Roie's Blog

The shop is now live

2009-11-28T08:08:00.000-08:00

I took the plunge and knitnijani.com is now live with Manos Del Uruguay, Artesano, Arucania, and Debbie Bliss yarns. It has taken a while but hopefully things will get bigger and better in 2010. We are also in the process of converting the garage into a multifunction room, photography, crafts and games ...what more could you ask for...apart form a few weeks off teh day job to rest and enjoy it. Well I will be off from the 18th and have decided to make a quilt during the hols for our bed......Won't hold my breath or remove the duvet too soon though.

Recent creations if you fancy a look, all patterns available on Etsy as always .....

So where have I been?

2009-08-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

A wee bit busy.....growing veg, planning a new venture, helping with exams and stuff, oh and work.

The Veg have been fab, pulled up the last of the tatties this morning, still have turnips, carrots and beans in the ground.

The new venture is underway......I now have an online wool shop, admittedly only on Ebay at the moment, but soon to be live at knitnijani.com...if you want to have a look at the ebay store it is knitnijani too. I have my first batch of fabulous yarn and though I say so myslef I am very reasonable....price wise anyway...quite unreasonable in general on a daily basis I expect! Better ask deary and the kids!!!

James passed his exams and is off to college in September hooray!

I have some new designs in my Etsy shop, patterns and knitted for you too.

New Knitted Slouchies which are great fun to knit, don't take much yarn so you can be a bit extravagant and buy special wool.....from me of course ....and make fab gifts.

And a really simple shrug that can be knit on big needles in a couple of evenings

This one is in Alpaca and is soooo soft and cosy.

I am waiting for a delivery of Manos Del Uruguay yarn to get working on next. I have a few ideas bubbling under the surface.

Once the garage has been converted I am hoping to begin holding a few classes too...exciting or what!!!

I can't wait.

Snow.........again

2009-03-08T03:01:00.000-07:00

For the last few years we have had no snow to speak of in Central Scotland, this year it just won't stop. Once again we woke up to a winter wonderland and inspite all my best efforts of wishing it away, it is still here at 10am and looks like it will be here for a good few hours yet.

Now don't get me wrong, I actually like snow, when it is deep enough to stop me getting to work, but when all it does is make life difficult, I'd rather it didn't bother!

Today I had plans,

Wrap and post off my Ebay sales.......... I have been de-stashing which has gone quite well. I think I will post up some more bits and bobs over the next few days so if you are on the hunt for some bargains let me know.

Solve my Etsy Problems...........I work in IT but when anything goes pear-shaped at home it takes me weeks of hassle before I finally sit down and sort the thing out. Estsy has been slow and not loading my pictures for ages.

Finish piecing thisbaby quilt.............I now have eight blocks of 3 patterns which are just slightly the different sizes.....note to self ......get a bigger cutting mat and a square template!!

Take Jimbo to play football in Livingston (this was going to enable the posting of the parcels too as Livingston's Post Office is open on a Sunday.....ingenious and well planned I think you will agree!)

Review the garden and try to figure out where we are going to put 2 greenhouses and still have room for a veggi patch.....can't see the ground for snow at the moment.

Actually come to think of it, maybe this snow thing ain't so bad, I have sorted out my Etsy problem, and I have managed to set up the March sale I have been meaning to do for 2 weeks. 20% off all knitted and crocheted items, worth a look.

Plus it is coming down like a blizzard now so I may not get to the post office which could give me time to sort out the quilt.........yes I was wrong I like snow.....bring it on!!! Jimbo may need to walk the 3 miles home from a party he was at last night but hey at 17 that should be no problem!!!

Now I can really see the benefits now of a heavy snow fall, maybe though that is because at the moment the cupboards and fridge are full........ask me agian on Tuesday if the gruesome twosome have been off scholl and the answer may be different!!!

Plus I managed to bring home my works laptop on Friday so if it gets real bad I could just snuggle up on the sofa and work away, and it looks like there may be enough for a damn good snowball fight.......count me in!!!

WIP - a Wee Man's Quilt

2009-02-21T01:45:00.001-08:00

Well here we are! As you can see the quilt is still unfinished, that is deliberate though as I have tried a few of the blue samples I currently have against the quilt and I don't like any of them

I am off to the Quilt Show at Edinburgh tomorrow on a mission of looking for material to border the quilt.

I have to say I am very pleased with the way it has turned out. Especially as it is made up of 5" squares bought for very little on eBay.

The plan was originally to practice piecing and make a cushion. But I am afraid the designer in me...and the true Virgoen......who likes order and symmetry .....took over.

Here is a close up showing my first attempt at Machine Quilting, not very accurate but the effect is quite good. Makes the back of the quilt look pretty cool too.

Hopefully I will be able to present you with a finished item over the next couple of weeks, and Niall will get part of his 12th BIrthday present a little late but worth the wait.

I am afraid I haven't picked up the Lady Sweater again since the Dyelot saga. This is partly due to me being in a bit of a huff with it and mostly due to both a neighbour and one of my son's friends wives producing baby boys this week.

Not a problem for a woman with a big stash you may think! Well, if they had produced Girls all would be great. I have pink 4ply coming out of my ears. Blues are however a very scarce.

I have solved one issue as I know the dad of said baby boy is a fan of Hibernian Football Club who play in Green and White. I have found green lurking at the bottom of the pile, and I am knitting some baby socks based on the Interweave better than bootees as we speak.

You may need to create a login to see this pattern but it is well worth it and absolutely free!

I will post pictures once they are finished but here is a sneak preview.

These are actually knitted with Vintage Lister Lee 3 ply wool on 2mm bamboo needles.

I have a confession that I have never knitted anything on needles smaller than 3.25mm before, and I am finding it quite relaxing.

