What a difference a day makes

The last few weeks have been really busy at work as I've been running 90 oral exams in 2 locations over three days using about 30 examiners. So I took today off and have had a really wonderful time. It makes me wish a 4-day week lay somewhere in my near future. But sadly not. Weekend first though - went down to muvvers in Somerset and had a wonderful time. Blissful weather, very relaxing, lots of time in the garden, great food, and a cat you can't help but love....

We were hanging out - not something we usually do since she is a prolific hunter and barely spends more than an hour a day at the house during the summer.

Of course my favouritest animal was also there.

He was on excellent form. He got to eat crab, and got driven around by me in the custard car - the brightest yellow car you ever saw which belongs to my sister.

We had lunch with my parents at a beautiful house with an amazing garden. I adore poppies.

So beautiful.

And it meant I had a lot of time to knit while I was relaxing. This is my old shale pattern cardi which I'm doing bottom-up in Ty-Dy cotton.

So that brings me to today and my wonderful day off. I headed straight to the V&A Quilts Exhibition. On Nickerjac's recommendation I got the iPhone app for it and I'm very glad I did as it was really handy. Not only do you get the commentary, you also have the option to look at some details on the screen as the nature of the quilts means that they're too delicate to get too close to. This is one of my favourites which luckily they had a postcard of.

Union jacks made out of liberty prints. So clever and so beautiful.

After that I headed off to Covent Garden and Artbox. I love that shop. You can buy online too. This was my haul.

Little ankle socks with ducks on. Awesome. And then a little something from the Bead Shop.

And then Cyber Candy was just round the corner so it would have been silly not to get some Cherry Ripe bars. Goddamn I love those things. If only they'd make them in the UK. Although considering my waistline it's probably best they don't. 

Days off rule!

Pimp My Chair

I love my chair. Which is just as well as I would resent making new covers and the rest for it if I didn't. I worked out how much the fabric would cost me from spoonflower, and it came out as more than the chair cost, so I went to rolls and rems in lewisham and got some cord. Red for the arms and a lovely aubergine for the seat and back. I've only got the arms done so far but they bode well.

The cord has a little stretch to it so they fit nicely, despite my bodgetastic approach to soft furnishings. I also found a suitable hook for hanging scissors on.

Awesome - happy snoopy dance once I'd screwed that into place. And then there is the pin cushion. I decided to go all out on this and make a bespoke one. I always loved these segmented ones and found this tutorial for making one.

I absolutely adore it. I chain stitched around the edge to hide the dodgy seaming I'd done too.

Poifect. The only down side is that I don;t have any velcro handy to attach it to the chair with - I am going to velcro it to the arm of the chair so it can be removed for when I'm knitting rather than sewing. My final 'to do' is a small box or tray to go on the other arm (again velcro'd) for holding spools or thread, stitchmarkers and so on.

It was pay day this week and so I finally cracked and bought the alice in wonderland tie in necklace from Swarovski.

It was a major blow out but I have been lusting after it for at least a month and I only have so much willpower.

Heeeee!

Baby got a brand new chair

Behold! My Chair!

My physio suggested a nursing chair would be good for me as it is a solid structure with good padding and support. I tried out some mucho expensive ones in John Lewis and spent a very happy 10 mins rocking away before noticing the one I liked most was £380. Not going to happen, so online for a cheap replica. One grumpy pooch later, ta da!

Pockets for knitting. Nice touch.

Of course being a cheap knock off the covers are nasty polyester although perfectly fine for now. But naturally I am already planning to recover. Which has made me think about material. I'm going to need a curtain weight cotton and so my mind has turned to Spoonflower. If only there was a UK version. But still, there are some lovely fabrics on there. All of these link back to the creators for ordering. Thousands of other to choose from. I do like those buttons though.

Such an amazing chair naturally needs some accessories. Here are the first:

Except I can't have my new chair with that tatty old ribbon marking these as 'fabric only' so I made a new tag.

Hand embroidered chain stitch on dotty red then zigzagged with some shiny variegated thread and lightly stuffed. Fabric on the back is...naturally, cats.

