Moccasin-style slippers

Another pair of slippers for DGD - this time moccasin style. I'm just using up oddments of yarn that I keep finding at the bottom of my numerous project bags! (really must have a clear out ........ soon!)
Anyway, these were a trial-and-error make, and I've already thought of some improvements, so when I get around to making another pair, I'll write down the pattern and post it here :)

I love this!

Hand knitted Baked Beans :) Toy play food

This has been sitting in my Draft folder for weeks - I wondered where it had gone.

New photos

I've just spent the last hour and a half taking new photos of my makes to put in my Folksy shop. The battery is now dead which is a good excuse for a sit down, a cuppa and a spot of knitting :)

Little slippers & Flora Rabbit

 Just finished these little slippers for DGD Ellie. I've re-sized them from the Toasty Slippers in Val Pierce's book 'love... Knitting  25 simple projects to knit'
The soles are knitted with acrylic chunky yarn from my stash and the tops are the softest, fluffiest yarn I've ever worked with. I picked it up a couple of years ago from Oswaldtwistle Mills and it's been sitting in a box ever since, waiting for a project.

And here they are complete with pom-poms!

Also crocheted this little rabbit for her (I had to 'borrow' it for a photo, in the car, on our way to Fleetwood) I followed Kate's pattern on Greedy for Colour.
Ellie loves her little bunny! :)

After dealing with a little bit of business, we spent a pleasant afternoon strolling round the shops at Fleetwood, then bought fish & chips (a rare treat) and ate them down at the sea front. Unfortunately, the weather turned and so we made our way home, but not before I took these photos ...... a sculpture of a happy family ...... and fish in a blue river ...... on the prom.

CRAFTSELLER magazine

There's a fantastic offer on at the moment (don't know for how long) for this magazine. I bought the first edition and really enjoyed it so thought I'd share with you.
Click on this link to be taken to the offer page.

I've been really busy lately ....... knitting, crocheting and doing alterations ...... but I'll be back soon with an update.

Pretty fabrics

I was out and about this morning, doing a bit of shopping, and just happened to be in the neighbourhood of our local fabric factory shop. The temptation was too great, I had to have a little look :) And I'm so glad I did!

I know that I don't need any more fabric, I have tons of it, but I found these gorgeous pieces ........


The 'blue tulips' voile is for my bathroom window and I thought I'd make a laundry bag from the matching cotton fabric. It cost me £1 for 1.5m of voile and 50p for the cotton!

 These Sanderson prints are Painter's Garden (left) and Early Tulips (right). I'm thinking of covering an artist's canvas with the vase of flowers from Painter's Garden, and using other elements of the print for appliqué on bags or cushions.
I haven't quite decided what to do with Early Tulips, although my daughter was drooling over it this afternoon! :)
At 50p each, I think I got a bargain!

My final piece is 1/3m of Liberty print that will be just perfect for the lining of a new bag I'm planning. At 40p, who could resist?

Well, enough drooling, I have sewing to do. :-)

New Folksy listings

I've been busy for the last few days, sewing on flowers and leaves to my latest tea cosy ...... sooooo many ends to sew in and trim off! Anyway, it's done now and listed on Folksy. I just love the rich colours of the flowers - if I had a garden, they're the colours I would like in it. :)

 I've also been finishing off this Aran bag - I had to machine sew the seams because I wasn't happy with the way they looked hand sewn. I think, probably, because the background is reverse stocking stitch, it looked a little untidy at the seams. But I'm happy with the way it looks now and I've listed it on Folksy as well.

 I lined the bag with Liberty print fabric; after over-locking the seams and adding a pocket, I hand stitched the lining to the bag. The toggle is another from the 99p chunky bracelet I found in a charity shop!

I'm currently working on a couple of projects - more Autumn/Winter stock and a little gift for my DGD. Piccies soon!  :)

Autumn preparations

I know, we haven't even had a summer yet (apart from our usual great British summer :-s) but I'm trying to fit in little bits in preparation for stocking my Folksy shop when the weather turns cooler. I love making these fingerless mitts; they have ribbing at the wrist, thumb and fingers to ensure a snug fit, and a ribbed back so that they'll fit a multitude of sizes. They're great if you spend lots of time on the computer or texting ....... or, even, knitting!

 These are made with Robin Paintbox which comes in a great range of colours.

Latest makes

In response to a plea, on CB forum, for ideas for a knitted gift for a 6-year-old birthday party guest (male), I took an idea from Craftseller magazine, played around with it and created a Little Monster!

 Just the right size for a little pad of paper and a few crayons.

Also for CB forum, this time a Crafty Challenge, I made this Hot Pink lacy cowl from some of my (vintage) stash .....

 It took less than 50g and is so light and delicate ..... but also very warm with its mohair content.

I still have another ball so I think I may make a beret to match. :)

Still working on my Xtreme bags ..... I have another two to sew up ...... and a whole lotta stash to sort through for more yarn combinations. Watch this space!

