Choo Choo Thomas.....

The hat is done. And I love it! Warm and thick and just like a proper woolly childs hat. What do you think?


Knitted in the same DK oddments as the mitts, the hat itself is simple and very quick to knit up. The only time consuming part was the intarsia for the lettering. I hope it's clear enough what it says, the "K" isn't the best.


Owen hasn't seen it yet as it is now hidden away until christmas. Cain is the model and size tester instead as they are both virtually the same size for hats and gloves.


On the needles now is the scarf to complete the set but I think this might take a few days. Also on the go is the crochet blanket for John but not sure I will have this done for christmas. I keep it upstairs and do a row or two each time I go up there. I'm sure the family think I have some sort of bowel complaint, I'm going up to the bathroom such a lot the past few days ;-) But I don't want John to see it so I'll just have to keep it this way.
Well off to prepare lunch for waking poorly little ones, and back in a day or two with the latest makings.
Oh, do you know it's only four weeks to christmas?
There'll be late nighting crafting going on in all your homes I'm thinking!
Take care.
xx

And now for something completely different.....

Well ok, not completely different........same basic materials, needles and wool. But used in a very different way. Meet little Santa:


Can you see how he's made?

He's needle felted!
So he's not amazing, and I haven't been able to get a good face, but I did so enjoy creating him. It's very therapeutic and stress relieving, the repeated jabbing of the needle into the fibre until the shape begins to appear. And great fun manipulating the piece into the form I wanted it to be. I wasn't even sure what I was making at first so Santa's inside are made from multicoloured fibres which I then overlaid in red simply because the original colour was a little dull. Then as a body shape began to form the image of a little Santa gnome came to mind. So I jabbed some more and created a head, and then rolled and jabbed some arms to attach to the body, then jabbed away at some more red fibre to create a hat and then finally I jabbed a few wisps of white into his face and added a ring of white around his hat. No sewing, no gluing, no pinning, just all held together by each fibre locking onto its neighbour. Amazing isn't it? I left him up on the mantlepiece to be spotted and to see if anyone could guess how he came to be. And he confused them all. Was he shop bought? Was he glued from felt? Was he knitted somehow? Knitted? With no visible stitches? "Well perhaps he was brushed after knitting to make him fluffy?" was one suggestion. And when I relieved he was formed from some wispy bits of wool and a very sharp needle they were all rather surprised.
I think I like this needle felting thing. And I will definitely be having a go at some more christmas/winter themed makes. Not sure how they would hold up to handling by little people but as decorations they should be fine. Now what to make next?
Well after the gifts I currently have on the go of course ;-)
See you all soon with hopefully a glimpse of dearest husbands crochet blanket that I started yesterday. I am forever finding him asleep on the sofa in the cold living room as he insists on watching tv late at night, silly man. Or maybe I might be able to show you the Thomas hat to match the gloves from earlier.........

Hope you're all having much fun with your crafting and creating too.
xx

Mitts and bits for christmas.

So I'm cracking on with the christmas list now. Finally got around to knitting the mittens to go with Sophie's hat and scarf:


Knitted on two needles so very quick and easy, the pair completed in one evening. I'm thinking of maybe appliqueing a little something on them just to pretty them up a little more. Emma likes very girly things for Sophie! The scarf is knitted in stocking stitch and so the sides curl inwards. To combat this it is going to be lined in some lovely pink cotton fabric and I might use the leftovers for the appliqueing. But no definite decision yet as sewing really is not my strongpoint.

And another pair of mittens, only not quite so easy and definitely more time consuming:


I've knitted these for Owen and his love of all things Thomas. The intarsia wasn't too bad, nor was the extra embroidering of features. The worst and most time consuming part was the sewing in of loose threads. Or more to the point, sewing them in neatly with such a limited working surface! All these threads (and more) to sew into one little mitten:


I have another handmade beautiful thing to show you today. This lovely little dolly made especially for Heather for me to pop in the christmas stocking:


Oh how I would love to be able to sew as well as this. But I can't. And so special thanks go to Pippa for creating this little doll just for us. Heather has already had a sneak peek and just didn't want to let go so I'm sure dolly will be much loved. Thank you Pippa.