Crafty goodness

It has now been 2 weeks since I knitted a stitch. It's a bit odd since that it the longest I've gone without knitting for at least 5 years. I'm just so into the patchwork instead. I've now done 94 of 225 flowers, each consisting of 7 hexagons with 1" sides. I am sure I'll get bored any minute and fling it into a dark cupboard for 6 months but at least by the time I come back to it I'll be half way through.

I went to Friday late at the V&A with Nic and Jackie last week. It was really nice just spending a couple of hours crafting with them. This is the photo Nic tweeted during the evening:

The V&A had underestimated the level of interest so kits ran out fairly early but we managed to get some for us and made a variety of weird and wonderful and, in my case, ugly things. I made more out of the paper bag in the end than the contents but Jackie made this amazing dragonfly:

I scored a tea towel for Pooch from their shop:

And also a top hat for me. I've always wanted one, and a cardboard one is easier to store than an actual. I wore it all the way home from the V&A.

It's been a very nice bank holiday weekend. Seen friends, done more patchwork, been out for dinner, plus have started crafty plans with Nic for something a little bit like SkipNorth but with a different angle. We're formulating cunning ideas at the moment so watch this space for more once things are firmed up.

Nom nom nom

Flesh and juice of a lime, spoonful of sugar, slug of bacardi, top up with ginger beer and strain.

Looking forward to Friday Late at the V&A tomorrow with Nickerjac and others. Still haven't got to the Quilts exhibition so hopefully will get a peek at that too.

A terrible quandry

I got my hexagons out when I got home as I've been longing to start sewing them together. BUT...do I sew them randomly, which would give this kind of effect:

OR do I sort them into colour groups and go for a bit of a colour wave, like this...

quandry...quandry...quandry 

Great word that. Help me decide? I've put a poll in the sidebar (on the right).

My mini-me and mini-pooch are progressing well. Here is the current status:

I mistakenly thought the deadline was today but of course it is 26th June. So loads of time to get crafting. The details are here and the finished articles will be in an exhibition at the Science Museum!

I have unexpectedly made contact with a good friend from school who I hadn't heard from in 15 years. I wasn't sure it was him from the photo online and so I rather tentatively emailed. A few emails later and he asked me to send him a photo and it made me realise I don't really have many of myself. I always tend to be the one behind the camera. So I made an effort and this is the best I could do.

Bit rubbish. I am just not photogenic. Meanwhile, despite having bigged up Rigby & Pellar to everyone who looked like they had a minute, I am almost regretting my visit. I wore my favourite bra today - an old friend with polka dots and everything. I Could Not Wait to get home and take it off. It felt so uncomfortable! It's rather a shame as I'll have to ditch it but it did make me wonder - are there any projects for upcycling bra's? I've seen some disgusting bags and purses but that's it. Anyone got any ideas?

Hold the phone - this charity take them and redistribute...

I had to post again...

... because I've been so terribly crafty today.

True to plan I made another little baby bandana top.

Brown. Very brown. I know some people think strong colours look wrong on babies but I rather like them.

The buttons are fakery. They cover poppers, which will be much easier for the parents. So it's really a little shirt.

I also finished all the knitting on Steggie. I did the hood and seamed it and did the spikes for the head and sewed them on.

Isn't it cute? I am really happy with it.

I just need a zip and to sew that in. Then it should be ready by the time they are back!

And then....I had previously threaded the beads, but today was when I cast on, and then I cast off about an hour ago.

It's the free beaded bracelet pattern by Heather and it is rather awesome. No purling, no increasing. Just cast on, knit and cast off. The shaping is from the beads. I would definitely recommend it. The only hardcore bit is the 1.75mm needles which were a bit hard to get used to. Especially as the 'yarn' was cotton so not stretchy. But after the first few rows it got much easier. I sewed on a little popper for the fastening and am wearing it while I type!

So there we go - what a great day! If only every day could be like this but sadly, it's back to work tomorrow. Ah well.

Mini me, naked

I got this link on twitter. It's from the stitch n bitch london group, which has since expanded to sewing and other crafts - surprisingly inclusive and very cool. So I felt the call and used the knit body blank as a starting point. I added some rows to the head and body and then just i-corded the arms and legs. The website advised you to big up your quirks so since my breasticles have featured recently I thought I'd emphasise them. And naturally there had to be some red and white polka dots somewhere.

