Monday 12 December 2016

Christmas Wreath

Christmas Wreath
 
Finished for 2016!
Having started this last year it is finally finished and on the door.
 
She generously shares her methods and so I set to work in November of 2015 covering a polystyrene base as she describes. With one thing and another my wreath didn't get further than the base last year, but it was put carefully to one side and last month I set to work again, this time with a head start.
 
There are a couple of posts here and here, sharing the process and where I found the patterns.
 
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The photos are taken on the garage door because our front door doesn't really get direct sunlight.
 
Christmas Wreath
 
The little robin was made by my Mum and was on our Christmas card from last year.
 I think he looks rather lovely just fluttering over the mice
and am glad to have found a new home for him.
 
Christmas Wreath
 
Here it is in situ on the front door where it is making me smile each day when I get home.
Thank you Lucy!

Wednesday 30 November 2016

Cold mornings and Warm socks

A crispy morning
 
It was a gorgeous crispy morning here today in Cornwall.
I was up early and took Tally out for a walk in the fields as the sun came up, crunching through the grass and even stomping in the odd puddle that had iced over.
 
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I have been working to finish my Christmas Wreath this week
and I hope to share it soon.
In the mean time I though I would share the Pumpkin Socks mentioned here.
 
They are finished and ready to wrap..
 
crochet bed socks

Not the most fantastic looking pair of socks you have ever seen
 but I am strangely proud of having completed them!
 

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I have never made socks before so the whole process was new to me and it was so satisfying to end up with something that was at least wearable. The pattern was fairly straight forward and can be found here at the wonderfully named Ball Hank n'Skein.
I didn't have enough wool to make them as long as the pattern but am aiming for
the "wrinkled round the ankles" warmth
rather than the "pulled up under long boots" look.
 
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And boy are they snug and warm so look out cold toes!!!
xx
 

Wednesday 16 November 2016

Wednesday 9 November 2016

Pumpkin socks

Pumpkin socks
 
When our children were young we read them a book called Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper.
 I loved the books that rhymed like this one,
with repetitive lines that the children learned and repeated with you...
 
'Pumpkin Soup. The best you ever tasted. Made by the Cat who slices up the pumpkin. Made by the Squirrel who stirs in the water. Made by the duck who scoops up a pipkin of salt, and tips in just enough.’
 
These socks reminded me of the colours of the book and our pumpkins are still out on the garden table. This is a free sock pattern found here and is a bit of an experiment. I am not a knitter and have never tried socks before but the pattern is very good and not too bad for a beginner to follow.  
 
WIP
There are also a few more bits for the Christmas wreath.
A poinsettia flower, pattern here by Happy Berry Crochet, I think.
 
And some pine cones, pattern by Lucy of Attic24 here
and another one on a blog called In the Yarn Garden here.
 

Saturday 5 November 2016

Eek mice!!

I went on a short trip to London this week for work but spent the three hour train journey happily sitting doing crochet!
I have always loved the beautiful wreaths made by Lucy at Attic24 and was planning to have a go at a Christmas one last year but it was one of those things that needed far more time than I had anticipated so it has turned into a 2 year project.
 
WIP- christmas wreath base.

 Thankfully this time I have a head start as the main wreath has already been covered so its just the fun bits and bobs to do.
 
I started by making some "jolly holly" the pattern for these is here at Attic24.

 I have also made a couple of weeny pompoms but will need more of these
 to make enough holly berries.
 
WIP

I found these absolutely gorgeous mice on Pinterest.
There is a free pattern on a blog called LucyRavencar-Crochet Creatures found here.
This is a new blog for me and I will certainly be going back for a better look.

two little mice

 I found the first mouse a bit of a nightmare to be honest
but I have never done any amigurumi so it was all very new. 
The most helpful bit of advice was to mark the beginning of each round
 and I used a little safety pin for this.
The wreath is still very much a work in progress but there should hopefully be plenty of time to get it finished this year and on the door!

A quick fix of sewing finished this little cushion which I am now sitting on..
 
patchwork cushion

 And the other finish up has been the flower garden blanket...

Flower garden blanket

 I started this back in May and the flower block pattern was in an issue of Making Magazine described here.

WIP flowery blanket

After completing the central panel I decided to do a big border.
It's funny how sometimes the unplanned bit turns out to be your favourite, do you find that?

Flower garden blanket

The edging is again one from Lucy at Attic24 and the tutorial is here.
She used it to edge her Cosy Blanket which I made last year and I love the way the edging just gives it a bit of structure holding the blanket flatter somehow.

Flower garden blanket

I
This blanket is destined for the camper but is in use on the sofa at the moment and I can't see it going anywhere else before spring.

Flower garden blanket

I hope that you have had time for some crafting too.
x

Sunday 25 September 2016

Still here..

It has been a very busy few months here which left little time for blogging but things are starting to settle down and here I am!

Tally finding a stone

It was a gorgeous sunny morning here so I ventured outside with some stuff to get pictures and Tally came along to "help". I just love this picture of her rummaging for a stone and completely oblivious of the stir she was causing with the cows.

On to crafting....

WIP crochet blanket

The crochet blanket has continued to grow with a big stripy border and it is nearly about the size it needs to be so I am contemplating the edging. The nosey cows came to take a look too!

Inquisitive neighbours!

And on the sewing front there have been a few small projects that I failed to photograph but this is the main bigger one. A quilt top inspired by a quilt called "Summer Chelsea" from the book Kaffe Quilts Again. I think it was designed by Pauline Smith.