The pattern is really simple and the stitches are so small and delicate that I have to keep stopping and admiring them. Perhaps if Iwas knitting a ladies jumper on such small needles the thrill would be short lived. But I am not so I shall enjoy.

I knit all my socks on bamboo needles, I find metal ones too scratchy and the bamboo feels soft and warm in your fingers...highly recommended to add to thh relaxation factor of knitting in the round on small needles.

Well that is me up to date. I am contemplating listing the quilt pattern on Etsy for anyone who is looking for a simple scrap quilt. Maybe this will fund my next foray into quilt design.

Oh, and just to prove Niall's quilt is not a one off.....here is the one I prepared earlier..... for Dad's 75th.

In situ of course!!!

Again made with squares purchased from Ebay, mostly blues and pinks. Cut into triangles and made into diamonds. Sashed with florals and gingham and backed with plain blue.

This was hand quilted in the ditch and it has never been off the bed since I made it. Came in very useful earlier this month when the temperature dropped below freezing at night.

Disaster ......didn't check the Dyelots!!!

2009-02-18T11:20:00.000-08:00

So I am joining in the 3rd ball of wool on the Lady sweater...it is late evening, I am using artificial light and all looks well. Next day however in the daylight I notice it is a different shade, slightly darker. Bugger! Pardon my French.

I check out the other 3 remaining balls and 1 is the same dyelot as the darker shade, 2 are a 3rd dyelot, but still darker than the original balls I knitted the yoke with.

Plan A....complete the body with dye lot 1 and do the sleeves with 1 ball for each of dye lot 2, them claim that I intended to use gradually darker shades as I progressed down the cardi.

Plan B...rip it back to the end of the Garter Stich Yoke and use the 2 other shades I have in the same yarn to make a multicolour skirt and arms.

I will go with plan A first but I am not convinced!

Note to self check.......................... the ball bands cos your eyesight is rubbish!!!

Oh and I have tied in all the loose ends on the quilt but still no borders, that will not get finished this weekend either as I am off to this quilt show . Maybe it will inspire me to do the borders....maybe they will have the very material I am looking for to complete the borders, maybe I will buy naterial even if it doesn't complete the borders....not maybe more definately. Watch this space.

De-Stash Time

2009-02-14T00:38:00.000-08:00

Well the last few months have flown, most of which I have spent feeling pretty low so I have decided to de-stash my yarn and start spinning......watch this space.

I now have wool and bits and pieces on Ebay for sale and most is moving if somewhat cheaply!! It clears my craft room though and that is the main thing. I even have space on the work surface for my laptop...amazing.

I currently have 3 WIPs, only 3 I hear you cry!!! Yes because I finished a pair of socks earlier this week for the big boy who was starting to feel very chilly in the snow. Must have been bad for a 17 year old to ask for knitted socks ;-#.

Anyway, I have a quilt for the wee boy to finish, need to get it done by his birthday on Tuesday so watch this space. Just need to put on the binding and sew in the ends from the machine quilting, should be a piece of Cake!!!

Next up I am knitting a version of the Lady Sweater, based on this version http://www.flintknits.com/blog/?p=151 . am using up some 100% shetland Aran I bought in a sale in a deep green which looks great. I am just about to separate for the arms and will show you a pic when this is done as it just looks like a bunch of garter stitch at the moment....not very appealing. This is my first attempt at circular needles and for the plain garter stitch panel I knitted continental style, and I have to say quite enjoyed it......old dog new tricks and all that jazz!

And finally a pair of socks for dad, my own design and my first attempt at socks without a pattern, but very plain. He needs them for wearing in his shed so I have used 100% vintage Lister Lee 4ply I found while de-stashing. I am making them look like old fashioned wellie socks so when the first one is finished I will give you demo!

I wasn't totally idle whilst away either, I made a scrap quilt for Dad's 75th birthday which has been on his bed ever since. I will get some photos and put them up onto flickr for viewing.

So that is me up to date, apart from emailing some pals I have been guilty of ignoring for a few months....if you are reading Leslie your are top of my list ;-)

I'll be back!

I'll be back.........

2009-02-08T05:12:00.000-08:00

Hopefully within the week, with an update on my projects to date and my WIP.....god bless Elizabeth Zimmerman........and more stuff too about life in generally, although fibre is much more exciting.

See ya!

So who stole August?

2008-08-23T07:32:00.001-07:00

I had every intention of blogging every day in August. That was until someone stole the first half of the month!!

Now I know that time moves more quickly as you get older, and even more quickly when you are busy, but this is just ridiculous! I have just had 2 weeks off my work, it has rained every day for at least 16 hours, and I still don't know where the time has gone. If it is any consolation to you all, I didn't find time to go to the Gym either...but that may have been more subconciously deliberate ;-)

So you all ask, what have you been doing if you have been soooo busy, well, I have made some new beanies for the winter...

I have been trying out knitted beanies rather than my normal crocheted variety.

Slightly longer in the making but I do like the what you can do with other colours and variegated yarn, like in this fairisle version.

This one is much plainer, but I love the turned back brim and the fact that you can add as much or as little embellishment as you please.

What else I have I been up to...oh yes...I have been trying to create a new shrug design for the last week or so, and everytime I begin, I seem to get another order for a Laura Shrug.

Not that this is a cause for complaint. I am very flattered that people like my design and want me to make them shrugs for their weddings, but I know I have it in me to create an even better one, just not enough hours in the day!

Here is one of the latest Laura Shrugs with a new corsage ... I had to find an outlet for my design frustration somewhere so the corsage took the full force.

I have one more shrug to make and a little cape and beaded veil by the end of the month and then I really need to knuckle down and get some bits and pieces ready for my next craft fair in September...I must be mad!

Oh, come to think about it, I made this too!

It was a custom order but unfortunatley once made the lady wasn't keen so it is back in my stock. A pity as I think it truned out really well, a longer version of my little gossamer cape. But never mind I am sure it will find a home somewhere.