Now I think I should go and finish sewing up that second mitten before little one opens her eyes. And maybe even start on the hat to match.
Happy crafting all.
xx

Back to gift makes.

At last, back to the christmas crafting. A present for Sophie the Cinderella topsy turvy doll.
This way up she's a sad young lady missing the fun:


Then flip her skirt over and she's the belle of the ball:



A Jean Greenhowe pattern knitted up on oddments of DK and 3mm needles. This dolly took ever such a long time as the needles are so thn and the resulting knitting was quite stiff to work with. The skirts were the time consuming part as they were just mostly rectangles but with several thousands of stitches in each one! The rest of the parts, arms, hair, body, trims etc were quick and easy though so once the skirts were out of the way it was a nice speedy make. The making up was a bit time consuming too, stitching all the little parts together. I was hoping to make one for Heather too as she seems quite taken with it but I think that will have to wait until next year, I really am not that patient of a knitter...........
Oh well, one make off the list, many, many more to go!

At last!

I finished the cardigan!
Actually it needs a slight adjustment to the neck opening, maybe another button, but yep, it's definitely finally all knitted. Lovely and warm and very autumnal. The older girls aren't so keen on it, they say it looks too old for me and that it should be more fitted but there is a special reason it's a size bigger than it should be.............I wanted it big enough to cover two. No not another bump.............I want to wrap it around both Heather and myself. It's very warm work carrying a lump of a baby against ones body no matter what the weather is, and I find it simply too warm when I wear a coat so the cardigan is the way to go. Tried it over us both when Heather was in the wrap and it's just about right for a front carry. So I'm very pleased. Shall I show it off?

The details? Patons shadow tweed in shade 6202. Seven 100g balls in total to knit up an approximate size 12/14. Well I'm a 10 just now and it fits around me and Heather. The yarn costs around £4.50-£5 per ball but luckily for me John came across the yarn originally in the car boot sale priced £5 for 6 balls. Not so fortunate was that I had to go buy another ball at full price to finish the collar. But £9.50 total cost is pretty good for a handknit wool mix cardigan don't you think? Knitted up on 7mm needles so should have been a quick knit but because of the overall moss stitch pattern it took a little longer. The yarn is lovely to knit with. It is a chunky yarn but in a single ply so the stitches can be a bit fluffy and occasionally I put my needle through in just the wrong spot and so had to have a quick look that all was well. The colour changes are fantastic, working in long sections of deep green then turing to rich russet red before going back to green again, with lots of subtle flecks of gold, blue, orange and lighter green. The flecks are barely there but are a lovely surprise flash of colour as you knit.
So there you go, I can finally stop going on about "that" cardigan and enjoy keeping warm and snuggly in it instead. And get back to the christmas list.........

New favourite shops.

I finally found somewhere that sells this:



The Paton's Shadow Tweed I needed to finish my cardigan.
Blacksheepwools is a great website for bargain wools and I think I may have mentioned it before. Well I knew it wasn't too far from where we lived and today I finally got the chance to visit the real life store. I was going to order the ball I needed online but John suggested we drive out there as he needed to go up that way anyway. He thought it would save on postage costs for just the one ball of yarn. All I can say is that he must be ever so slightly deluded! So we went off to find the place and it was even closer than I thought, barely 20 minutes drive away. Oh and it is a lovely shop. Rows and rows of beautiful yarns as soon as I stepped through the door. And further into the shop a huge selection of needlework supplies, embroidery cottons, cross stitch kits and charts and such wonderful things. But so tempting too! I really had to orce myself to scan the rows as quickly as I could and seek out the yarn I had gone for. I finally found it at the far end of the rows of yarn and so I grabbed a ball and headed towards the pay desk. But I knew I would have to take a closer look at some of the yarns on the way out so thought maybe I should pay after I had admired, just to avoid any confusion you understand..........
Well I just happened to spot some gorgeoulsly soft Mirasol Sulka at only £1.99 per hank. I made a couple of hats from this yarn early on in the year and I remembered how lovely and soft and warm they were. So I picked up a hank.....and a second..........and a third.


And as I wandered around I spotted this amazingly coloured Araucania Limari, £4.45 I think per hank. I only picked up the one hak just to admire the colours and imagine what a beautiful little hat it would make, but then I forgot to put it back down.........how forgetful of me.


