crochet terms. American crocheters, just read sc instead of dc.

Can't Help Knitting Flowers

2009-02-28T11:30:00.012Z

What a long way knitting has come in modern times. From once being regarded only as a cheaper alternative to ready-made clothes, knitting and crochet are now being taken to new levels and given the recognition they deserve - at least in the creative world, if not by the population in general.
When I started knitting garments as a teenager in the 1970's, I had no idea there was so much in knitting that hadn't yet been done. Take knitted flowers, for instance. Who would have thought of it 30 years ago? Yet now it's not only possible, but easy to track down patterns and methods which give good results.
This flower is from Designs for Kids by Lucinda Guy. This book is mainly children's clothes, but there are other fun patterns as well, like stuffed animals and blankets, all knitted.

The pink and yellow version is knitted exactly as it is in the book, except I used 4 ply (fingering weight) for mine, which makes it smaller than the original pattern, and a nice size I think.

This is the same pattern done in dk weight with some leaves added to make more of a bunch.

The flowers are made on 2 needles and seamed, but the magic of mattress stitch makes the seams virtually invisible from the right side.

*****

I love new books! This is the new title by EllynAnne Geisel, author of the very popular Apron Book. If you like the charm of authentic vintage linens and the special ambience they create, you will love The Kitchen Linens Book.

As soon as I opened this book I was drawn in by the wonderful colours and detail of the photographs. Sunbonnet Sue, Scottie dogs, potholders (which in my family were called "kettleholders"), tea towels, aprons, napkins - they are all represented in this book.

The author looks at these everyday textiles of years ago and relates them directly to the traditional patterns of family life. Maybe this is one reason why they strike such a chord with us today.

There is lots of background information to read, including the best way to care for vintage linens and the various fibres they were made from, and there's even a transfer included so you can make your own embroidered tea towels.

This book celebrates the domestic skills of the ordinary women who made and used these honest and beautiful household items.

One More Heart

2009-02-14T07:10:00.001Z

Have a happy Valentine's Day.

A Week of Hearts: Friday

2009-02-13T08:16:00.000Z

One more tomorrow.

A Week of Hearts: Thursday

2009-02-12T08:48:00.000Z

A Week of Hearts: Wednesday

2009-02-11T12:59:00.000Z

A Week of Hearts: Tuesday

2009-02-10T08:57:00.001Z

A Week of Hearts: Monday

2009-02-09T16:11:00.004Z

I'll be posting a different heart picture every day between now and Valentine's Day. This is Monday's photo.

A Rose and Some Stripes

2009-02-06T14:38:00.012Z

I'm finding myself gravitating towards anything to do with yarn these days. The knitted rose is from Nicky Epstein's Knitted Flowers, although mine doesn't look quite the same as the one in the book.
I used RYC Cashsoft 4 ply and small needles, and I think this makes a nice fine-scale finished piece.

The finished look of this rose depends a lot on how you roll up the knitting to make the rose. It can be a tight or a loose roll. It seems to be a matter of finding the balance between evenly rolling and leaving room for the top edge to curl. It all depends on how you want it to look. I fiddled about with it for quite a while and I'm quite pleasedwith the finished effect.

If it's not knitting, it's crochet.

This is what became of the pile of yarn I bought 3 months ago with a striped blanket in mind, and it has indeed become stripes.

I wanted to keep the design simple and let the colours speak for themselves. It's aran weight, which is thicker than my last blanket. It's mainly rows of half-trebles, but to vary things slightly I did the pale blue rows in trebles (I'm using UK crochet terms here).

It's almost finished now. I just want to work some sort of edging around, so I'll see how that works out.

This has been so therapeutic to do, I could hardly put it down. Just one stripe after another, stacking up colours.

And at the end of a week of real winter weather, this is my snowy garden.

I must admit I do quite like the snow, at least I do when I don't have to go anywhere in it.

I like the stillness of the undisturbed garden, and the reflected whiteness brings a lovely quality of light into the house.

Birthday Pansies

2009-01-21T10:59:00.010Z

Well, it seems I can't stay away from my blog for long! I wanted to take advantage of a sunny day and take some photos - we seem to have been living in a semi-permanent state of twilight here lately.

You've seen this doily pattern before, but now I've made one with pink pansies for my daughter, whose birthday was last week. She was apparently 25! Can that be right? Surely it was only the other day that I was 25 myself?

This is the third time I've made the pansy doily and I'm still not sick of it, LOL.

There are so many different colour schemes it can be done in.

The pansy pincushion is a few years old and is from an old Need'l Love pattern.

Edit: The doily pattern can be found here.

New Year, New Blanket

2009-01-08T10:37:00.011Z

During the strange timewarp that is Christmas and New Year, I managed to get my blanket finished. I crocheted the squares together with dc (or sc if you're in the US). With this method of joining, the seam becomes part of the design.
I added a narrow stripe of green around the edge to add a bit of definition. I think I could have put fewer green stitches at the corners, but what the heck, it's done now.

Then I made miles of lacy edging and sewed it in place, gathering and easing it at the corners. If you're interested in the edging pattern, it's from Leisure Arts 2876, 99 Edgings. I used pattern no. 13 which I modified slightly. It was worked the short way and was quicker than you might think, as it's only a 2-row repeat which is easily memorised.

I wanted to use the yellow because I already had several balls of it. Would you believe the joining alone took almost a whole 100 gram ball of yarn!
The square motif is from 101 Granny Squares, published by Annie's Attic.

The whole thing is about 42 x 48 inches. The yarns are a mixture of different brands of standard dk weight, most of which I already had in my stash. The only thing I had to buy more of was the off-white.

I enjoyed making it and I'm really pleased with how it's turned out. To me it looks fresh, sunny and springlike.

I like the way that if you take elements from different sources and put them together in your own way, you can finish up with a unique, individual piece.

Well, after 2 years of blogging I think the time has come for a pause. If you have regularly read my blog, I want you to know how much I appreciate your interest in my creative efforts. I will be posting more occasionally in the future, but for now I wish you a very happy although belated New Year.