Actually when you add all this up then add in getting 2 boys ready to go back to school, a trip to a water park and the pictures, planting 6 tubs of potatoes and revamping some of the garden and cutting and sewing the squares for my next patchwork quilt, I did quite well for August.

I still feel bad for ignoring you guys, if not for ignoring the gym, and I promise to try harder over the next couple of weeks......just don't put any money on it!

Sometimes it's hard

2008-08-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been 3 months since my last post, I would love to say that I have been off having a fabby time, that I have created lots of fascinating new designs and that everything is peachy. But....it hasn't quite been like that.

I don't even remember where May went, so I won't try to make excuses for not blogging, I will just say sorry.

June however was a different matter. Early on in the month it became apparent that mum was unwell. Nothing specific just a lack of spark, conversations were shorter on the phone and the usual enthusiasm for her month in Scotland when she would see "her boys " wasn't there. There were lots of Doctors appointments, which were tiring for both mum and dad, and something was just not right.

Mid month, when I rang on spec one Thursday, dad admitted she was unwell. I rang every day to see what was happening and the story was just the same. By the Monday when I rang dad was out and suddenly the flood gates opened. She felt terrible, she didn't want to worry dad, and swore me to secrecy, but cried for a whole 10 minutes on the phone. This was so out of character for mum that I had to go home from work because I was in pieces.

5 o'clock the next day I was on the train home. Last 2 weeks of school for the boys, missing the end of term plays etc but I just had to go. On the Tuesday evening she chatted away more than she has done for years, by Wednesday at 7 we had lost her.

God it's hard. We fought like cat and dog, never agreed on anything, but I really miss her. Inspite of the rows and stuff we always knew we loved eachother, we were just from different generations, I am an only child and mum was 40 when she had me, a big gap in ages. We were never really close like some folk who talk daily or go shopping, infact I was always a daddy's girl, everytime she asked me a question I would snap back like a moody teenager, even when I was in my 40s, but I suppose that was just the way we were meant to be.

So now we have dad up living with us, he has been a bit unwell since he arrived but I think is a culmination of shock and such a huge change. Although, like most married couples the argued, they loved eachother and a big partof him is missing. Hopefully we can help to fill the gap for him, and look after him like he deserves.

I have been crafting over the last few weeks, just to keep my sanity. I am back at work, well I have been back and I am about to have my summer holidays. But inspite of everything that has happened I feel really lucky. I have folk around me who love me, I am healthy, I have a job, I have my dad here beside me, and mum is where she always wanted to be, in St Ives the only home she ever wanted.

For some reason I have also been compelled to have a big clear out of all my "stuff". Maybe it is part of the healing process, who cares! The Salvation Army bank is now bulging with my old clothes, I have space in my wardrobe and someone else will hopefully get some new bits and pieces out of it. Oh and I have planted potatoes........;-} Funny what you feel compelled to do in a crisis!!!!

Oh and here is the finished Craft item that has kept me going through tears and tantrums over the last few weeks. Let me know what you think.

You can teach an old dog new tricks part 2

2008-04-29T02:14:00.000-07:00

So, one of the girls at work is leaving to have a baby, and everyone expects me to knit or crochet something, and I though why not do something a bit different. Now I have made quilted cot covers before but only using the big picture panels, which involve no cutting and piecing. This time I decided to go the whole way and cut, piece and quilt a cot cover, just for the fun of it!!!

I had been in a little material shop in Linlithgow a week before with hubby who was buying yards of black cloth to act as a backdrop for his photography, (see link to NicholsonStudios on the right for some of his early work), when I saw a lovely little pack of 8 Fat Quarters for £8 ($16), that may seem a lot to you in the US but here in the UK that is actually quite good. It was begging me to buy it so what could I do. I almost bought 2 but managed to hold myself back!!

So I bought it, washed it , cut it , pieced it, quilted it and bound it over the last weeked....and the finished product is......

Well Bright!!

I love it, and hopefully my pal will too.

Her Partner is Spanish and this looked really Mediterranean to me, and as we rarely see a lot of sun in Scotland I am hoping it will remind them both of Spain.

I have to say that I am raring to go now to make another, but I should spin some more yarn first and finish off the crochet belts I am making for next week's craft fair, along with knitting the sleeves and collar on the top down jacket from last week's post.... I suppose I will have to go to work too somewhere along the line.

Not fair!?!??!?!?!?!? I just want to make stuff, I would throw my dummy out of the pram, but I don't have a quilt of my own to cosy up into, maybe I could............

You can teach an old dog new tricks

2008-04-21T12:22:00.001-07:00

So it was Friday night, I had been crocheting all week, on a small hook with cotton.....quite hard on the wrists. The Pizza had arrived and been well eaten and I was looking for something to do. Now for Christmas Santa bought me a selection of crafting books, one of which, "Fitted Knits" had been egging me on to open it and study it for a few weeks. I liked the idea of putting some simple shaping into my creations and also fancied giving this top down knitting malarkie a go.

So out came the book, I rummaged through the stash looking for some nice chunky yarn that would give me some quick results, as a reaction to the small hook crochet. I took out my shiny new circular needles and off I went.

Now one of the things that sets me apart form many a "professional" knitter is the way I hold both my yarn and needles. I was taught to knit with the right pin under my arm, and as a result I take my hand off the needle completely when wrapping the yarn around. I have managed to train myself to knit stitches and keep my hand on the needle, which means I can knit in the round for socks and guddle my way through the ribbing.....but knitting a jacket back and forth in stocking stitch on circulars proved too much for me.....especially with the multiple stitch markers required for the increases.

After the third attempt I decided to do it my own way. I took out my long 10mm faithfuls, concentrated hard for the first 2 rows to set the increases and then basically did my own thing!