She's now wearing a dress and will soon have purple trainers and a necklace. I'm also planning one of Pooch! They're accepting international submissions until the 26th so get your skates on and create a mini-you.

Yesterday was pretty crafty. I sewed the sleeves of steggie into place and picked up for the hood so am 95% of the way there. Then I also made this out of a bandana.

Isn't it cute? £1 for the bandana, 80p for 2m of bias binding, random button, and you're done. I will draw a template up if I have a min. Then of course you have to add your tag.

Bernard is what Pooch calls me. Only makes sense if you know my maiden name though. I'm tempted to keep it but it's for my Physio. The neck is rather wide too so I have plans for changes to a second one which I hope to get done today.

#leadersdebate

It's not often I blog about politics, but the first televised leaders debate in UK history warrants a certain amount of comment. For me it was especially interesting as it was my first experience of following tags on twitter too. I tweet. I don't do it much, and I'm not very interesting, but I have been using it more and more to follow what others are up to. Tweeters were mainly taking the piss, but then there's nothing wrong with that and there were some extremely funny ones (none of these are mine):

• David Cameron looks like a life size porcelain memorial doll of himself, from The News of the World magazine.
• I tried to flip my house. Put my back out.
• Shag, Marry, Kill? Who would you choose??
• Picture of david cameron's notes.
• Gordon Brown's ears are enormous, you could easily beat a Rhino to death with them
• I went to [insert town] & spoke to [insert minority group] & s/he said [insert horrific story]? 

Perhaps even more amazing, for a while there the leaders debate out tweeted Justin Bieber for most frequently mentioned. The rest of the world must have wondered what on earth was going on.

Pleh. But then it did make me wonder whether to vote lib dem afterall. Because my area was more than 50% labour last time and the MP is a minister (Joan something or something like that) I didn;t think there was any point voting anything else. But Cleggy was quite impressive, if only because he could afford to relax more than the other two because he's such an outsider. The second one (on Sky - hello? not all of us have Sky. Who's idea was that?) will show his real chutzpah. He'll be under a lot of pressure to do that well again.

Enough politics - let's talk about underwear. My quest to find out what size my gazungas actually are continues. I took the bull by the horns and made an appointment at Rigby & Pellar.

They are the ones who support the queen's jewels so I figure if they are good enough for her, they'll do for me. And they are really good. They fit you by sight, no tape measures anywhere. Then they go and get endless bras until you feel like a princess and don;t even care about the megabucks on the price tags. While I was being fitted the woman in the next cubicle was being fitted with a mastectomy bra. The assistant was so good with her and she went from uptight to giggling in about 10 mins. As she was leaving the assistant gave her a card with her name on and told her to ask for her whenever she came back and she would make sure she only got shown the sexiest designs so she could always feel fabulous. It sounds like it could have been fake and sickly-sweet but that assistant, as well as mine, was awesome.

Just don't ask me how much I spent.

I've had the last two days off work - solely in order to tidy the flat. I freely admit the mess had got a bit too much. It wasn't dirty - there were just piles EVERYWHERE. And now there are none. Some drawers are a little 'bulgy' but the floor is free and empty, and having put so much into making it that way there is a definite incentive to keep it like that. I finished at lunchtime today and so for a little treat got the bus to Lewisham for a stop at Rolls and Rems. I love that place. For less than a tenner you get a pile of fabric, trimmings, and if you're lucky, a jam doughnut from Greggs. Not to be eaten when windy, as we all know.

Can't you imagine that strawberry print with the edges cut with pinking shears covering jam jars? Not that I make jam of course. I have patchwork on my mind. And so when I got home and found I needed some more hexagon paper pieces I was about to print some on normal paper when I saw a pile of old statements waiting to be shredded. Cutting them into hexagons is kind of like shredding. I used this site to create a pdf and off I went.

Steg-a-rific

I am really enjoying the Steegie hoody. It's going so fast compared to the 4-ply I've been working with recently. The arms are knit upside down to the way you'd normally do them when knitting flat, so you add the zigzags at each end of the top of the arm so when you sew the seam you've got the ridges along the top of the arms in two colours, each off set by half a zig.

I had the red from the 2009 SkipNorth and picked up the blue and green from this year's. Perfecto.