Knot Garden

Wool Pincushion

2008-12-12T10:44:00.008Z

We've had some nice bright weather this week, so I've got some sewing done despite the short December days. I like to work in natural light where possible, and of course decent light is necessary for taking photos. This was a nice quick project which I really enjoyed.
It came about because I wanted to make something with the lovely blue hand-dyed wool I used for the background. I didn't have a pattern, I just played around with colours and shapes until I was satisfied with the arrangement.

I deliberately left the flower petals unstitched, but I wanted to "work into it" a bit, as my daughter's art teacher used to say, and I added some touches of embroidery and some beads. The beads were left over from the Christmas card I made a couple of posts back.

It was just a bit of fun really, to see what I could come up with. I might do it differently if I did it again, but I love these colours, and as a pincushion it will be useful as well.

I'm taking a Christmas break from blogging now. I hope you have a lovely Christmas and I'll be back in 2009.

Squares and Other Shapes

2008-12-07T14:31:00.012Z

Remember these crocheted squares? Well I've been gradually adding to them and now I've got a basketful! I only need a few more to have enough for a throw.
The yellow is what I was thinking of using to join them together and for making a wide edging.
I wasn't going to bother blocking these squares, but looking at the photos, maybe I should.

There are actually about three different dyelots of the off-white here, so I think I'll have to be careful to mix them up evenly before joining them. It will be 14 squares by 12. Don't know what that comes to, but I know it's a lot, LOL.

****

I've been playing with wool fabric and cutting out shapes.

This photo reminds me of those packets of gummed paper pre-cut shapes you use to be able to buy. I remember buying those regularly with my pocket money as a child.

A pincushion perhaps?

Knitted Holly

2008-11-29T10:48:00.004Z

I love mixing different textures in the same project. This is a Christmas card I made this week. The heart is wool fabric. I did all the sewing on the heart first, then glued it to the card.
My holly was from a pattern in Knitting Over the Edge by Nicky Epstein. This book and her earlier one, Knitting On the Edge, are both really good resources for patterns which could be used in unlimited ways, not only for edgings.
I used 4 ply and very fine needles for the knitting.

I find that hand quilting needles are good for sewing on seed beads. They're fine enough to go through easily, and don't bend as soon as you look at them like beading needles are inclined to do.

I seem to have done well for fun mail lately - last week I won a lovely parcel of goodies from Gemma of Dancin' Puffin. She had a surprise giveaway on her blog, and without even knowing it I left the 100th comment and won!

She sent all these goodies - I love the colour of the Debbie Bliss Cathay, and the sew-cute keyring is now holding my keys. Thank you, Gemma :) If you haven't seen Gemma's blog, do go and read about her new puppy, knitting and beautiful chickens.

A Different World

2008-11-21T10:05:00.019Z

A long, long time ago, before I was married and before the responsibilities of home and small children took over, I used to go regularly with my father to visit local fleamarkets and second-hand book sales.
He was looking for authentic old fittings for our house which he was renovating, or old books for his collection, while I kept my eyes open for old needlework patterns and magazines.
This was in the early 198o's, long before eBay existed. There wasn't the level of interest in crafts then that there is now, and I was usually able to find interesting items for a pound or even 50p.

These are just a few examples of what I bought at that time.
In the early 20th century, not all publications were printed with a date, but if they aren't, you can usually get a good idea of their age by looking at the styling and advertisements.

There are some lovely illustrations.

Wouldn't you love to have these applique curtains hanging at your window? I would.
Cottage garden flowers like foxgloves were popular subjects for needlework in the 1930's.

The usual way to get your embroidery design onto fabric ready for stitching was to use a hot-iron transfer, and many magazines gave away a free transfer with each issue. In other cases the reader was invited to "send for" the transfer needed to complete the project.

I've always thought it would be quite possible to copy some of the designs, because the stitch diagrams often give all the information you need.

Crochet patterns were often designed to be worked with extremely fine thread - in this case, size 80!

I've kept them all these years, and I still like to look through them from time to time, for inspiration and just because they're so interesting. For me they bring back memories of time spent with my Dad, who encouraged my interest, and they really are an authentic glimpse into another age.

Sewing Machine Time

2008-11-15T11:57:00.014Z

I put in some serious sewing machine time this week and got my quilt top finished. Now it's all put together, I really like it. Not sure how I'm going to quilt it, though.

****

While we were away a couple of weeks ago, I took some knitting so I had something to do in spare moments. I do like to do some knitting sometimes. I know I've said it before, but there's something good about the rhythm of working and the warmth of the yarn.

I made some handwarmers fom the pattern posted by Little Cotton Rabbits. (Scroll down that page for the pattern.) I've only just got round to sewing the side seams to finish them.

I think it's a very nice simple pattern and I would definitely make these again in another colour.

But how strange does it feel photographing your own hand?

They add some extra length to your sleeve on a cold day.

I used 1 ball of RYC Cashsoft DK in Parma. I love the softness of this yarn.

****

Some fun mail this week - aren't I lucky? These lovely fabrics arrived from Karol-Ann.

We did a sort of swap and this is what she sent me - Liberty, no less. Thank you, Karol-Ann!

Small Crochet

2008-11-09T14:00:00.006Z

There are quilt blocks sitting looking at me, but no progress has been made with them yet, so this is some crochet I did a while ago. You may have gathered that I like making small things!
The patterns are not new - the heart-shaped purse is from an old Kindred Spirits book, Handgifts. I also made the frog-shaped purse from the same book, but I'll show you that another time.
The rectangular one is a crochet pattern by Janet Miller (The City Stitcher), which I bought from Quilters' Warehouse. Coincidentally, I've just checked and the Kindred Spirits heart is also designed by Janet Miller. I like her crochet patterns.
I did both in 4 ply cotton yarn.

I don't suppose I would use a purse like this in a practical way, but it gives you a lift to make something pretty, and I have them hanging in the sewing room where I can see them.