I knitted the little pumpkin hat for Heather from Paton's colour 4 me pure wool and I really liked the feel of it and the richness of the colours. So when I saw a shelf of the same wool in some fantastic pinks I just had to take a closer look. And at only £1.30 a ball then I just had to pick up a couple of balls with the thought of making something for our little girl. Well when I say a couple of balls I meant of each colour obviously, and 4 of each is only just over a couple isn't it?


And with that being more than enough wool to add to my stash I headed for the cash desk once more. But I happened to get waylaid at the very last minute by some stunning Rico sock yarn. And we all know how useful and multi purpose sock yarn is don't we? Self striping so the design doesn't need thinking about, light and soft so can be used to knit anything really, and 4 ply so great for baby trousers, socks and hats.


All in all a great days shopping and a new favourite place to visit. I have a feeling John is going to become very used to those country lanes..........

Silly mum!

Sunday mornings.
Usually it's the car boot sale, the park, the shop and occasionally a trip to Abakhan or some such place.
This morning it was too wet and windy for the first two so we just went to the supermarket. Then this conversation:
John: Where to now then?
Owen: Mmmm, the making shop?
Me: The making shop?
Owen: Yes, the making shop!
Me: What for?
Owen: Wool of course, silly mum!

Maybe I should wean myself away from the making shops for a while. And the online ones too!
xx

Who stole my willpower?

I said I wouldn't..........but I did!

A sale here meant I bought this:


But at 79p a ball it was well worth it. This crochet blanket is in the same yarn and is so snuggly and warm that I'm going to make a bigger version for John for when he watches TV late in the evening.

And this yarn is simply stunning:


Remember I told you here about the GP mama rehoming some of her stash/ Well I couldn't resist and after the T'ika arrived I just had to get back in touch and ask for the Araucania too. Thanks Kate, it's lovely. Now please don't offer away any more!
No makes to reveal today but I might have a new little one to show soon, just getting to grips with a new craft which is gripping me intently.
Take care all and happy crafting.
xx

It's been a while........

Where is the time going?
Lots of little and not so little illnesses flying around this home at the moment so crafting has taken a backstage. Which means blogging about crafting is impossible! But baby and big boys still sleeping, mama's awake and photo's are waiting to be shared. So lets go before the snuffling little bodies start to stir.

So first of all, a very special hat made for a very special little girl, by a very special big girl. Oh yes, Helen has definitely caught the knitting bug. Now bored with the neverending scarves she has moved on to knitting and purling in the same row, and a little shaping too. She made a beautiful moss stitch border for this little hat but then pulled it back as she was actually trying to create a single rib border. I thought the moss stitch was fine but she wanted it ribbed. So she started again and this time around mostly remembered to knit the purl an purl the knit. A few little blips and forgetful moments but we don't need to talk about those do we? It looks and wears just fine. And what about the flower? Nice finishing touch don't you think? Well Helen knitted that as well. This little hat looks so lovely on Heather, the colours and the style suit her perfectly. Almost tempted to pop it on her head to show you but not sure she is ready to awaken just yet.


And another hat, this time made by myself. Yes we've done pumpkin hats before but slightly too large for Heather and so offered to other mamas on the GP forum. One to a little girl in Wales and another went to this little one.


And what do you think of this scarf?

It is so warm and cuddly. And the colours are wonderful aren't they? Now I really don't like knitting scarves. So long, so monotonous, so......boring! But this one was different. Knitted in a gorgeous Twilleys freedom chunky pure wool on 10mm stitches, even though it is in a single rib it still knitted up super fast. I'm sure it took not much more than an hour of actual knitting. The only problem was that I could only offer it five minutes of work at a time whilst between nursing snuffly baby, cleaning after sicky children, coughing and wheezing myself, and trying to look after everyone. So in all it took several quick bursts over a three day period, mst of which involved actually getting into knitting mode, unwrapping the scarf and wool from its bag, and settling down to knit two or three rows before stashing it back away to run to one poorly person or another. But it was still an enjoyable knit and one especially for me. In fact I enjoyed making it so much that I went out and added this little lot to the stash, ready to make a couple more scarves:


Oh by the way, the red wool isn't for scarf knitting. Shhhh! It's for a secret christmas gift for one of my girls.