I knitted, and tried it on, then I knitted some more and tried it on again. I managed to put the pins down at about midnight and once I had done the housework on Saturday morning I was off and running again.

What did I produce.....this little number. As you can see I still have the sleeves and Button Band/Collar to knit but basically I did this in about 5 hours...not bad eh? On bog standard straight pins.

I added a peplum (frill) at the botton which uses the same technique as the increases on the shoulders to produce the upper arms and will do the same at the wrists, I think I will also add on a wide collar with the frill too.

To say I was chuffed would be an understatement. I am all ready to go topdown again once this is finished....and I didn't have to re-learn how to purl......bargain!!!

Small World - Big Differences

2008-04-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

A big box arrived yesterday from my pal Leslie.

I knew what was in it, but I was still really excited.
....and it was even better than expected.....4 skeins of hand died New Zealand Wool, 2 Drop Spindles and .....some roving. I have 2 long weekends coming up in May so that is what I will be doing, I can't wait.

Infact I am off tomorrow too....... but I have to concentrate on the Wedding Dress I am crocheting, as I have a deadline for that.

Included in the box of goodies to pad things out was a local newspaper from West Milford, which being nosey, I had to put back together and read through.

Now from a purely visual point of view the paper could have been our local rag the Courier. Same layout, same estate agents but no car adverts taking up the last 3 pages, and no sport either that I could see.

Same news lines too, lots of local issues, but hey in the US you say what you think ....it was brilliant. Here in the UK it is very rare that a journalist actually says what they think in every day language, we are quite reserved when it comes to slating someone, we do it, but very politely, the words on the paper when you hear them in your head are almost monotone.

Not in the US, you can hear the converation with lots of intonation and the letters to the editor were even better. They would never get published in the UK. Only slight criticism is allowed and then it always seems to be that it comes from an almost lofty viewpoint. I much prefer the idea of telling folk outright that their ideas are rubbish and so are they. Which is exactly what you would do if you saw them face to face at a meeting to discuss local issues, if they were really important to you.

So from now I will read the local news and translate it into American speak. It will be so mouch more interesting and entertaining, perhaps there would be more interest in both local issues and politics if we took off the covers and revealed our true selves.

Amazing what a box of wool and a drop spindle can do!

Fair enough...

2008-04-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I attended my first fair of the year today, made a couple of sales, handed out lots of business cards, and apart from the fact that it was freezing cold, it all went pretty well. The tables were really cheap so I have booked in again for next month. But...next time Iwill take a flask!

I have also completed another shrug, I knitted the body on the machine then hand crocheted the trim. It is a really bright orange and quite good fun.

When I got back from the fair I was shattered so not much has happened this afternoon, apart from setting up a sale in my ebay and etsy shops, so, if you are looking for some beanie bargains go have a look.

Oh meant to let you all know, the builder came back yesterday, removed some bricks and told me that the fault that was supposed to have been fixed for the last 3 years......wasn't. So..... for the last 2 years we have had leaks because they hadn't fixed the original problem. I was not a happy bunny. Whilst waiting for the next "fix" I am going to compose a letter asking for real compensation this time as well as the damn thing fixed properly. Wish me luck ;0)

I loved it so much...........................

2008-04-11T12:56:00.001-07:00

I made 2!

Most unusual for me, I am very shallow and rarely make more than one of anything unless as an order.

Had a great day today, off my work so by 9:15 I had dropped off the kids, hung out a washing, walked the dog and done Tesco's.

Then I must have had a really funny turn ............as after I had put away the shopping, I made a strawberry, banana, black grape, blueberry and fresh orange juice smoothie..............I know weird!

I haven't made a smoothie for months, so why now? I was rather de-lish-ious, but large enough for 4 so I have had a very gurgly tummy most of the day. I reckon I am all 5 a day-upped for about the next 3 weeks!

I then decided to gut the living room, even hoovering behind the TV, finding paper aeroplanes, hula hoops, christmas baubles and several rubber bands!?!?!? I really should do housework more often!

Now I am off to relax and get an early night before the craft fair tomorrow....fingers crossed for good weather.

Craft Fever

2008-04-10T15:00:00.001-07:00

Just two days to go until my first event of the year. My bags are packed and the last item I am making is almost ready. It is a version of the shawl in the picture but in blue and white cotton.

I am so pleased with this as it is just how I saw it in my mind. The material is a mix of Cotton and Viscose and it drapes beautifully.

Hopefully someone will love it just as much as I do.

Fortunately the fair is just half a day so I will still have some weekend left, but I have to start crocheting my latest Wedding Commission and I am hoping for a positive result from a couple of Alchemy bids I have on Etsy too. Good job I have booked tomorrow off work.

Once the fair is over I am also going to re-design my Web Site........anyone would think I had time to spare!

I will be brief....

2008-04-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

Due to the fact that I am already tucked up in bed, and have been for the last 40 minutes, catching up on emails, checking Etsy...no sales, eBay...3 sales and crocheting another wrap for the fair on Saturday.

Mmmmm about the fair, I am in a quandry!

I have lots of beanies, large and small, but summer is coming so will folk want a beanies? I have several Shrugs, and bags, and now I have at least 4, hopefully 5/6 shawls or wraps, but is that enough? Will anyone be in the Summer wrap mood as it is likely to be snowing outside? Will anyone turn up as it is likely ot be snowing outside?

I am always like this before a fair. I love making and designing but I have a crisis of faith whenever I have to actually stand and sell. Why? All the comments I have received are positive. I don't sell everything, but who does?

Is it my creative soul that swings from excessive highs to doldrum lows?

.....or is it the fact that I went back to the day job today after a great week off, had a crap night's sleep because of it (dreaming about pianos??????) and having put on over 10lbs sices Christmas didn't eat any chocolate in a vain attempt to get back to pre Xmas weight!