Holiday

2008-11-01T14:46:00.010Z

We had a few days away last week, travelling all the way down to Sussex and the south coast.
Brighton was lovely - fresh, crisp and sunny.

The beautiful blue sea and sky.

Brighton Pavilion, built in 1822 for the Prince Regent, later to become George IV.

We did a lot of driving round the area and visited other towns as well.

This is Winchester Cathedral, which dates back to 1709.

One of the tombs here is that of Jane Austen.

We caught the train into London on one of the days, but because of the distances in London itself we didn't get very far in one day. We went to Peter Jones and John Lewis and looked in Selfridges, saw Buckingham Palace and walked across Hyde Park. We crammed in as much as we could, but one day is definitely not enough time to see London.

The only shopping I did was for yarn! I got all this Cashmerino Aran to make a striped blanket. Not cheap, but such nice colours!

On the way back home yesterday we stopped at the Autumn Quilt Festival at Malvern, just like we did last year. It's not as big a show as Quilts UK at the same place in May, but it was well worth going because I bought these fabrics.

I told myself I would exercise restraint and only buy what I really liked, especially after all that yarn shopping. I fell in love with this print:

It was a really nice few days, less than a week, but so refreshing to get away, have a change of scene and do something different!

Poppy

2008-10-25T15:47:00.011+01:00

Last month I posted about the book Crochet Bouquet - this is the poppy I made from the book.
I thought this pattern looked really tricky because it involves pulling up threads to make the flower bowl-shaped. Also, there are a lot of stitches to squeeze into a small space at the start of the petals to make them full enough, but I wanted to try it just to see if I could do it, LOL!
I used Patons 4 ply cotton. My poppy is red just because that's the classic poppy colour, but it could be made in any colour. A pink or mauve poppy would be nice. I found the perfect button for the centre, and the grey radiating lines are long stitches, sewn after the crochet is finished.

I've been piecing quilt blocks, 9 in all, and here are 3 of them:

It's busy, but I'm hoping that the stripe borders will bring an element of order.

I do like those sparkling nine patch centres. That was really what drew me to the pattern. The simplicity and symmetry of the nine patch.

Some Sewing

2008-10-18T15:30:00.007+01:00

For some reason it's been difficult trying to get back into sewing. I spent a day looking through books and spreading out fabrics, but nothing seemed to be working.
It was time to make a decision so I chose one pattern and started pulling out possible fabrics. I went through 3 different colour schemes before I finally decided on these fabrics, and I got the centres of 9 blocks made.

There will be more light fabric around the edges of the blocks.
The pattern is called Blueberry Pie and is from a book I've had for a long time, Buttermilk Farm by Black Mountain Quilts.
I used to buy all the books by Black Mountain and Cabbage Rose as soon as they were published, and although they're a few years old there are some very nice patterns in them.
This pattern is a little gem of a small pieced quilt.

Enjoy your weekend :)

Buttons, Beads and Fabric

2008-10-11T14:21:00.009+01:00

I was looking for a small sewing project to ease myself back into sewing, and I decided to make the 2 sizes of cosmetic bag from Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle. This is a nice book with some very do-able projects.
The pattern is for a plain purse in all one fabric, but I can't help messing with a perfectly good pattern. I decided to try the larger size with a foundation-pieced flap, and it turned out not bad.
When I first read through the pattern it wasn't clear whether the outline was the cutting line or the sewing line, but once I had worked out it was the sewing line they were really easy and quick to make, even for someone like me with not much experience of bag-making.

I used Velcro for the fastenings. Those sticky Velcro dots are difficult to push a needle through! The buttons are just for decoration. The beads weren't actually my first choice of colour, but they were all I could get locally.

I think this is a great plain pattern which is suitable for individualising (is that a word?) in all sorts of different ways. I had loads of fun playing with different trimmings and buttons.

It's nice to have some handwork on the go as well, and I've got into the habit of crocheting squares in the evenings. Squares are addictive! The pile is slowly growing.

Crochet Indulgence

2008-10-05T14:02:00.011+01:00

The quilt I finished a couple of weeks ago was so labour-intensive it seems to have caused temporary quilting burn-out, and I haven't even started another quilt yet.
At the moment I seem to be leaning more towards yarn than fabric. I don't know now how I ever managed without having some crochet or knitting on the go.

I've posted about potholders before, for instance here and here, and now I've made myself another one. They are fun to make, but no, I've never actually USED them.
I liked this one because of its unusual shape and the big shaded flowers. (The pattern is from a book called Baker's Dozen Potholders, published by Annie's Attic, 2oo2.)
I think if I call my potholders a "collection", that will mean I can make as many as I like, and it won't matter if I use them or not, LOL!

Don't they make a lovely scrunchy-textured pile of colour?

Crochet and Fun Mail

2008-09-26T09:55:00.007+01:00

I don't seem to have got much done this week, but I have started crocheting some squares for a throw, the only function of which will be to look nice. I'm thinking of this as a longer term project, and I can just make a few squares when I feel like it.

The pattern is from a book called 101 Granny Squares by Darla Sims, published by Annie's Attic. There are some very nice cottagey-style motifs in this book. I thought this block was so pretty. When I saw the pattern I immediately imagined it with the centre flower in different colours.

I've been doing one row extra all the way round to make them a bit bigger, because they are beautifully small, but other than that I'm keeping to the pattern.

This lovely fabric basket arrived last week from Darlene. It's such a nice size and will be very useful. It's beautifully made and the workmanship is FLAWLESS.

It makes a perfect container for balls of thread. Thank you, Darlene!

Just a Note

2008-09-18T15:19:00.008+01:00

Edit: The instructions for the book cover and embroidery are in Samples From the Past Part 1, published by Blackbird Designs in 2000.

It's not very big, only about 4" x 6", and that's so it can easily fit in my bag. Before this one there was a different one which got full, but one book lasts me a long time, and this one's been going quite a while.
The cover was simple and straightforward to make. The embroidery design is an early Blackbird Designs pattern.
I use this book for jotting down creative ideas and notes I want to remember. It's not a journal of what I've made, but more of a place to keep ideas and possibilities. It might be something to make, measurements of a piece of furniture, something I've seen in a magazine, or just ideas for colour combinations.

