Back again..... finally

Wow, its been a very long time since I have written here. Life has been turned upside down and inside out, but I think that I am coming out the other side, so can start blogging here again. Until very recently I have not knitted a stitch or spun a fibre in several months, but now I think that I am having a renewed interest.

It is knitting for the children that has got my interest going again. I bought a fabulous book – Dream Toys by Claire Garland, which has fabulous toys like unicorns, fairies, pirates and cowboys that have inspired me to get the pins out again.

So I have started with a unicorn for Lily. The knitting did not take too long and now I am at the making up stage. Lily wants it to have a pink mane and tail and so it shall. The legs have rolled up paper in them, so hopefully it will even stand up on its own (well fingers crossed it will). I only hope that she does not treat it like her ‘Manky’ puppy and drag it through the mud etc because it will not stand the consent washing.

Lily's new jumper

I would like to claim the credit for making this jumper for Lily, but I can't - Aunty Eileen did & I sewed it up for her.

Lily loves it, so thank you Aunty Eileen if you are looking in

Snow

Yep - we had snow last week & didn't Coventry know about it!!

The schools closed, but Oliver had fun making a snowman.

Lily was most upset when he melted and his head fell off. She even cried when Timba ate the remaining lump the next day, saying that he had eaten the Snowman's Heart!

Octopus - body complete at last

I dread to think how many rows I have knitted..... too many to count, but the body of the Octopus is finally complete. it still needs a base and stuffing, but my stash basket is providing a fab replacement for the moment. It will also need eyes and a mouth and maybe some colourful spots, but these can be added later.


So its tentacle time now!!

Our first Workshop last night was a resounding success, with 13 members learning a new skill - needle felting. Each started a flower and we only had 8 yeps from self inflicted wounds!!

Here are some examples of what was made - these are still 'Work in Progress' as we found out that 2 hours was not really enough time to complete them - there will be more pictures here as they get finished.

Well done to you all and I look forward to seeing the finished articles

Sp revealled

With SP9 all done, let me introduce you to Michelle and Michelle, my spoiler and spoilee

This Michelle was my spoiler who did a fab job especially with the 2 knit & Felt books

And this Michelle was the one I have been watching and spoiling, whoi will hopefully have a great time with hte goodies I sent, especially the digestive biscuits.

SP - more goodies

I got a fab new book this morning in the post - Felt it - by Maggie Pace

It has lots of great knit & felt ideas and projects - I can't wait to get started - it will make a change from Octopus - at least I have started to decrease for the top, still 1000's more stitches, but it does seem to be growing now.

Thanks SP - Michelle for being a fab SP and sending lots of cool stuff

Octopus update

its growing - slowly, but its growing....

Currently measures 12cm

Knit one felt too

I

This is a fab book that my Aunty Elieen & Uncle Pat bought me for my Birthday
love the shape of this one and the way that the top rolls over.


& here is my version!! It has come out perfectly. The camera had gone walkies so I did not manage a before & after felting, but its the end result that matters and I'm very pleased.

100% wool makes the difference and felted in the washing machine. I have a front loader, so I thought that it would be a problem, but you can actually stop the programme and drain the drum to check the work. This takes time, so I just put it on a 60C wash with some jeans & a towle and hoped for the best. It needed a little reshaping and stuffed a towel inside to keep the shape while it dried.

I have put a small zip with needle felted ball 'charm' to help to open the zip & now its my handbag. I've had lots of comments & work!!

What is better than Kids in a sweet shop?

Kids in a fabulous button shop!!

Just before Christmas I took Oliver & Lily to hte RSVP (Retired & Senior Volunteers Programme) Knit & Knatter @ the Coventry & Warwickshire BBC Radio Station. This is what I found






Yes - jars and jars of buttons in all hte colours and types you can think








Back when I was a child, my Grandma had a button tin and if you had been really good at the table and eaten all your dinner, she would let you play with it. I had hours of fun sorting them out.

The notice said to take a jar from the shelf that does not have a star, tip the contents into the bowl, stir and sort out the buttons that you like, fill a jar and if you want it kept, then put a star on it.

How cool is that!!

Lily & I spent the best part of an hour playing with the buttons, sorting the, counting them and making shapes. We loved it so much that we have started our own button tim @ home and its her most played with toy at the moment.

Coventry Knit-Wits make 15!

WOW - We are storming ahead and going to be doing workshops this month - check out the blog

Zoe's Bag

I fianlly got to complete Zoe's Mobieus bag and it was fab - no photos so you are just going to have to take my word for it. I even did a little needle felt flower that just sets it off nicely. I love it so much that when the projects calm down (yer right) I want to make one for me out of the purple wool that my SP sent.

Anyway - Happy Birthday Zoe - hope you like it - she is under orders to take a photo for proof

Christmas Aftermath

Nearly 2 weeks off from work and not a chance to blog. My needles have been on fire trying to complete my projects for Christmas presents.

I finished Dad's 'Jacob' bobby hat - I decided not to put the bobble on. It fits perfectly and he loves it, especially as I spun the yarn and knitted it too! – Pictures to come

I managed to start and finish Mum’s fluffy scarf in grey Sirdar Foxy – I almost looks like fur. It went down a hit too. The colour was neutral, so that it would go with any colour coat.

More Publicity – ½ page spread in the Coventry Telegraph!!! – Hopefully I’ll get a link to this if the Telegraph put it on their website. There is a picture of three of us knitting in the Liquid bar and a write up about who we are and what we do. Hopefully it will attract more members.

MOBIEUS!!
I have been saving this project as a Christmas Day project and I loved it. A Mobeius bag from “A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting” by Cat Bordhi, as a Birthday present for Zoë, my Brother’s Girlfriend. I chose 100% wool, so that it would felt properly in autumn colours, which had a short variegation. Knitted on 8mm long circular needles – it is really important that they are long so that you can get the Mobeius strip. The bag is formed in the strip by creating a hole by knitting waste yarn on a number of stitches, which you go back to later, remove the waste thread and pick up the stitches to knit the bag – genius and a through pleasure to knit, so much so I’ve started another one – I hope that I don’t give it away too soon.

MORE FELTED KNITS
A fab present from my Aunty Eileen & Uncle Pat – “Knit one, Felt Too” by Kathleen Taylor, which has lots of yummy designs for felted bags, slippers, hats, teddies – the list goes on – I can’t wait to get my needles round some of these patterns.

OCTOPUS
I have been toying with the idea of a project for the Coventry Knit-Wits Group to showcase @ Made in Coventry and the Godiva Festival (See Dec 3rd – Seascape challenge). The challenge for me has been how to knit the Octopus….

I had lots of ideas and drew many pathetic pictures, but finally hit on the idea when I was knitting Zoe’s bag – the waste yarn to create holes…. So here is the pattern so far (subject to change @ a moment’s notice)

4 ply yarn from cones – 2 strands (Green & blue)
Cast on 320 stitches onto 4mm long circular needle to form a circle and knit 5 rows.

Add waste yarn pockets as such –

*knit 20 stitches normally
knit 20 on waste yarn, pass them back onto the left needle and knit them again with the main yarn.*
repeat from * to * so that there are 20 stitch ‘pockets’ with 20 stitches between

knit lots – probably until you get bored, then pass to a friend – more on shaping when I get there, which I hope is before Feb 24th!!