Well now.........

What to blog today?

I could show you where I'm up to on the Granny Stripe.........except it's exactly the same as last time I showed you!

Or maybe the squares I was working on yesterday? Except they are also just the same as I showed you, just with a few more added.

Or maybe I could show you the "gift for Helen" progress? Maybe not....that hasn't even been looked at today!

So what can I show you today? How about the last little bit of the stash? The bit that I forgot about the other day?

The box of "other" yarns that were stuffed behind the Granny stripes:

Lot's of white cotton, some maroon and some flecked cotton, some pastel bamboo, and some muti cotton left over from this dress.

And the fine yarns:

Sock yarn - for socks :)

Lot's of Paton's 4ply cotton in different colours for dolly clothes and face/dish cloths, any other ideas? And 2 skeins of lilac charity shop 4ply!

3ply, because I have a lovely collection of vintage patterns and they all seem to love 3ply! And crochet cotton - because I will make the matching doily one day! The cone was from the car boot sale and is shimmery stuff that might look nice mixed with another yarn.......or might not.

Regia are now doing laceweight - pretty colourway isn't it? And my favourite yarn in my whole stash Araucania 3x100g. No plans for this other than to love and savour!!!

So what shall I make with those? 

Open to your wonderful ideas :)

-x-

Indecisive - moi?

So last post I said I was going to get back to projects already started, right? Wrong! The Granny stripe stayed in it's bag, and the pair of socks is still only a sock and a rib. 

But remember I said the merino was going to become my crochet cushion? Until I used some for the baby set? Well the cushion in my mind was a big, squishy, round huggable circle of softness. Instead the yarn is slowly becoming these:

See the sunshine glow across that project box? It's been such a beautiful day here so between long walks, cooking the meals, cleaning the home and feeding the little girl, I have also had time to sit in the front window, feeling the sunshine and hooking away. Wonderful.

Being the indecisive type I also cast on for part of Helen's yule gift:

Not the pattern I thought I would use, but I just know she will love this quirky little knit when she sees it :)

And staying on the theme of indecisiveness I definitely think I'm going to turn some of the King Cole Riot into one of these! I have loved this little scarf since I first saw it blogged here and I knew I was going to make it for someone. Then I forgot all about it! Until I noticed it popping up in blogland just lately and so I went and downloaded the pattern. I think it's going to look great in that riot of colour, don't you?

So there we are, after posting all those plans for all that yarn, I've already changed my mind on three things! 

Oh well there's plenty of time to get back to the others one day.........

-x-

Quick knit clickety click.........

So the overdue neighbour WAS seen climbing into an ambulance. Twenty four hours later and she's back home with a beautiful little boy. The beloved man has already passed on his congratulations and given baby a cuddle. He arrived back home all gooey faced and telling of how sweet the new baby is. Really, I have never known a man so broody as mine..........

So dilemma - do I cast on the jumper with the baby sized amount of aran mentioned previously? Or do I go for a guaranteed quick result and opt for hat/scarf/mitts/bootees type combo's? Well the winner is:

Now Lucy here, (don't you love that essential work kit includes a baby sized dolly - Have I mentioned how much I love my job?) tried modelling them for size and they seem to be a little bit on the larger side, and the new baby in question is rather dinky, but hey, everyone buys newborn for gifts don't they? And the weather is only going to get colder after all!

So do you see which yarn I used? Yes my squishy soft cuddly crochet cushion merino stash. I only used about half of a 50g skein in each shade so there should still be plenty for the cushion that is living in my head right now. And of course, merino is such a lovely wool for a new baby, super soft and gentle for that delicate skin.

So now it's back to the projects already started, I wonder which to pick up today?

And here's a funny thing - did you see I have exactly double the number of followers over on my family blog than I do on this one? Does that mean you all prefer a peek at other family's lives before sharing crafty times? I must admit I'm torn - I follow lots of crafty blogs, but then I love to catch up with mama friends and their families who I would hardly get the chance to meet in real life. And of course both sides of life are so intertwined, being creative keeps me sane and gives me the opportunity to express myself in way's I couldn't otherwise. No better way to work off a bad day than to hook mindlessly away on yards and yarns of Granny goodness...........