There are some pictures from magazines cut out and glued in, but it's mainly notes and drawings. Loose pieces of paper can be tucked inside the front and back covers, and sticky notes can be added to the pages. Any little idea I want to keep in mind and not lose, goes in the book.

At the back of the book I write down quotations I've heard or read which appeal to me. Here's one I like by Christopher Morley:

"There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way."

Do you keep a notebook?

Intensive Quilting

2008-09-12T19:00:00.008+01:00

This is the result of all my time at the sewing machine lately.
I wanted to make some extra effort with the quilting because I thought the design was worthy of it. Well, it's finished, it nearly killed me and now I never want to see another quilt again! Only kidding . . . at least I think I am :)

I did some stippling around the main design, echo quilting in the borders and some cross-hatched lines in the corners. The only quilting I did on the appliques was to stitch around the flower centres for stability.

I washed it and now it's got that crinkled look, which I do quite like. My only reservation about that is that some of the small detail of the fabric print inevitably gets lost in the texture.

The back's a nice rosy print.

Pattern info: The pattern is a Pat Sloan design called Rambling Rose, from McCall's Quilting magazine, April 2004.

Pincushions

2008-09-05T10:00:00.010+01:00

I recently bought this lovely book. If you like crocheting flowers, you will want to investigate this book. There are lots of patterns for both stylised and realistic flowers, several different leaves, and detailed techniques to give your work a perfect finish. The pansies in the photo are from the book.

I really liked this version of a sunflower. I love the difference in scale between the big centre and the tiny petals. The inner edge is worked over two extra strands of thread for padding, and this does give a nice stable edge to the centre.

I wanted to think of my own way to use this flower, and decided on a pincushion.

The 'cushion and leaves are wool. I was pleased with the way it turned out and the nice fat shape, and it was so easy to put together that I made another one with different flowers.

These flowers are based on a simple 6-petal flower from a different book, but I made them with 4 petals because I had it in my head that they should look like the florets on a hydrangea bloom. Beads in the flower centres add another texture.

Because, as I always say, and I think you'll agree, you can never have too many pincushions.

End of August

2008-08-29T12:14:00.012+01:00

Well, I got loads of gardening done, despite a few wet days. Not as much as I wanted to, but I did get a lot of cutting back done, and progress has been made.

My theory is that if I get the garden as up to date as I can by the autumn, there should be less to do next spring. I don't think I've ever got this far with it before. I'm only showing you the best bits, LOL.

On a completely different subject, I've been making dishcloths. I've only ever made dishcloths to give away before, but I'm always hearing about how much better home-made ones are, so I crocheted some for my kitchen.

These are all made from old Leisure Arts patterns I had. They were so quick to make that it won't matter too much when they get dirty and wear out, because I can always make another. Only a utilitarian thing, but I like them. At least, I like the look of them - I don't think I've ever used a dishcloth this thick and chunky before! I suppose knitted ones would seem thinner.

I've also been doing some quilting . . .

. . . which I'll show you properly when it's finished.

Only Ewe

2008-08-09T11:25:00.007+01:00

I don't really know why I wanted to knit a sheep. I think a knitted sheep just seemed like an appropriate thing for someone who knits to have.
The pattern is from Toy Knits by Debbie Bliss, with my own modifications.

I had issues with this pattern, and one of them was the length of the body in proportion to the size of the head. I shortened the body of mine quite a bit, and I also made the ears about twice the size they were in the pattern.

When she was finished she looked very plain, so I got out the flowers I knitted back in February and sewed a few of them on. These were from Nicky Epstein's book of knitted flowers.
I think they dress her up nicely. I do like to add something to a pattern.

It's not easy getting a good picture of a sheep. It was a long and gruelling photo shoot for both of us.

I'm taking a short break from blogging now. I want to put some work in on the garden and if possible get it completely up to date by the end of the summer.

I'll try to keep up with reading blogs and I'll be back in a couple of weeks!

Multicoloured Pansies

2008-08-01T12:27:00.009+01:00

Since I posted about this doily in May, I've been thinking about making another one using more colours.
Some of these colours are a bit brighter than I would normally use, but I needed 8 different colours to have 2 pansies of each colour, and I wanted to use the same brand of cotton for the whole thing. I'm hoping the cream and darker green tone down the other colours slightly. It's that bright mauve/purple I'm thinking of.

The yarn is Patons 100% cotton 4 ply. This cotton is smooth and soft to work with and not too string-like.
I thought the pansies on their own were photo-worthy. Love those green pansies!

I don't often like making the same thing more than once, because I'm always wanting to move onto the next thing, but in this case I really did enjoy working with all the different colours, and I knew already that this pattern worked well.

I block doilies by pinning them to shape on an ironing board. I spray them with water, leave to dry, then remove the pins and press. This one needs a lot of pins and it's worth taking some time to get the pinning right and make a nice job of it.

It's been very hot here, especially the first half of the week, so not much gardening has got done, but I have been taking some pictures.

This is a view I like, and it shows the border which runs along the side of our house.

I hope it's not too hot where you are. Have a great weekend :)

Sunshine Day

2008-07-24T10:30:00.016+01:00

I don't know if you remember this quilt I posted about back in May. I finished the top but wasn't sure if the colours worked. Well, I've got used to the yellow and I think it does look better quilted. In the light, bright days of summer the colours look all right.
The pattern is Old Glory by Renee Plains. I added an extra row of blocks to mine, making it square.

You can see in the first picture there are two different yellow fabrics. I didn't have enough of either to do all the sashings, so I used a combination of the two.

The sashing strips on the outer edge are a lovely Robyn Pandolph print I've had for years. You can't really see much of it, but still it was nice to be able to use some of it.

I must just say thank you to Twyla and Lindsey for this award:

And to Lyn for this one:

They both write amazing blogs and I'm pleased and very flattered that they thought of me.