And talking of "the stash" how many of you have a mini stash like this? All the odd bits left over from other projects? Too big to throw away yet too small to really make much with? Well nows the time to start using it. Christmas decorations, stripey scarves, bags and gloves, baby bibs, dishcloths, knitted dolls, flower trims, all kinds of mini quick knits to be created at this time of year.


And finally, look at these two little books. John found them at the local car boot sale and brought them home for me. He wasn't sure if I would be interested but at 50p each he thought he would take the chance. And I'm so pleased he did. The cross stitch book has some lovely designs that I will use one day, maybe not in blue and white but definitely in the two colour theme. The other book is very pretty and a useful read for picking up new techniques.

So with those good buys I'll give my goodbye.
Take care all and happy crafting till I catch up with you again.
xx

Knitting in the news.

Knitting in the news for the right reasons, not just as a publicity stunt. Mind you back in my Grandma's day knitting would never have been used for a publicity stunt.
I so agree with the authors words. Hence the blog ;-)
But for lovers of extreme knitting - how about your own knitted tank top?

Well it wasn't my fault!

John really should have known better!
Why what did he do?
Well we were in Liverpool and he said that I should pop into Abakhan to see if they sold the Patons shadow tweed I needed to finish my cardigan. I only need one ball. Well they didn't have it. In fact they don't appear to have any Patons yarns. But they did have this:


And it is very soft and beautiful colours. Just right for a warm, snuggly winter hat and scarf.
So I bought 6 balls.
But it was a bargain at only £1.99 per ball.
Well would you have resisted?
I think I had definitely better search online for the elusive ball of shadow tweed.
And I better whisper this..........I went to our local yarn shop for the same reason and didn't come away emptyhanded. I just happened to need a couple of skeins from there too. Really. They just shouldn't be so appealing. Patons colour 4 me pure wool in fantastic shades:


And another thing, they're always worth getting if they are in danger of becoming homeless aren't they? So a couple of skeins of Mirasol T'ika have come my way courtesy of a GP mama:


The same mama has some lovely Araucania she is hoping to rehome too and I am imagining the lovely warm woolies I could make for my boys with that. But which shade to go for? I will get back to that question tomorrow as I am sure she is fed up of waiting for my reply. Trying desperately to restrain myself from asking for both!!!


OK who's interested in setting up a yarnbuyers anonymous? I fear my addiction is becoming out of control!

And the winner of the sock giveaway is...........

decided by the dice.
Six entrants so DH rolled the dice and it landed on number 4.
And that was you Carolyn.
Thanks everyone.

Addiction!

So I thought I should sort out my stash.
I took all the crates and boxes and tipped them in the middle of the floor. The boys loved helping. I patted and stroked and planned and enjoyed. Some nice, some not so nice. Some absolutely gorgeous... And then I tidied it all away again.

More hats!

A hat for a GP little one:


Debbie Bliss Rialto in baby pink with a cotton flower and button trim.

And a hat for Emma:


Cream cotton DK with matching fower and bead trim.

Cardigan is almost finished but I ran out of wool. Blast!! Not sure I'm safe to search for an extra ball as I can't afford to fall to the temptation of gorgeous yarns. Might have to ask Helen to find it online for me to help me resist the urge to browse. Although she seems to be falling under the spell of the lovely merino wool she is using to knit a hat for Heather. She is definitely noticing the difference in texture and the pleasure in working it after using acrylic yarns for her first step in knitting.......

A sock beginners giveaway.

I have such a lot of unfinished projects. And most of them are socks! I have two pairs on the needles for dear husband, 1 pair for Helen, and 1 pair for Heather. Also have a few more planned. And so I was sorting through these projects earlier and I wondered if other knitters were as fond of knitting socks as I am. Well half pairs anyway.......
So I thought why not spread the sock addiction? And how better than a little giveaway to tempt you all to take up the challenge?
So here you are, a complete sock knitting kit to be had. A set of five 2.5mm DPN's, a ball of Patons cotton 4ply (enough for one pair of adult socks), a really easy to follow pattern, and a handy little sock knitters guide. OK I know the idea of an adult in white socks might be a little bleurgh, but it's great yarn to practise with, you can dye it any colour you wish if you like the finished socks, and best of all...it's free!
So if you want to see what all the sock fuss is about then just leave me a comment before next Monday and the kit could be yours.
xx

And another hat.