More birthday gifts

I also managed to finish this pink heart-shaped cushion for DGD's birthday (today) using the same technique as the purple one - 10mm needles and 3 strands of yarn. I had just enough of the eyelash yarn to complete the front . . . .

 . . . the back is done with 2 x mid pink and 1 x light pink. If you'd like to make one yourself, here's the link to the free pattern. Enjoy!

 Also made her some bunting, spelling out her name, to go in her new bedroom.

Happy Birthday, Ellie xxx

Fluffy cushion

I've just finished this little cushion for DGD's 4th birthday on Monday. She loves purple! It was a very quick-knit project on 10mm needles, using 3 strands of yarn together - purple/white eyelash, white DK and purple DK. The back is all purple DK - again, 3 strands on 10mm needles.

The squares are made using the same principle as the SANDS baby blanket, but this time in stocking stitch, and sewn together with a simple whipstitch.

Planning ahead ...

Found these gorgeous mini Christmas stockings at Little Cotton Rabbits and they are just so addictive, I can't stop knitting them!

I'm making mine in DK on size 9 needles (3.75mm) so they measure about 6" from top to toe. They're the perfect size for slipping a gift card in.

More extreme knitting .....

Another bag made using 10 & 12mm needles and 4 different yarns all knitted together. This time I used a deep purple 3-ply, pale lilac 4-ply, pink DK and pink multi DK (Stylecraft Apache).

 The circles design on the pink cotton lining picks out the colours in the Apache yarn. I stitched pleats along the top edge of the lining to fit the contours of the knitted bag.

Small World bag

A custom-made bag for a friend who is a registered child-minder - she needed a bag big enough to accommodate all the paraphernalia associated with her job and something 'noticeable'. This bag is made with Harlequin 'Small World' printed cotton, fully lined with cream polycotton and has an internal pocket for phone, keys, etc.

Extreme knitting

I finished the green/yellow bag ......

 .... lined it with a remnant of Liberty print, tiny roses ........ this is actually a misprint I picked up at my local factory shop ...

 .... and added some lovely 'Molly makes' flowers and bamboo handles.

 And another in a caramel/beige colourway, knitted with 5 strands of yarn on 6.5, 10, 12 and 20mm needles,

 ... lined with a rich chocolate brown satinised cotton ...

 ... and finished with bamboo handles. I knitted the base in the darker colours and on smaller needles to give the bag a bit more shape.

I have two more bags in progress so I'll be posting more pictures soon.

W.I.P.

I've been really busy this last week making more stuff for my stall tomorrow. You can see some of it on Busymitts and what doesn't sell at the Butterfly Tea Party will be going in my Folksy shop on Sunday.

I was watching one of those crafting programmes last week and they were demonstrating 'Extreme Knitting'. They showed a rather nice cushion cover, knitted on 20mm needles, using 6 yarns at once. I made scarves a few years ago, using the same technique, but haven't done anything recently, so I thought I'd give it another go and use up some more of my mountain of stash!

This is what I'm working on at the moment .......

...... three strands of double knitting on 12mm needles. Can you guess what it is yet? :-D

Kindle cosy

I love reading but I'm finding it increasingly difficult to read for extended periods of time simply because I cannot hold my book. I have arthritis in my hands which makes holding open a book for any length of time quite painful ..... and so, I have been looking at the possibility of getting a Kindle. It's on my Christmas wish list :)
With that in mind, I decided to have a go at making a cover for one. I've used the same slip stitch pattern that I used for the mobile phone cosies.

Now, I don't yet have my Kindle, but I've taken the measurements from the Amazon site and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be a good fit. I've put together this photo with the aid of MSPaint.

Two more bath mitts . . .

I'm hooked ('scuse the pun) on these chunky crocheted bath mitts. I've made two more today - in Vanilla and Limone. They take just one 50g ball of Sorbet each.

I bought lots of different colours a couple of years ago to make myself a bag - it's my hippie bag :)

Bath mitts & Baby blanket

I found some Patons Sorbet in my stash, left over from a bag I made a couple of years ago, so I decided to use it to make a bath mitt ..... or two.

 This one is now in my Folksy shop - nice Father's Day gift ....

and this one's for me!

I'm also working on a baby blanket for the neonatal unit at our local hospital.

The pattern is provided by Ray of Hope

Tea towel apron

Take one Sainsbury's 100% Fairtrade cotton tea towel .....

 ..... add 2 metres of white cotton tape .......

..... et voilà !
I used the 2 pieces cut away to form the bib, undid the side seams and sewed them together to form the pocket. The tea towels were on offer, 3 for 2, so cost just 66p each!

Mobile phone covers

I loved the slip stitch used for the specs case in the Knit Today 2011 calendar, so I downsized it to make some mobile phone covers in lovely bright colours. The pattern is really simple and the covers take only a couple of hours to make.

If you're not a knitter, they're available in my Folksy Shop - KnitnstitchSue