I'm supposed to choose several bloggers to pass these awards on to, but there are so many wonderful blogs out there. If you read this blog, whether you comment or not, I appreciate you, so I'm going to follow Meggie's example and say if you'd like an award, consider it yours!

It's been very hot here the last couple of days, too hot to do any gardening, although lots of things need cutting back now. It's nice for a change to walk around the garden with my camera and just observe, rather than feel the compulsive need to work on it, LOL.

I don't know the name of the pink flowers, but behind them is a yellow potentilla, and in front is alchemilla mollis.

Poppy seedheads.

Hope you're enjoying the summer.

Flower Garland

2008-07-18T11:14:00.011+01:00

It was my daughter's birthday last Saturday, and not just any birthday but her 21st. I wanted to make some sort of table decoration that she could keep and use afterwards. This was just for her family birthday tea on Saturday - she had another party with friends on Sunday. What it is to be young!

I knew I wanted to make some kind of garland or swag, but I wasn't sure how it would turn out, and it evolved as it went along. At first I was thinking of regular spaces between the flowers, but it turned out differently. It's a combination of 5 different flowers and 2 leaves.

I made all the flowers first and then crocheted them together on a long chain from the back, but it needed more stability, so I tried tacking the sides of each flower to the one next to it with sewing thread, and that made all the difference. Then I sewed the leaves in and finally the small flowers, which were attached on top with French knots.

I'm often asked about the patterns I use. There are lots of crocheted flower patterns available, and I think this idea would work with any arrangement of any flowers. You know I love my books! My flowers were a selection from these 3 books:

99 Floral Motifs to Crochet - Leisure Arts

Crochet Embellishments - Jean Leinhauser, Leisure Arts

201 Crochet Motifs, Blocks, Projects and Ideas - Melody Griffiths (this book uses UK crochet terms).

Rambling On

2008-07-11T12:46:00.018+01:00

After some intensive applique I finished the Rambling Rose quilt top, so now it's ready for layering up and quilting.
I wasn't sure about the border fabric, but I wanted to use something I already had, and I had enough of this print, which is a sort of greeny-beige. It's a lighter and warmer shade in real life than it looks in this photo, and the corner blocks are a proper green.

Can you see the appliqued bees? I made my bees smaller than the ones on the pattern, because I wanted a more understated bee.

From roses to hollyhocks, and this beauty is growing outside our dining room window.

A couple of people asked about the quilt in the background behind the bunny in my last post. If I wasn't able to reply to you, you can see a picture of the whole thing here in a post from last year (4th picture down). The pattern is called Cabin Corners and is from Jo Morton's first Jo's Little Women series of patterns. The quilt is just 15 inches square and I think it's one of my all-time favourite patterns.

That's all for now - it will be my daughter's birthday this weekend, and I've got a cake to bake!

A Bunny and Some Flowers

2008-07-04T10:21:00.010+01:00

I finished knitting the bunny I posted about a couple of weeks ago. I gave him a posy of vintage buttons for his garter stitch waistcoat. I really like the naive look of garter stitch. His ears are two layers of knitting. Garter stitch rocks!

I tried to give him a face that was friendly but not too cute. I wasn't sure about the pink stitched nose, but he's done now, and I'm toying with the idea of knitting a sheep. (Get it? Terrible joke.)

*****

We've had some very warm and sunny weather this week. Even when it's too hot I can't help pottering about outside until the heat drives me in. There always seems to be so much that needs doing.

I had to take a picture of these star-like blue flowers (don't know the name - campanula?) because they're so pretty just now. They grow in a huge mass, especially if they have something to support them.

The tree in the centre background is a buddleia, which should have some flowers on soon.

This is taken from the other side. The plant in the foreground is alchemilla mollis. It has tiny frothy flowers of vibrant acid yellow, almost lime green, and it's really good as a filler in cut flower arrangements.

Old and Familiar

2008-06-27T12:45:00.025+01:00

Nothing much new to show you today, so I thought you might like to see a few older quilts from years past. My fabric stash was much more limited when I made most of these, and I wouldn't necessarily do them all the same way now, LOL! They aren't in chronological order, but they were all made between 5 and 9 years ago.

I made this one for my older daughter's room. She doesn't use it now, but I like the colours and I still think it makes a nice quilt for a girl's room. The pattern is Rosy Posy from Barbara Brandeburg's book Fancy Things. I liked the pattern because of the buttons on the flowers.

It was the first and only time I've done curved seams, which weren't too bad. The applique is fused and machine blanket stitched. I used a polyester wadding (batting) which makes the quilt quite puffy - it was after doing this quilt that I realised I liked very thin flat quilts, and I stayed away from polyester wadding from then on!

This was for my younger daughter. She had requested a log cabin for her quilt. It was fun putting the fabrics together for this - I didn't use a pattern. I did some very minimal wavy line quilting, and also a large grid on the seam lines where the blocks join. I would quilt it much more closely now.

This one is more recent, though still 5 years old. The pattern is Amy's Four Patch by Jo Morton. I use it as a throw, my favourite use for quilts. The original was square, but I made mine rectangular.

This is called Pennsylvania Dutch, another Barbara Brandeburg design. I liked the way the centre appears to "float" against the outer border. You can see how some of the blues have faded where it's been folded. How naughty am I for allowing that to happen?

Again, all the applique is fused and machine stitched.

To finish off with, a Thimbleberries classic. If you've been quilting for a few years you probably recognise this pattern. This was one of my first attempts at meander quilting.

That's it for now and thanks for wading through this very long post! Have a great weekend :)

Foxgloves

2008-06-21T14:52:00.008+01:00

I had to show you this crowd of foxgloves, all self-seeded. This is an odd corner of the garden which is really just a very small area of waste ground. The soil is very poor, dry and stony and bakes rock hard in the sun, but the foxgloves don't seem to mind. There's a yellow poppy in there as well.
I've been trying to get some tidying up done in the garden this week, but it's pouring with rain today so all I can do is look out of the window at work I'm itching to get on with.