Thanks for popping by, follower or not ;)

-x-

Warning - Stash alert!

Inspired by Kath I decided to have a stash sort out this evening.

Be warned, this may get a little boring.........

12 skeins of 50g Sirdar Click aran which will soon become this cardigan for Emma:

The acrylic DK yarns for the Granny Stripe. About 1600g still to hook up, hoping that's enough!

20 Skeins of 50g Rowan purelife DK which is going to be a throw for the living room once I settle on the blocks I will use. Oh and add a few more skeins too ;)

5 X 100G Sirdar Denim Chunky which will probably become this sweater for Cain unless......

...this becomes it instead! 13x50g of Sirdar Click Chunky.

5 x 100g King Cole Riot DK destined to become a poncho for Heather, and possibly another for Sophie too.

The latest acquisition - 10 x 50g Mirasol Qina DK/Aran weight, soon to be hat, scarf and gloves for the beloved man.

Assorted DK Mirasol skeins because I just love Mirasol!

Assorted Merino DK's in 50g skeins - a lovely squishy crochet cushion don't you think?

Randomly - 3x 100g Patons wool blend aran (itchy!), 4x 50g Robin pure wool (very old and itchy!!) 7x50g Grousemoor chunky (very old, very un-chunky but not at all itchy!!!) and 4x50g Sirdar Escape DK (not very old, or itchy, or even DK, more of an aran!!!!).

Debbie Bliss Rialto aran leftovers, soon to be a stripey hat for Owen (or maybe me)

More Debbie Bliss Rialto aran also soon to be a hat but this time for Heather.

10x50g of lovely soft, not as sludgy as it looks Rowan classic DK/aran weight. Hmmm? A cabled cardi for Jen?

Leftover anonymous aran from Cain's winter 2010 aran - enough for a welcome baby sweater for the overdue neighbour? (Hmm just been informed she was seen getting into an ambulance a couple of hours ago? Have to knit fast.)

Patons fairytale color 4 me - pumpkin hats:) And the Paton's diploma gold - still working through the pack of 10x50g I originally planned a hoodie for Helen with. Didn't happen -  2 toddler cardi's ended that idea!

Hmm running out of ideas now!

Aaargh - scary stuff!! Couldn't even give it away last time I showed it....

Aahhhh, that's better - super soft and squishy Twilleys Freedom extra chunky - scarf for the middle man. He says I never make him anything - he's 15, do 15 year olds actually want mama knits??

Nice, nice, nice - but open to suggestionsThe araucania has been in the stash forever but it just feels sooo.......... nice? 

Wendy Serenity 4x100g - eek I've lost one, sure I had five? Again no idea!

Paton's Symphony 5x100g. Lovely Heathery colours, maybe a winter woolly for Heather? Or a big squishy bag?

2x400g aranweight. Brought home by the beloved man from a trip into town. Picked because I like those kind of colours and it was soft............? Good enough criteria then ;)

So you stuck with me then?

And I forgot to take photo's of the 2 other boxes, all filled up with the skinny yarns. Maybe tomorrow?

Now how about you show yours....

-x-

Yarn along

Joining in the Yarn along once again with Ginny at Small things.

Lot's of finished projects lately and new idea's in mind so I thought I'd share progress on the ongoing hookie thing:

That's right, it's the Granny Stripe.

It seems as if it never grows but stretching it out on our kingsize bed this morning reveals it's true size. A long way to go yet:

Reading this week - The Food our Children eat by Joanna Blythman. So-so reading, mostly what I know already, with a few wincing moments thrown in. Not sure I'll keep with it to the very end. In fact, if anyone wants it then let me know. (If more than one of you do then I'll have to pull from a hat....)

-x-

As good as it gets!

The knitty thing is done and blocked. 

The little girlie tried it on and loved it.

I whipped out my camera for a shot.

And she didn't want to play!

So this is as good as it gets for a modelled peek at the new cardi:

And to continue a them I couldn't get a decent shot of it off the girlie either:

So yes, it's snuggly and cosy, and bright and cheerful, and fits well and has a cute little hoodie, but you're just going to have to take my word for it!