This cardigan is taking sooo long. But at last the end is in sight. Only half a sleeve and then the edgings and trims to go. Should be finished by the end of the week. Well I hope so as it is so cold round here right now.
Poorly children mean I have been sat up the past few nights so knitting has been a great pastime. Lat week I spotted some lovely wool in the yarn shop. I just bought one ball as it was a patterned wool and I wanted to see how it would knit up before committing to a full project and also before spending money. I have way too big a stash to justify adding to it at the moment but this wool was lovely. 100% merino by Adriafil in cute shades of blue, pink and white.


I decided to knit yet another hat for Heather. Knitted on a set of 4mm DPN's it took only two hours in total. The flower took another 30 minutes.

Only problem is, in my sleep deprived state, I didn't check the sizing and just launched straight in. So I can't show you a picture of Heather wearing it as it is just slightly too large. Oh well, at least I have one ready for christmas. But I might just make a slightly smaller one for wearing now....
Oh well, thats about all for now. Hopefully when I next post I will have the cardigan finished. Or at least I can hope so.
xx

Quick Knit.

So I decided to take a break from the christmas crafting. I know, so soon. What can I say, I'm easily bored ;-) I decided to knit the cardigan I have been promising myself from the moment I got the wool (scroll down a post for a reminder of what I'm talking about). So I've done the back and the two front pieces. Only the sleeves and the edging to go. I've hit a lull now though and I'm finding it a little repetitve, same wool, same colour, same stitch, and so I thought I would have a little break last night. So I made this:


No, not the baby (well technically........) but the little pumpkin hat. Isn't it so sweet? Not sure if Heather thinks so but I like it. It's in an orange DK, can't remember what exactly, possibly with acrylic content, and knitted on 4mm needles. The curl is stocking stitch and then the main hat is an alternating wide and narrow rib to create the grooved pumpkin effect. At the final row I switched to green DK and created a stocking stitch stalk. Fun to make and finished in just over two hours. Not like the cardigan that is now into it's second week!
Oh well I'm suitably appeased and ready to return to my big project. Oh and a hat for a GPLets make. Next time I'll have some pictures of the cardigan so far. Now I'm off to maybe get a row or two in whilst the boys make apple crumble.
Take care.
xx

That scarf! And those fruit!

Well I finally managed to get a photo of that scarf knitted for Owen. It's a yummy scarf, knitted with love and care. Do you want to see? Here goes............

So what do you think? It's great isn't it? And do you know why it's so special? Because Helen knitted it for her little brothers christmas gift! She only learned to knit in the summer and her first project was a rough scarf from super chunky wool for herself. This is her second project and I think she has done a fantastic job. Knitted in simple garter stitch, all work her own, from a 100g ball of Robin DK, all used. So she has started her next project which is a scarf for Sophie, this time in stocking stitch which she is just coming to grips with. Not quite what a woman who is about to turn 18 on Saturday is expected to be doing with her evenings in this day and age..........

As for the fruit, well that's finished too. Knitted, packed and in the hands of the Royal Mail as of today. A little picture of the finished work:

You know I'm sure my camera doesn't like green! The pears are a lovely shade of green but they look so washed out on this picture. All knitted from scraps of DK. The orange is acrylic, the apple is something silky from an unremembered source and the pear is merino.

And finally a picture of the hat for Sophie:

Again a simple stocking stitch hat knitted in about 50g or less of a Robin acrylic DK, just like Owen's. Very quick and easy to make, perfect for beginners. In fact Helen is going to make one for Heather after she finishes the scarf. I think I might supply her with some nicer yarn though, maybe a lovely, soft merino......

Well that's the christmas list moving along nicely. Although today the postman brought me a pattern for a jacket which I want to knit for myself with the wool John found in a car boot sale a while ago. I really want to start on that but not sure if I can spare the time with so much left on the christmas list. Although I don't want to see the christmas list as a chore preventing me from getting on with other things. Maybe I'll start the jacket and a christmas project too and see what happens ;-)
Well time to start the evening meal before the family return and Heather wakes. See you soon. xx

Sidetracked.