I can't leave that knitting alone, and I've started making a rabbit. The pattern is from Nursery Knits by Debbie Bliss. This is an oldish book, published 1996, but I sought it out on eBay because I knew there were some toy patterns in it.
Love my books :)

Bunny parts. The yarn that looks grey on the photo is actually more of a fawn shade.

Tangled Threads and 5 Things Meme

2008-06-13T11:56:00.004+01:00

How's this for a tangled mess? This is my box of embroidery threads. Maybe I should wind them all onto plastic bobbins, but the time it would take puts me off. Even when I used to do cross stitch, I never wound threads onto bobbins.

I've been tagged for this meme by the lovely Dawn. I'll warn you in advance, my answers are seriously boring!

The Rules:
Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.

1.What I was doing 10 years ago: We had lived in our current house 1 year and our children were 10 and 14. Since then, one of them has been through university and now lives at home. The difference is she now goes out to work instead of to school. The other daughter is doing a university course but spends a lot of her time at home. So really my life hasn't changed very much in 10 years. I live a quiet life, I was looking after a family then and I still do exactly the same now.

2. What 5 things are on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):
1. Get weekend grocery shopping
2. Do laundry
3. Do some sewing
4. Get some gardening done if it stays dry
5. Prepare evening meal

3. Snacks I enjoy: There's only one answer to that really, and that's chocolate!

4. Things I would do if I was a billionaire: My first thought was to buy myself an isolated house in the countryside. Then I asked my husband what he thought I could do with a billion pounds, and he suggested buying fat quarters.

5. Places I have lived: I haven't lived in many different places. Apart from 2 years living in Australia in childhood, I've only ever lived in Yorkshire, but not always in the same area.

The people I will tag are:
Wendy K, Wendy, Mary Ann, Susan and Ila. I don't know if any of you have been tagged for this already, but it's up to you - participation is optional!

Rambling Rose Applique

2008-06-08T11:17:00.007+01:00

With all my recent knitting activity, I haven't been neglecting sewing. This is the quilt I'm working on at the moment. It's taken me a couple of weeks to almost complete this centre panel.

It's really nice working with these lovely colours and fabrics. The pattern is a Pat Sloan design from an old McCall's Quilting magazine. I saved the magazine intending to make this pattern "one day", but when I looked at the date I was surprised to see it was April 2004. Didn't realise I'd had it for 4 years! I did some research on the McCall's website and it seems this magazine is still available as a back issue.

The background is pieced from several different neutral prints. It was good to be able to use the green sampler-style print.

There will be a narrow defining border, then a wider one with more applique.

Knitted Cushy-ness

2008-05-31T19:24:00.009+01:00

There was a time I thought I'd never pick up knitting needles again, and that was when I discovered quilting fabrics. Sewing is still my main "thing", but knitting and crochet seem to have a much more positive vibe now than they did 15 years ago, with more and different creative possibilities.
And there's something about the warmth of the wool and the rhythm of working that's very calming. In my case, that can only be a good thing!

This cushion (pillow) cover was inspired by a pattern for a throw in the book Pretty Knits by Susan Cropper. I would consider some of the garment patterns in this book to be a bit on the girly side for me, but many of the home and accessories patterns are very nice.
Rather than knit a whole throw, I made a sort of "cushion version" of the throw, using the same stitches but to fit a 16 inch cushion pad.

The cover itself is Rowan Pure Wool Aran. The lovely pale blue shade is called Cloud. The flowers are made from oddments of dk that I already had.

The front is just a square and the back is 2 rectangles.

The crocheted thing in a rather muddy green you can see in the picture is a throw I made last year. This is the ensemble for my blue sofa, including the quilt. Maybe I could squeeze on some more cushions?

Pansies

2008-05-23T15:56:00.007+01:00

I made this doily a few months ago. Yes, I've become a closet doily maker! I wanted to make a classic pansy doily and found a good free pattern here.

It was enjoyable to make if you don't mind crocheting the same thing many times. Darning in all those ends can be a tedious part of the process, but it's got to be done! My pansies are all purple, but they could be made in any colour or in a combination of colours.

I did have to steam press the pansies to make them lie flat, because the petals are quite full and they all need to be folded the same way.

I used my favourite 4-ply-weight cotton, and it's a bit heavier than an authentic vintage doily, but I like it that way.

a bit of everything

2008-05-16T11:18:00.007+01:00

A whole two weeks after I started sewing blocks and sashing together, I've finally got this quilt top assembled. It's okay, but I don't think it's one of my best. The whole thing's quite buttery-looking, and now I'm thinking it could have taken a darker yellow. I like yellow, but it can be a tricky colour to get right. *sigh*
It was all from stash though, and I'll be making a pieced backing to use up more stash.

More knitting, and this will be another cushion (pillow) cover. It doesn't look much now, but hopefully it will when it's finished. (Think knitted flowers.)

We've had some beautiful sunny weather this week, and our auriculas are just about at their best now, a riot of colour! Most of them are planted together in an old ceramic sink. I like this photo which shows them against a background of bluebells.

Dog Blog

2008-05-09T12:47:00.005+01:00

This Scottie dog is from Toy Knits by Debbie Bliss, not a new book but new to me, which I first saw on this lovely blog.
The knitting was all right, but I don't mind telling you sewing him up was a pig. I think I must have chosen the most fiddly thing in the book, or maybe I'm just not used to knitting in 3-D. The making-up instructions seemed to me to be sketchy, and there were a LOT of small pieces.

That said, I still like the pattern. With dogged persistence (pun intended) I muddled through, and on the whole I'm pleased with him. I changed the angle of his head, and I think he turned out a nice doggy shape.

The yarn is Rowan Pure Wool dk, knitted on smaller needles than usual, which makes a nice close fabric for stuffing. There are other nice animals in the book as well - I've got my eye on the pigs and sheep.

I couldn't just leave him as he was, so I made him a felt collar with a button flower.

I think this is his best side.