Who cares pass the Mars bar I am off for a kip!

You learn something new everyday!

2008-04-04T04:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the things I learnt over the last few days....

1. Travel Sickness...I have spent years getting travel sick if I try to knit/crochet or read in a car(obviously not when I am driving...duh).

I have therefore wasted hours looking out of the window on the long journeys to Cornwall. But stick a Caravan on the back of the car and hey presto I can knit crochet or read infact I completed half a sock in the 2 hours it took to get to Berwick on Monday. I did re-test thjis without the caravan and could have thrown up for Scotland after about 2 minutes!

Here is a picure of the sock, being worked on whilst in the caravan at Berwick overlooking the Sea.

2. Lurcher is a type of dog..Dusty is a lurcher...A lurcher is a cross between a Whippet/Greyhound and a sloth.

Dusty is 90% sloth..... as you can see the lure of the couch, the sunshine and the smell of Sea air through a caravan window is just too much for him.

3. Sunshine is not a requirement when you are at the seaside...just the sea and the beach will do thank you very much. Especially when you are 11 and nothing is going to stop you paddling in the North Sea, in your trunks, with a hoody on, not even a force 9 Gale on Aprils Fools day...Great stuff!

4. Lurchers cannot breathe underwater. I did know this but Dusty didn't and it was a surprising discovery for him. His ball was at the bottom of a deep rock pool whe he made the discovery.....when it happened for the second time he immediately went into baby mode and cried until someone recovered the ball for him......lazy but not stupid!

5. Buy a 16 year old wellies and take him to the seaside and he becomes a 5 year old again...skimming stones, chasing waves and having a great time without having to pretend to be cool. This was one of the really good things I learnt, I got my baby back for a couple of days.

6. Sandunes make you stupid. You think you can sit back to back with a 16year old, wrap arms and stand up.....well on the third attempt you can...only to fall over again backwards once the 16 year old moves, cos your brain is still applying the pressure to help you stand up, but, the aforementioned 16 year old is not.

Result one mother flat on her back on the dunes at Lindisfarne, laughing so much that it takes all 3 of the men in the house to get her upright again.

7. Families are brilliant and I wouldn't swap mine for anything!!!! But I knew that already.

A tick on the list

2008-03-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of days I have been using up some of my stash to do some experimenting.

Here are the items I made, ignore the coloured threads on the scarf, they were a part of the experiment that went wrong.

One loosely crocheted scarf in 2 shades of Rowan Cork, and a few little flowers, also in Rowan Cork.

I wanted to use the Rowan wool, as it is 95% merino and I have been dieing to see how it felts up. Actually I have been dieing to see how anything not bought from a Charity shop felts up, as that is all I have experimented on so far. I think the fear of messing up something it took ages to create was too big for me. Anyway I lost my fear this weekend, and just went for it.

The results were actually better than I had expected.

This is how the scarf turned out. It felted up really well and is beautifully soft now.

I have enough left to make a bag, which I think I will hand knit on 8mm needles, as that was the hook size used for these, and see how that turns out.

Even better than the scarf was the flowers.

I loved these before the felting, but was really chuffed with them afterwards. I made 2 sizes of petals, one with double trebles and 4 chains (trebles for US) and one with treble trebles and 5 chains (double trebles for US).

After the felting you can still see the texture of the stitches but the flowers themselves are really soft and look almost cloud-like. Not sure if that is due to the shading in the yarn or not as although the colour looks like pale lilac there is some darker purple in there too.

So, as we are going away for 2 nights in the caravan tomorrow and there is no TV, I am taking my knitting and crochet and plan to make some more of these Lilac Rowan flowers, but bigger with more petal layers, and knit a chunky bag with the Brown Rowan I have left......oh and the wee man wants a pair of red and white stripey socks to wear with his wellies. They will definiately take a bit longer than 2 nights though. I am still getting the hang of knitting in the round.

Note to self...

Better finish the girls jacket in bed tonight, just half a sleeve and the hood to go.

Here is a pic of the work in progress this afternoon, loving the colours, smokey grey and pale blue. Now the wool has been crocheted up it is looking really cosy, and this pattern is so easy.

Made it up myself so it can't be that difficult ;0)

Won't be able to keep you up to date while we are away in Berwick, but promise to have some photos of the hols and any work I get done on Wednesday when we get back.

Today is the first day of....

2008-03-29T03:27:00.000-07:00

My Holidays.

I have great plans for crafting and we are also going away for a couple of days in the Caravan to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Which is just in England but is trying to get back into Scotland. Plans are to mooch (Cornish for stroll, amble) around the City and take the pooch onto the beach. This will be his first trip to the sea en famille.

I am also planning to

Complete the Crochet Jacket I am working on
Write up some of my other patterns to post onto Etsy
Start the Wedding Dress Commission
Do some Felting experimenting with hand/machine knit and crochet
GET OUT THE OVERLOCKER...............yeah I know that has been the plan for weeks but it will happen I promise.

So a nice quiet week...watch this space!!!

In the time it takes to cook Pasta........

2008-03-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

.....I will complete this blog post. Well that is the theory.

I am trying to make the most of those little in-between-times that we mums get. You know in-between work, washing, cooking, ironing being thrashed at Mario Olympics on the Wii, the usual stuff.

I am hoping to get a new shrug loaded into Etsy too this evening, but the site seems to be kaput at the moment ,so you can see it here first.

This is Paeony...I love the spelling of that word!!! Another of my Bond Knitting machine creations. It looks Navy Blue in the photo but it is a beautiful deep purple, really rich. The wool is a chunky Mohair blend so it is really warm and cosy. I love it to bits, but then I would!!

I am trying to get all my stuff together for a Craft Fair in April at the moment. I want to display more "clothes" rather than accessories to see what the reaction is. I am working on girls crocheted jacket in a gorgeous variegated grey and blue wool.

