Sorry, sorry...

Hi, yes I am still alive! I have been very busy making and doing, have so much to show you so stick around and I will be back ASAP!

FAIL.....Big time...

Hi, sorry for the lack of posts lately, what with half term, a stinking cold and actually doing some knitting the whole bloggy world has slipped me by. I have so much to catch up on!

So, knitting wise, FAILS...

One hat...colour work, following a chart, using the wrong yarn...I'm going to leave it there and let you imagine the tears and tantrums.

One baby cardigan...knitted up lovely but can I get the seams right? Can I heck! And its only two seams along the sides!!!! Again tears and tantrums...

One shrug...what do you mean my circular needle broke???Jeez its been a bad week!

On the plus side, I made a can cozy for my cider drinking friend, complete with stripes, in three colours, and its perfect! And I manage to crochet the strap for it! Go me.

I also started a knitting club at Freckles school with one of the other mums. So far so good, the kids are so sweet and excited and really keen. We even have 3 boys!

Will update with photos soon, fingers crossed I can get my knitting mojo back

See you soon

Still No Knitting...

Yup, sadly no knitting, part of this is due to a certain game on a certain game console that keeps me and Hubby learning spells and traipsing around a magical castle till stupid o'clock! Its fun but I'm shattered and I cant knit and play at the same time :-(

Anywho I did manage to do some up cycling! I really wanted to put up lots of photos but the type of frames I wanted were very expensive so I had a root around in the loft and this is what I came up with..

I started with some old frames. Hubby got these from an office he was refurbishing, they were throwing them away but he really liked them. They graced our walls for a few years before we had the kidlets and photos replaced art.

I rubbed them down and primed and painted them.

I cut some card to fit the frame and mounted my favourite photos. I wanted to use the pretty corner holders that you get in posh photo albums but I couldn't find any! I used acid free double sided craft tape in the end.

A quick clean of the glass, and I was done!

I am so happy with this, I have more frames knocking about so I think I will be doing this again!

See you soon

Last Minute

Its the Birthday of a dear friend today and I had bought her some gifts that I thought she would like but decided at the last minute that I wanted to make her something too. I happened to have some jars and had just stocked up on sugar so I made a sugar scrub. From decision to gift wrap it took 30 minutes tops!

3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
few drops scent (I chose lemon)

Mix together

Jar up. Done! If I had had more time I would have printed a smarter label but I pretty much spooned it in the jar, wiped it down, stuck on the sticker, wrapped it and went to see my friend!

Oh and just a little peek at Monkey Girl

My little knitter...so cute!
See you soon

Pillowcase Dresses

Hello and happy Monday!

I have made my first dresses this weekend and I am oh so very proud! They are just pillowcase dresses and not massively difficult but I made them myself and it has raised my confidence so much. I am going to bite the bullet and get out the patterns that have been gathering dust with the reams of material I bought weeks ago! I don't like getting things wrong but its getting to the point where I wont do anything for fear of it not being right, so I am turning over a new leaf and getting stuck in! If it goes wrong who cares? No one needs to know and how do you learn if you don't try new things?

So any way... pillow case dresses...a million and one tutorials and patterns online so here are just the photos....

As Monkey Girl is so tiny hers was made with just half a pillowcase. I cut it in half ripped the seams and rejigged them so the tube of material was the right way round and carried on as with Freckles dress.

I have plans to make them two more each after a choice EBay buy of "vintage" pillowcases! I will also have enough to make some summer bags...exciting times!!

See you soon

Why are pirates called pirates???

Cos they ARHHHH!!!
Yeah I know you've heard it, but it still made you smile right?

Monkey girls preschool had a pirate party today, why? I'm not sure but they all had fun so it was worth it! I was lucky that we already had a costume that we got for Freckles when she was a tiddler, luckier still that Monkey girl is so tiny and it still fits her! (its 12-18 months and shes 3!) Look how cute she looked...

Ok, maybe its a touch on the small side but it looked good!

The only thing that we were missing was an eye patch and she really wanted one, so what Monkey wants Monkey gets!

So out came the needles..4.5mm as they were nearest to hand and palm sized ball of black DK

I cast on 16 st

Knit row

Purl row

K2tog, knit to last two st, K2tog

Purl

Repeat last 2 rows till 2 st left

K2tog

cast off and weave in ends

measure enough yarn to wrap round head and attach to top two corners. I used two pieces so it could be tied. Elastic would work too but I was tired by this point!

That's it, done! Here it is gorgeously modelled by hubby

See you soon!

I even amaze myself sometimes....

Yes, it's true, I have managed to finish a knitting project! One with cables no less! Uber proud of myself today!

I had a hissy fit yesterday when I didn't have the buttons I wanted to finish them off, so I had a strop around, spray painted a picture frame, took monkey girl to nursery and then realised...duh..knit some! So I did and very pleased I am too :-)

The pattern is this one by the way!

See you soon with more fancy dress making and the above mentioned picture frame!