Spring Flowers

2008-05-02T13:38:00.010+01:00

Just a few garden pictures to look at today. I was outside taking pictures this morning but this afternoon I'll be getting on with sewing blocks and sashing strips together.

It's a calm sunny day here today.

I don't know the name of this plant, but we always had some of it in our garden when I was growing up. It might even be considered a weed for all I know! It has tiny flowers and I let it grow wherever it likes because it's so pretty. It must be very strong to flourish in a crack on concrete steps.

Our bluebells are just coming into bloom.

Cowslips.

Flower Power

2008-04-27T09:57:00.014+01:00

Computer problems over the last couple of days have meant I couldn't answer any emails, but it seems to be working okay now. That's what it's like when you have one of the old wooden, wind-up computers, LOL.
Anyway it took me longer than I anticipated to finish the crocheted bunting, because I decided to add some flowers to it.
I thought it needed some touches of stronger colour, and now it's finished!

I made 9 pennants, which I didn't think would be very long, but 7, 6 or 5 would have done. It's difficult to photograph a long narrow thing except from a great distance, so the pictures show sections of it.

I hung it from a mantel to show you what it looks like. I might hang it on the wall in my sewing room.

The patterns for the flowers and leaves are from two or three different books. I put French knots in the centres of the smaller flowers.

The yarns I used are a mixture of Patons and Rowan 4 ply cottons. The Rowan is a tiny bit thicker than the Patons, but comes in a good rainbow of colours, and they are close enough in weight to work together in something like this where tension isn't crucial.

I'm pleased to say it's completely different from the bunting I originally saw in Laura Ashley, which inspired me to make my own.

Cro-Sew

2008-04-18T12:02:00.005+01:00

I finished making the pennants for my crocheted bunting, so now I've just got to work out how I'm going to join them all together. I'm not making it very long, only 9 pennants, but they have got bigger with the scalloped edging on.

This week I started on some green and white blocks for a quilt. There will also be some pink and yellow in it. I use the term "white" loosely.

This will be another sofa throw, made from stash like the last one. I'm slowly chipping away at that stash! I'm hoping it will have a casual, cottagey look, at least that's what I'm aiming for.

Now this is a proper white, but should these be all over the lawn? I must admit I like them there.

Plastic Fantastic

2008-04-12T09:40:00.007+01:00

These are some recent vintage button acquisitions. I really like these two-tone ones.

As part of my ongoing flirtation with knitting (lol!), last week I finished a cushion cover in aran, which I think is equivalent to a US worsted weight.

The yarn is Patons Washed Haze Aran, which is partly cotton, and nice and soft to knit with.
The sewing up was a bit of a challenge because of the overlap on the front. The first try went completely wrong, but I managed to get my head around it at the second attempt.

On the pattern they used matching brown buttons, but I thought it would be nicer with ALL DIFFERENT vintage buttons. So now the design is as much about the buttons as about the knitting, I think.

I've been tagged by Dawn to list 7 weird or random things about myself, but I had so much trouble thinking of 7 things last time I don't think I can think of any more! But do check out Dawn's lovely blog.

Glimpse of Summer

2008-04-06T10:21:00.011+01:00

It was very warm here last week, and the sunshine seemed to bring some insects out. I got my camera and crept up on this ladybird, sunning itself on some ivy.

This blue pulmonaria has more than doubled in size since last year. Such a vibrant blue.

Primulas in dappled sunlight.

I think this one might be a polyanthus.

The fine weather lasted most of the week. In complete contrast, sleet and snow showers are forecast for later today, but it was nice to have a sunny interlude.

I saw that Laura Ashley are selling crochet bunting this year. Crochet bunting! So I wanted to see if I could make my own version. I reckon all you need to start with is a basic triangle shape, and the rest will follow.

These are the triangles I've done. Mine will be different from the Laura Ashley bunting. I found the method for making triangles in Crochet Inspiration by Sasha Kagan, and modified it a bit to make a slightly more elongated shape. It will be all cotton, so I'm hoping it won't be too heavy to hang nicely - time will tell!

Edit: Bunting is a string of flags or pennants which can be hung as decoration.

Green, Blue

2008-04-02T08:36:00.004+01:00

I know that for some people, blue and green just don't work together. I remember when I was younger sometimes hearing the old saying, "Blue and green should never be seen".
But for me blue and green are a happy combination. They bring to mind early childhood memories of summer days playing in the garden, blue flowers, grass and sky, and all the shades in between. I think perception of colour can be a very individual thing.

This bag is from the Market Bag pattern by Late Bloomer Quilts. Some bag patterns seem to me to be complicated, but this one had clear instructions. It was hard to imagine all those flat pieces turning into a 3-dimensional bag, but they did.
I was thinking about getting a ruffler attachment to do the frill at the top edge, but the price put me off. Nearly £50 for a sewing machine foot! Maybe for my birthday. So I used machine basting and pulled up the gathers by hand.
This bag will be coming out with me this summer - strictly for fun shopping, of course:)

Gloves Done

2008-03-27T16:50:00.005Z

I finished the gloves I was knitting, and we're having some very chilly weather here at the moment, so I think I will get to wear them after all.
The pattern is Sirdar 5983. They were made on two needles (rather than 4). I didn't realise there was a line of cables up the back of the hand until I was actually knitting it, because strangely only the palm side of the glove was pictured on the pattern, as if the photographer didn't know the detail was on the back. No matter, I like cables.

I had some fun mail this week from Wendy. I couldn't believe how much lovely stuff she'd packed into that box! Check out those antique threads! I almost had to go and lie down.

The pattern was one I'd been wanting - how did she know?? And 30's fabrics, which I love, to go with it. And can you see the letter C on the pincushion? I think that's a lovely individual touch. Thank you so much Wendy, I love it all! :)

Leaves and Buttons

2008-03-21T12:30:00.007Z

I've had it in my head for a while to incorporate leaves into a yo-yo project and have some of the yo-yos as flowers. This is what I came up with. I didn't have a yo-yo maker, I just made them the old-fashioned way.
To make the leaves I drew a leaf shape the size I wanted, stitched around it and cut it out, leaving the base of the leaf open for turning.
This is how they look on the back.