Working on the Jacket is what I will be doing this evening...after eating the pasta, making a fool of myself at Mario Gymnastics, walking the dog and whilst watching the football...I know life on the edge eh ;0)

Sew much to do......

2008-03-24T06:23:00.001-07:00

And this little cutie kind of got in the way of the overlocker and the recyclable stash. It is cute though and I have at least made something, so I am not going to be too hard on myself.

Only one day left of the Easter break and I am back at work tomorrow, it just ain't fair. I could do this whole crafting thing full time, and it would be great. Unfortunately the bank may not be quite so keen. I have made myself a promise though...3 long days at work this week and a full week off next. Hopefully that promise will be more sucessful than the one I have made to the overlocker. With a full week off after Friday who knows what could happen.

I have been asked to join a Made in Scotland Flickr Group which is really cool, and I am going to have a go at craftjuice this afternoon. I know that ain't sewing but the more interest I can get in my items the more chance I can cut back on the ratrace hours then I will have more time to knit, crochet, sew, and I may even get to try the other things I want to do like felt, spin and knit/crochet jewellery.
Watch this space...but please don't hold your breathe!

Tomorrow I will sew!!!

2008-03-22T13:12:00.000-07:00

I am promising myself some time with my stash of recyclable clothes and the infamous "overlocker " tomorrow. I seem destined not to get the damn thing out of the box. Fortunately the main reason is that I am busy maknig up knitted and crocheted orders, so I shouldn't really complain, it is just that the overlocker was my mother's day present and I want to get my hands on it and sew, sew, sew. Another problem is finding the space of course. I have several knitted but not pieced garments on the craft table at the moment which need blocking and that leaves very little space for the sewing stuff. I could put up another table....but that space is taken up by my 25 year old oknitting machine which I have been having a great time with, as you will see from the pic at the start of this post.

On the plus side as it is Easter I have a long weekend so don't have to get back to the day job until Tuesday. I have also booked the following week off...week 2 of the school break. We are considering going away in our caravan, but as the temperature today hardly climbed above freezing, I will wait until nearer the time before I commit to 3 nights on the windswept east coast of Scotland.

Call me a coward if you like but being warm and cosy is not negotiable for a knitter/crocheter, you sit in one position for so long that even with the house at 68 degrees I am freezing. Of course it could be my age....but lets not go there ;0}

Still no overlocker!

2008-03-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

And this is why I haven't managed to get my new overlocker out of it's box.

It is rather gorgeous tho, and the lady I have made it for loves it too.

So will the overlocker get out of it's box tonight?

Who knows?

I have to help the wee man finish his class talk on Karate. We have just finished tea so that is one job done. I have also tidied up the craft room/dining room to make room for the aforementioned overlocker!! But I have a strange feeling that my chunky knitting machine is going to make an appearance before the overlocker......I have a couple of ideas I want to try out!!!

One thing I do need to finish this week is wee Morgan's Aran Jacket. I was doing so well, back and right front finished in no time....then I started the left front when I was tired, not a good idea. I ended up with a second right front but with the stitches left for the button hole band on the side that would make it the left front.

I will rip it back but I am going to knit the sleeves first, much less confusing!

If you want to have a look at some of the other items I have completed recently check out my etsy pages at for the stripey rasta hat and the baby booties....awww.

Lazy......who me?

2008-03-04T10:35:00.001-08:00

Well actually no I haven't been too lazy..quite busy in fact.

I have finished Mandy's shawl for her Wedding. It is going to the dressfitting this Thursday to make sure that it is the correct colour.

We think it may be a bit too creamy...so Mandy is also taking along this cape too. Both are Rowan wools both are crocheted in the Ivory shade and look very similar in the pics but totally different in natural light.

I am currently knitting an Aran babies jacket hat and mittens for a 1st birthday gift and have a shrug and corsage to finish by the middle of the month.

I do have a confession though as my crafts have been put to one side following the discovery of not only a fantastic little overlocker in Aldi but also a fabby laptop......which I am typing to you on now.

You see my logic was that with a laptop I could knit/crochet until about 9 pm each evening then go to bed and blog/email/etsy promote/ebay for an hour before going off to sleep!!!

So here I am all jim-jamed up and lieing in my bed typing away. It is brilliant, and best of all it works like a telly too............. haven't plugged that bit in yet but I am looking forward to it.

So lazy ....I think not! ;0)

Was that a quick Week ..or What??

2008-02-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

I am a bit unsure of what happened but the last week appears to have been only a couple of days long! Either that or I have slept through 5 days. I know as you get older time appears to move more quickly, but this is ridiculous.

The thing is if I try to workout what I have achieved I am coming up with.............not much. Well not much in the areas I am interested in. I have managed 2 birthday parties...............that was the main job last weekend. Worked a full week (time does not appear to be flowing so quickly when I am at my Desk, I might add) Performed a lot of taxi duties to include, football, karate and the Vets.

Don't worry the dog is fine, just picking up his regular worm tablets......how exciting can this life get!!!

Crafts wise I have finished the beaded dolly bag, and the mohair and silk wrap (well apart from sewing in the ends and blocking) I have made a pair of crochet cotton baby booties, which I just need to put the ribbon in, and half a girls cotton sun hat, which I am going to finish this afternoon. I will properly finish my "finished items" and post some pictures later in the week, which could be in 10 minutes depending on which gear time is in this week and if it is running down hill with a tail wind!!!

The Sample Bridesmaid Wrap

2008-02-15T13:58:00.001-08:00

Well that is me finished the sample wrap for Mandy. This one is in white with pearls around the edge but the yarn I have for Mandy is Ivory to match her dress. I have bought Rowan Kid Silk Aura for the job and it looks gorgeous. It also feel very soft.