WIP quilt top

I have used recycled shirts for the background as usual with appliqued shapes added on top.

And finally the garden. Lots of successes but also lots of weeds due to mild neglect but I am slowly learning to plant more carefully to minimise the amount of time that needs to be spent on it. I love being in the garden but it's all a matter of juggling the balls if you know what I mean?

Apple harvest

The apples are good this year and we are collecting them up ready to be taken to Derek for juicing.
Someone sneaked in while I was getting a picture and tried to steal one!!!!

Tally nicked one!


Monday 30 May 2016

Another lovely sunny day...

WIP- crochet blanket
 
This blanket is still slowly on the go. I have run out of grey and am considering the next border at the moment. Maybe some tiny granny squares of some sort?

WIP

More about the start of the blanket here.

Also finished this week were these curtains for our folding camper.
The first pair were one of my list of recent sewing disasters as they were completely the wrong colour to go with the green and cream of the canvas but these are much better.
Even better the main fabric was a remnant that was already in the cupboard and I managed to match in the pale green and white spots which I love.

curtains for the folding camper


The little red ties are made with the original fabric which was Cath Kidston
and there is plenty left for a few cushions, oh and a draft excluder I made for a friend!

curtains for the folding camper
 
 And this is our wisteria- after about 7 or 8 years it is finally starting to cover the pergola we made and looking and smelling gorgeous. That's the 'royal we' really, my husband and his uncle made it and I just made the tea!!! We were lucky enough to have some old telegraph poles to recycle and they form the corner posts. There is one white and one blue wisteria and I added a Clematis Montana last year which is doing a much quicker job of covering the other side.
 
Wisteria

Sunday 29 May 2016

Cock-a doodle-doo!

I have been on a trip to Cowslip this week and was lucky enough to be given a workshop for my birthday. It was a whole day spent making chickens and cockerels which may sound a bit strange but was really good fun and quite challenging. I can never believe how quickly the time goes on days like this. Before you know it it's time to go home and I feel like I could just settle in for the week!
The day was run by Helen and Ellen who were lovely.

So the workshop was called Cock-A-Doodle-Doo and here is my cockerel which I have just been finishing off today..
 
Cock-a doodle-doo
He is about 16" tall and stands alone without any props.
He is made from fabric and stuffing with some wire in the tail feathers and legs and you get the patterns for both the hen and cockerel to take home.

Cock-a doodle-doo
 
We have been exploring the garden together and he looks in his element out there. I'm not sure where he is going to live exactly. The chickens and cockerels on the tables in the café at Cowslip looked fab but he is a bit on the large side for our table so he might be relegated to the fireplace
or a sunny window.

Cock-a doodle-doo

Meeting our girls..

Cock-a doodle-doo

Cock-a doodle-doo

Just wanted to show you these angelica plants too that I am loving at the moment.
The tallest ones are around 4 ft.
 
angelica

And finally this spell of sunny weather has meant the farmers have been out working on the fields. This one is near our house and I love to walk through the newly cut piles of grass
 following their wiggly lines.

mown field
And so does Tally, if a lot more slowly than she used to.  
Tally

Sunday 22 May 2016

Disaster Dress that ended up as another skirt!

I have been busy having some sewing disasters.
A dress that was just hideous- so bad in fact that it was immediately cut up and refashioned into another skirt..
 
Same old skirt pattern!
 
I love the fabric and this will get a lot of wear
along with the sixty million other ones of the same pattern!
 
Also I have to admit that the idea of unlined skirts and petticoats has already been reversed. They just slipped around all over the place and were generally a bit of a faff so this one is lined with navy cotton and has a concealed zip in the side seam.
 
 

I am really enjoying the posts by Karyn at makesomething which are all about homemade clothes that she is wearing every day for Me Made May.
It is so good to be able to get some inspiration and see what can be achieved.

Wednesday 27 April 2016

Needles and pins


Needle case
This little needle case was another quick project that jumped the queue.
I am planning a sewing box for a present and this is the start,
 along with a box of shiny pins and some 3" squares.

sewing kit- the start
 
I am thinking scissors, thread, felt squares and some more 3" cotton ones, buttons and a popper or two. What else is there that would be essential for an 8 year old do you think?

chives

The garden is really coming to life now despite the recent spell of cold weather here.
We rarely get proper snow down here in Cornwall but there have been a few sharp frosts and it is definitely not time to take your tights off yet!!
The seeds are all planted and were mostly successful with Runner,
French and Broad beans already in. Courgettes and squash are up, as are the tomatoes.


Antirrhinum seedlings

These little antirrhinums are on the kitchen windowsill for some extra warmth and attention.


Friday 22 April 2016

A Quick Fix..

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Sometimes when there is lots going on, nothing works better than a quick fix.
 
I am still working on the crochet blanket and also have three bits of clothing cut out as well as four cushions to cover for the seats in our camper.
 They all seem like quite big projects for the scraps of time available for sewing at the moment so instead I decided to make a completely non-essential mat!!
 
Mat detail

The gentle ease of sewing some straight seams between some 3" squares is something that I hope I will always find relaxing.

Little patchwork mat

If there can be a bit of recycling of fabric, in this case old jeans, then all the better.
 

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And a smattering of hand quilting always does the trick.


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To top it off,
the sun needs to peep through so I can go out in the garden and take a few unnecessary pictures!
 
Happy sewing.