I went to visit the recipient and his wonderful parents yesterday. He's had a growth spurt so fingers crossed I've made it big enough. Nic (for it was she) has put her back out again and god knows I can sympathise with that. She'd still managed to get me a strawberry as a present though. How awesome is this?

It's a strawberry (duh) but it's also one of those reusable shopping bags which you can unfold at a moment's notice. On the way back home I popped into a charity shop and saw this book. It is full of vintage gems, such as this.

A tray holder. For when you're not sure where to keep your trays. Delightful. Then this caught my eye and I knew I'd have to buy the book.

I've always wondered how to get that effect on fabric and now I know.

Bored at Work

So, more Flickr time.

1. Cat Bag - Saco do Gato, 2. 52, 3. KITTY SPIES A BUTTERFLY - Hand embroidered redwork, 4. AB 7140, 5. 39 squares:Eleven and Twelve, 6. square30, 7. Growth Challenge Pouch, 8. newspaper bangle. 2, 9. embellished alice bands, 10. Three Upturned Fabric Bowls, 11. 'Frozen Bloom' Magenta floral leather cuff, 12. 39 Squares:Seventeen and Eighteen, 13. snowdrop full, 14. Big Kanzashi Flower, 15. NI 018 c

SP15 Questionnaire

What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?

Wool or cotton. I’m not a label snob and I don’t mind nice acrylic for things like baby clothes. I do prefer all yarn to be machine washable.

What fibers do you absolutely not like?

Scratchy acrylic, rough wool.

What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I have a needle roll and a circular holder.

How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

 I have been knitting for aeons and am advanced. I have been crocheting for about 8 years but only use it for things like blankets.

Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

I’m working on it.

What’s your favorite scent?

Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry – I’m not crazy about scents though.

Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

I *love* sweets! I am mildly allergic to nuts (fine with ‘may contain nuts’ but not things with actual nuts in). My favourite chocolate bar is an Australian one called Cherry Ripe. Soooooo good. Like a cherry coconut bar. I love all chocolate apart from dark/high cocoa.

What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?

I sew quite a bit. Clothes and patchwork, so any fabric remnants more than 3 inches square will always be used! I also embroider, lino print, doodle etc.

Do you spin? Dye?

I can spin but don’t anymore. I do dye with acid dyes or koolaid, but not often.

What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like hip hop. I can play mp3’s.

What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand?

I like red and dark purple/aubergine. I can’t wear yellow or pastels. Yellow is ok for socks though!

What is your family situation?

I am married, no kids.

Do you have any pets? Are you allergic to any pets?

I don’t have pets but adore cats. DH is allergic though.

Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

All except ponchos. Yuk.

What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? 

I always have a pair of socks on the go. I like to mix it up. So I’ll usually have a few projects on the go – one mindless, one complicated (colourwork or something like that) plus a pair of socks.

What is on your needles right now?

A pair of socks, Steggie for my friend’s little boy, a fairisle cardigan for my mum which will be steeked and a baby cardie for my physio’s first child.

Do you read knitting books? What kind of books i.e. technique, pattern, fiction?

I read loads of books. Mainly murder mysteries! I have a large collection of knitting books and I love the Maggie Sefton series.

Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Definitely. Once I got a pair of handknit socks in a swap and I cherish them. 

Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I am a Denise addict, but I also use addi for the smaller sizes.

Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

I own both.

How old is your oldest UFO?

Years and years and years.

What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe?

Easter – because of the chocolate! I observe Christmas but I am not religious.

Is there anything that you collect?

Buttons. I love unusual ones. Old is best but new is pretty good too!

Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?

I'm trying to get a wishlist online. I'll add them there soon. 

What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I have gone off all of them but I do generally get Interweave.

Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn?

I have tried pretty much everything now.

Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Definitely. I am a size 7 in the UK, which is roughly 40 in euro sizes and 9.5 in the US.

When is your birthday?

4 July – seriously. I’ll be 32!

Are you on Ravelry? If so, what’s your ID?

I am littlelixie. I adore ravelry.

Are you on KnitPicks Knitting Community? What’s your username?

No.

Can you tell I'm proud of this?

I made the pattern up, but based it on the a-line skirt pattern from the book "Sew What! Skirts". Brilliant book. 

I especially love the buttons on the side....