I didn't turn the raw edges in because I thought that might make them a bit bulky. I sewed them on with a small blanket stitch, and I think that makes the raw edge acceptable.
I did consider fusing two layers of fabric together and cutting leaves from that, or cutting them out of felt, but I wanted it to be easily launderable.

Some fun shopping this week:

This is my new pale blue teapot, which to be truthful I only bought so I can knit a teacosy for it, lol! (I suppose it might come in useful for making tea in as well.)

I hope you have a lovely Easter with lots of chocolate.

This and That

2008-03-16T11:37:00.007Z

When I cut some forsythia stems last week they were covered in tight green buds. Three days later, this is what they looked like. A splash of sunshine for spring.

I seem to have fallen into the knitting habit lately. I keep looking for nice small projects to knit.

This is the left hand of a pair of gloves in 4 ply. I think I'll have to knit these quick before it gets too warm to wear gloves!

I've been sewing as well, just playing with yo-yos.

The garden is looking more spring-like all the time. I think these pink hyacinths must have been planted outside by the people who lived in this house before us. They make a little patch of pink in the garden every spring, and the smell is gorgeous.

Four Patch on Point

2008-03-08T11:20:00.009Z

Here's my blue quilt finished. I used a pattern from Back in Time by Renee Plains. I like most of her patterns. Mine ended up looking a bit different from the pattern because I used more fabrics and a strong contrast for the outer triangles and border. That wasn't planned, but evolved along the way.
I wasn't sure at first if the border fabric worked because there's no blue in it, but it does pick up the pinks from the other prints, and hopefully the blue binding helps pull it together.

It was nice working with these colours. I was wanting a predominantly blue quilt that looked light but not cold (the colour, I mean). It's a bit more flowery than I've made before, but I'm quite pleased with the way the different prints work together, and it was all made from stash!
It was quilted in my favourite allover heart meander, which is from a stencil.

On a different subject, I must show you what my two daughters gave me for Mother's Day last Sunday.
Something really cool.

My very own iPod Shuffle in a beautiful green.

And look what it says on the back, the small printing at the top:

I love that. They even loaded it up with music for me so it was all ready to use. They know how I love my music. It was a complete surprise! I'm so pleased with it and have been "wearing" it around the house. They're so good to their mother:)

Spring Basket

2008-03-02T10:14:00.007Z

Here's a pretty thing. I found the free pattern here.
It was so quick to make. I added an edging to mine.
The actual crochet took me about an hour. The stiffening process took longer because of the drying time. I used a mixture of half fabric stiffener and half water. It still has some flexibility, but enough stability to stand.

I'll hopefully have a finished quilt to show you soon. Have a great week:)

Knit Garden

2008-02-24T13:31:00.005Z

After thinking about it for a long time, I recently bought Nicky Epstein's Knitted Flowers and I love it! I already had her crocheted flowers book, but if anything I think I like the knitted flowers even better.
The flower patterns are many and varied, and some of them are suitable for felting if desired. You can layer them and combine different components, put leaves on them, and beads or buttons can be added to them. I made all these from skeins of tapestry wool. Scale and tension aren't important in the land of flowers.

I was tagged by Ila to list 7 weird or random things about myself. Of course my mind immediately went blank. And what qualifies something as weird or random? Anyway, here are the 7 things I thought of.

1. I'm 4 days younger than my husband. Always marry an older man, that's what I say.

2. I didn't learn to drive until I was in my 30's. I grew up in a household without a car, and we walked, cycled or used public transport to go anywhere. My kids were both at school before I eventually learnt, and then I realised how much easier it would have been if I could have driven them around when they were little.

3. When I was a child my family lived in Australia for 2 years.

4. I have a phobia about being watched. If I'm cooking and someone is watching me, I'll knock things over and spill stuff. (You know who you are.) If I'm typing and I know someone is standing behind me, I'll hit all the wrong keys.

5. I can't swim.

6. I like cold weather and much prefer it to hot. It has to be really cold before I even notice. If I could have cold, bright weather all year round, that would suit me.

7. I'm a patternoholic. I have too many but I pretend it's a collection! Over the years I've collected hundreds of patterns, books and magazines, old and new, on quilting and other needlecrafts.

I think most of the bloggers I know have been tagged for this already, so I'm going to cop out and say if you haven't listed 7 weird or random things about yourself and you'd like to have a go, please do!

Progress

2008-02-18T14:14:00.007Z

You know when you decide to do some sewing and you happen to be wearing a black sweater, and by the time you've finished you realise it was a mistake? I always seem to get covered in threads!
I've been working on my blue scrappy sofa quilt and here's a glimpse.

Just the borders to put on now.

There's not much happening in the garden at this time of year, but things are slowly starting to grow, and I took a few photos the other day.

A couple of years ago we had to have a dying tree cut down, and toadstools keep appearing on the path in front of where the tree used to be.

There are lots of snowdrops out.

And even a few other spring flowers.

Hearts

2008-02-11T15:31:00.000Z

We've had some computer trouble recently. It had been funny for a while, then a few days ago it crashed completely. It was only out of action for about 24 hours and the problem seems to be fixed now, but it had to be restarted from scratch, and in the process I lost all my email, EVERYTHING, past and current, and couldn't get it back. Oh no!
It seems to be running normally again now, fingers crossed.

I usually make some small Valentines for my daughters, and I used elements from two different patterns to make these hearts.

The idea for the hole-punched heart applique is from a Bird Brain Designs pattern, and the embroidery is based on the Sweetheart Sachet pattern by Crabapple Hill. I modified it slightly to fit my heart shape and added some buttons.
The heart is red felted wool and the cream overlay heart is wool felt. (Does that make sense?) I made the holes with a paper punch, the kind you hit with a hammer. That was great fun. I put a handful of dried rose petals in with the stuffing, and they smell lovely.

A jar of buttons just because it's heart-shaped.