Comments would be most welcome. It is also listed on Etsy for Sale...if anyone is interested ;0)

I have had quite a good evening so far, am half way through a little crochet dolly bag to match the wrap. I am also halfway through a bottle of wine which has rendered crocheting with beads impossible. Well it is Friday.

I have been listening to The Secret in the car this week and made myself visualise increasing my Hearts on Etsy to 100 from 40 by the end of the month. I am up to 90 already. I also set myself the goal of a total of 35 purchases by the end of the month, still 2 weeks to go and 6 sales to be had. It feels weird because it is not actually the money that is important, I want to know that people like my designs...I suppose anyone who creates things feels the same. every time you finish something there is a little bit of you left in it. That is why it is so special when you are given something that someone has made.

My Valentine card and poem from the Wee Man is a case in point. The card was sweet and the poem was in the style of Tam O'Shanter. If you don't know what that is I will give you a clue....he used the word spew as a rhyming word!!!!

He is 11 this weekend so I suppose I should be making the most of the last couple of years when he gives his mum a valentine.........judging by the 8 he received form girls in his class this year I am up against some stiff competition!!!!

Happy Days

2008-02-12T10:41:00.001-08:00

I am soo excited. I have just received a convo on Etsy from AMI Designs to say that she featured me in a treasury this morning. I have never been in a treasury on Etsy before.

All in all since my last blog I have had a good few days. I went shopping on Sunday with my sister-in-law to a big department store and we spent about 4 hours drinking tea and coffee and buying material and craft supplies.

This was our first trip for a good few months, the sun shone and we had a really good laugh. Obviously I have come back with loads of wool, material, clips, beads and the like, a million and one ideas of what I am going to make and I have not got a clue what to make first...arghhhh.

What I need to do is write a list, and using the Secret, which I have to admit I am really hooked on at the moment, be grateful for what I have and the way will be shown to me.

I should really finish off the mini dress before starting anything new.....see the picture above for current progress, but multi tasking is a woman's prerogative so that may have to wait. As I also have a sample mohair shawl to finish, and an Aran set for a little boys 1st birthday in March.

Mmmm.....maybe the beading experiments will have to wait a few days!!!

I don't really mind I am so high at being included in a Etsy Treasury that the world is my lobster!!

I am also going to create a DaWanda account (I think that is right) and show my stuff on there....oh it's soo exciting :0)

I have been a naughty girl.

2008-02-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you for 4 whole days but it has been a bit manic here.

Firstly the "wee" man is 11 on the 17th and being the "wee" man he wanted a Wii for his birthday. A bit OTT, I will admit but he did agree to pay a load towards it, so in search of a Wii I went. The damn things are more elusive than hens teeth, and when they are in stock you have to make like the January sales and rush around trying to get one. Of course this who episode would have been far less stressful if one of the chaps at my work wasn't buying them 10 at a time and then flogging them on eBay for a huge profit! On one hand I admire his entrepreneurial skills, on the other I was determined that Birthday or not I was not going to get screwed for any more than the Argos price. Living in Scotland must be rubbing off on me!!!!!.

I must also apologise for not posting picks of the dress yet. Deary hasn't taken the pics yet and I won't see him again until tomorrow evening( late shift this week) so hopefully when I post tomorrow you will be able to see my retro-fest. I have decided to give it a blue and white striped skirt. Mainly for 2 reasons

1. I mixed 2 4 ply white yarns and they really match in well with the Vintage Boucle
2. There is only enough Vintage Boucle to make a mini that would be obscene even on a porn star so I needed to improvise, as all good designers do.

I am of to my craft night tonight, I need it to get a way from the constant bickering of the boys....will it ever stop, or will this go on until they are in there 40s and I will be so deaf that I won't hear it!!

As I haven't any dress pics and it was very like a spring day here today I have added in a picture of my favourite Spring Green Beanie to cheer us all up!

So you think you're a Weatherman?

2008-02-02T09:51:00.000-08:00

We have had heavy snow and blizzards forecast for the last 3 days.

So today it came...for about 5 minutes then it turned to rain and we were all back to normal.

I would quite like some snow, I have shopped for soup ingredients and I am ready to rock and roll! But no, snow's off again. One of the things I liked about Winter was snow. In fact it is the only thing I like about winter and was one of the things I was looking forward to when we moved to Scotland. Bet you we will get it on a day they forecast sunny spells. I reckon their seaweed is polluted!!!

Of course, even without the Snow excuse, I am crocheting away. At a very wintry project at the moment. Perfect for wearing in the snow..................a blue and white striped mini-dress. Very retro and very cute.

I would show you a piccie but all the ones I have taken so far look naff. I will get deary to work his magic tomorrow and let you see a picture of the back, which I should finish tonight.

Why am I crocheting a dress......well I have been asked to make a wedding dress, in a similar style and I fell in love with the whole 1960's theme, so I am making a Nijani Original Retro Mini, just because I can;0)

I have found some vintage Jaegar yarn, in a very 60's blue with white stranding and I am going to add the white stripes in to the skirt. I am quite excited about it, the yarn is a slubby linen mix which adds to the whole effect. The more I crochet the better it looks........

I know you want to see for yourself....tomorrow I promise.

TaTa

I Hate Technology!

2008-01-31T13:13:00.000-08:00

So today my eldest, under duress, moved my PC from the cold wet family room, to the warm, cosy dining room/craft room. I in return made the tea.

Now James (my eldest) has always had a wireless connection to the Internet in his bedroom, whereas I was.....well hard wired. However, there is no phone socket in the dining room, so I bought another wireless adapter and after the aforementioned tea, I set about connecting the moved PC to our wireless router.

Before we go any further I think I should avail you all of few important facts.

1. I have worked in IT (computers) for 19 years
2. I installwired and wireless systems for a living
3. I work in a team whose sole purpose in life is to assess and trial technology for customers requiring secure networks.