The pattern is loosely adapted from the cardi I made Sophie just the other day. This time it's for a 2 year old teensy girl so a lot more snuggly. And smaller too. 

This time with an added hood.

And buttons to the very bottom to keep my little miss extra warm.

Technical details:

Yarn - Sirdar Click aran

Shade - 0110

Amount - just over 3x 50g skeins

Cost - £1.39 per skein, so £5.56 in total with  about 25g left over.

Needle size - 4mm and 5mm

Pattern - sizing taken from the pattern for the previous cardi, Sirdar 2275, but with the left and right fronts and the hood made up as I went along. I made a few notes so I guess I could write it up at some point.........

So that's about it with the bargain Sirdar Click. Well apart from the 11 skeins I have left to knit up a cardi for Emma....... Hmm, maybe later, I think the Granny Stripe is feeling a little neglected. And besides, I have an idea for a new blanket I want to start on.........

-x-

Creative spaces.

Oh there are so many lovely creative spaces around blogland, sheds and craft rooms and attics and all sorts of hidden little nooks where all kinds of creativity whirrs on. So today, in complete contrast to all those wonderful spaces, I thought I would show you one of my creative spaces.

Most of my knitting and hooking happens in the living room on the sofa but sewing is different. Sewing needs it's own special place. All those sharp scissors and needles, and cutters......yes, they definitely need storing away in a safe place with all these interested little ones around. So where is this sewing space? Well it's here:

In the bedroom! Or part of the bedroom. My beloved one found this bureau in a recycling shop a while ago and thought it would be perfect for my sewing machine rather than the wobbly old side table I had complained about for so long. So he happily parted with his £10 note (he's got a great eye for a bargain you know), and loaded the bureau into the car. Back home he sanded down all the dark wood stain and then painted it a fresh bright white. He hoiked it up to the bedroom, placed my sewing machine on it and toted away the rickety side table. What a lovely surprise that was.

 And then a few weeks later he did it again, finding this cool mirror in the car boot sale for only £2, although it was again finished in a dark 80's mahogany stain. So he sanded again, whipped out his trusty paintbrush and turned the mirror into the beautiful thing it now is. Isn't it shocking how so much stuff is unloved and unwanted when all it needs is to be seen through a new pair of eyes?

So that's my sewing space, my little area of creativity. Not an attic, or a room, or a shed, but a cosy little space just for me. All my scissors, needles, pins and cutters hidden away in the top section, along with jars of buttons (aren't washed out spice jars just so handy for button storage by the way?), patchwork templates, hole punches and various keep-away-from-small-people things. The drawers are just the right size for my stash of ribbons and trims, and the little cupboard section at the bottom holds my stack of felt and a big bag of washed fleece for toy stuffing. And best of all the pull down front means a fab surface to work at the sewing machine:

Unfortunately the bureau isn't big enough to store my sewing machine in but I'm quite happy for that to stand there looking pretty in it's very own cover on top of that big wicker chest where, if you peek inside, you will find all my favourite fabrics hiding. And whilst I'm telling you about my little bargains I have to let you know that the chest there was another fabulous car boot sale find for only £8. I snapped it up and when I opened the lid I found another 2 chests hidden inside! How wonderfully happy was I? The two baby chests now live downstairs and hide away some of my yarns along with just about every other piece of furniture in that room...........

Oh just one more little thing to share. Do you see that little vintage sewing box standing next to the chest:

That was yet another of our lovely car boot sale finds. I am so envious when so many bloggers show off their latest bargain vintage fabric finds as I never find any, but I think I have been oh so lucky in the furniture finding, don't you? My lovely sewing box was only £2.50 although I would gladly have paid a lot more! It's looking a little out of sorts though don't you think? Hmmm maybe that's next on the list for a makeover......

So what kind of creative space do you have? A super big and bright area all of your own? Or a tiny but cosy little snatched piece of your home? I do so hope you're happily crafting away in a space that inspires you.

Oh and in case you thought I'd forgotten - the knitty thing is done! But it definitely needs blocking before Ican show you looking as good as I am hoping it will look. So tomorrow then?

-x-