Well I managed to finish the hat for Sophie today. It has turned out rather nicely but I forgot to take any pictures so I will let you all have a peep at that tomorrow. I will show you the scarf for Owen too, and let you in on why it is so special ;-)
I should be cracking on with the mittens to go with Sophie's scarf but I have been a little sidetracked this evening with these:

Knitted fruit! I hope you can recognise them but just in case you can't there is a pear, an orange and an apple. They are a make for a lovely person on the green parent forum and I do so hope they are what she is after. She is an inspiring mama and I am so pleased to be able to do a little something for her. These took just under an hour to make and I have to make two more of each yet. The colours are much more realistic than in the picture but it's late and my camera isn't set right and I am too tired to fiddle with it so this is the best I can do. I do have a bit of a worry though.........we didn't agree a scale for the fruit so not sure if these are big enough?I do hope so but I better not start the others until I know for sure.
Well it's late (2:30am!!) and I'm tired, and I have a little one snoring over on the sofa so I guess it's time to get a few hours sleep. Back soon with pictures of that scarf.
xx

Getting started.

Did you notice I've marked a couple of things done on my christmas to do list? I've decided to set an hour aside each night, no matter how late, and just do a little bit of whatever takes my fancy. So the past few nights I've been knitting. I've managed to make Owen's hat and gloves and should technically mark the scarf as done but I can't just yet. Also there's a little secret to reveal about his scarf but not just yet ;-)
So anyway, want to see the hat and gloves? Well here you go:

What do you think? Colourful enough to warm up cold winter days? Wild enough for a four year old? I hope so. They are knitted from a Robin DK from our local fabric shop. They're 100% acrylic but still soft to touch. I don't really like to use acrylic yarns as you know but I think it is the best option for little childrens winter gloves and hats, if you think about all that wet snow and rain, and mud and dirt. I had to tweak the pattern a little for the gloves as they were sized for a 3-6 year old and Owen has wide hands but stubby fingers. I still have some yarn left from a 100g ball so that has been added to the scarf yarn.
I have also made a start on Sophie's hat which is the same pattern as above but a different colour yarn. Hopefully that will be finished tonight. Or perhaps I will finish off the knitted fruit I am making for a friend on the GP forum. Or maybe both..........

New name same old blog.

So what do you think of the new look? All new and shiny in the hope that I get chance to post a little more often. So why "sat on the back of the sofa"? Well its fairly obvious really. The sofa is much more comfortable than my rocker for all the feeds we are enjoying so that I tend to do my knitting and sewing there too. This means that most of the things I'm working on just get left on the back of the sofa whilst I go off to do other things. Go on admit it, you do the same thing. You're sitting there, enjoying five minutes to yourself, maybe reading a book, sewing or knitting a little, or just watching tv. Then you hear that call. "Mummmmmmmmm". So you throw whatever you were doing or holding behind your head and onto the top of the sofa and there it stays sometimes for minutes, sometimes for hours, or if you're family is anything like this one, more likely for days.
So whats at the back of the sofa just now?
Well the title picture just about shows it all. A muslin cloth, not very crafty but necessary for dribbly baby days. A knitting bag containing lots of crochet squares being gathered to create a snuggly blanket as one of Sophies christmas gifts. Do you want a sneak peek at this? Well here you go:


So what do you think? Its beautifully soft and the squares are very quick and simple to make. I'm very pleased with it so far but I'm not sure how long it's going to take to make. Each square is roughly 10cms so I need to make lots and lots. The yarn is an acrylic called playtime which was on offer in Abakhan and should hold up to Sophies handling very well.
Also up there on the back of the sofa is a ball of multi coloured wool ready to knit a hat for Owen, another christmas gift. Then theres a hair scrunchie, essential crafting equipment as without it human hair would be an integral part of all my makes. Oh the joys of post birth, hair loss galore. Then the next thing we find is again unrelated to crafting at all but essential relaxation - a book. Current reading is James Lovelock's The revenge of Gaia, very grim. Then there are a couple of Heathers toys - a crochet sunflower rattle and a knitted snake with rattly tail. And then finally a piece of fabric left over from sewing Helen's new curtains and cushions. I think its going to make a nice little bag for Sophie don't you?
Well must dash now, I hear little squeaks from the snoozing body alongside me. More updates soon.
xx