So how long did it take the two of us to get 1 PC connected to the Router.......3 hours. I was logged onto a neighbours network quite happily for 1/2 an hour at one point, until thought better of that.

I tried every key combination possible to log onto our router, which I had configured a year ago to be secure...eventually screaming and telling James to remove the security keys, cos I don't care if the world and his wife can access the Internet through our house.....I want to bloody well access too!!! I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms....how sad is that!

Course once we did that I was on.............and he was on, in fact most of our street was able to get on , if only they had realised. So I did a few tweaks and re secured us, then I was off and........... he was off!?!?!!?

Now have you ever tried to detach a 16 year old from MSN and Bebo...............it ain't pretty.

Next thing I knew, he was charging down stairs accusing me of infringing his human rights or some such rubbish, just as he got to the last stair, my firewall asked me if it should allow access to my wireless network. Obviously I kissed the screen and cried YES!!!!. Actually I clicked on OK but it was still quite dramatic.

As I shouted to James that I was on, he charged back upstairs only to find he was on too. I know it goes on and on and on.......

Now we are both afraid to log off..........I may need a glass of wine or two tomorrow evening depending on who is off and who is on ;-) I may also get around to some knitting or crochet

My next set of withdrawal symptoms is looming on the horizon!

Oh James has just popped down to share this with me.

Go to google and type in find Chuck Norris, then click the I'm feeling lucky button......

Good eh?

Short but Sweet

2008-01-29T11:55:00.000-08:00

Today the weather has been dreich that is Scot's for crap, as you can see from the photos.

I have however managed to finish these 2 beanies which I have loaded onto Etsy.

Spring Green, the green one!!! seems very popular.

I have also spent the last hour trying to keep up with the Etsy UK Forum, and now my head is spinning!!!

The plan for tonight was to start a crochet wool bag which I will then felt. But the Karate run and forum hopping has kind of put paid to that.

Tomorrow will be a no go too...... because ......Wednesday night is ..........Craft Night!!! Whoohoo

So me, Sister-in-law Fi and pal Helen, will sit, craft, drink coffee and laugh for 3 whole hours. I can't wait.

BTW it is still wet and cold in the computer room, I now have a sheepskin jacket so I can stay long enough to type.

NHBC Come on down!!!!

See you Thursday ;-)

Chicken Licken

2008-01-28T10:55:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time....in a land not very far away...where during the winter it was a bit windy and a bit rainy .....there lived a mature but still very young at heart knitter/crocheter. She lived in a lovely house, no where near a forest or wolves, but quite close to some lovely bunnies, which her dog chased but never caught...ahhhhh!!

Now one winter's morning she awoke to find a small puddle in one of her rooms, so she rang the nice builder man(it was a new house) and he sent his lowest lackie(highly trained builder) to fix the problem. The sun shone and all was good.

The following winter there was a windy rainy night 3 days before Xmas. Santa was most concerned regards his ability to deliver the pressies!!! The following morning our knitter/crocheter(me) got up to find a bigger puddle in the same room as before. She went to find the lovely builder man who, on seeing her approach, buggered off (was urgently called to meeting ). She rang the customer services fairies only to be told....Shut for Christmas!

So on Christmas morning the whole family ate on their laps because all the computers and books and cameras and stuff were in the dining room..i.e. not in the puddle. In February the builder man was sacked and new builder man arrived and he sent a slightly more skilled lackie (builder from another site on the other side of the land) to fix the roof.

Last year, 3 weeks before Xmas, I got up one morning (losing patience now) after a typical rainy December night to find another puddle same room, same place. By the end of the day deary had poked a hole in the ceiling to enable us to catch 2 gallons of water, before the ceiling fell down. We phoned the Builder man and etc etc etc site supervisor...on a ladder, new leading...blah,blah,blah.

Are you spotting the trend here............

The builder man came and fixed it...............the sun shone..............................................winter came again...............................Christmas came again....New Year came again.......last Friday came again....

and the puddle came again.............

I now sit at the PC with a hoodie on, and a gallon bucket of rain water next to my chair. My hood is up to stop the draft from the new hole in the ceiling giving me a stiff neck, as the wind is blowing right through it, and you know what.....I don't give a sh*t .

Oh, and I have rung the builder man..........................................................

On a more positive note, my wool and WIPs are at the opposite end of the house, in an Ark!!! Plus it was still daylight at 5pm tonight when I walked the dog, so , Spring is coming and all is well with the world!!!!

The Start of Something New

2008-01-27T05:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I've finally taken the plunge. Even my 16 year old is impressed, I now have pictures on filckr...which he doesn't and a blog...whooo.

Blogging is something I have been thinking about for a while. Back in the days of pen and paper, my best pal and I wrote to each other everyday, to discuss school, parents, music and of course boys. Some of the notes written on good old A4, which of course included doodles, are still hilarious, and were a great outlet for the pent up angst all teenagers feel.

Well guess what, a 40 something year old can harbour a lot of pent up angst too!! Plus being a woman this angst can be simmering nicely for a good few days, years, or months before it finally reaches boiling point.

So, I have decided to combine my skills as a crafter, my life as a mother and proud owner of the laziest dog on the planet, along with my desire to be a wordsmith and blog about all things relevant to me.

If you have kids, a dog, a deary(aka a husband or partner) and one of those things you have to go to every day to pay the bills ( yes a j.o.b) then maybe some of my posts will make sense and ring true. If you have none of the above but want to gloat then fair enough. I would too if I were you!!

I promise to add photos when I can. I always find pictures mean I have to write less....oh yes , meant to say, I'm lazy just like the dog, we make a perfect couple!!!!

Please drop in from time to time and catch up. I'd love to hear from you and get some feedback, support or have a look at some of your blogs