Wrapping Crisis

Just a quick post to show you a bag I customised with the help of my lovely German student that is staying with us at the moment.

We started with a plain white bag (from a sandwich shop!) and a little bit of second-hand pink tissue paper which I couldn't bear to throw away.

I remembered this inspiring post from a website called Fiskars and thought I'd have a go.

It also meant I could have a little practice with my new Big Shot that I've had for ages now and haven't had time to use much.

I suppose there must have been about ten layers of tissue paper that I cut, all at the same time, with a flower cutter.  I stapled it in the middle and then fluffed up the paper and then glued it to the bag.  I think perhaps I could have done with more layers on the biggest one, but ten seemed fine with the smaller ones.  I cut a tag with double sided paper; see the other side -

and ta da!

Another wrapping crisis averted!

Review of Birthday Goodies

Just a few lovelies to show you from Scary's birthday presents.

Shall I start with the boring card?

A couple of little tea light holders.

I did try and get her a decorative bird cage but they were all too expensive for my pocket!

A pretty photo frame in her favourite colours.  Cheap and cheerful from Store 21.

A cutie umbrella, cos you know what English weather is like!

Scary loves peacocks so she had several things along those lines; including a notebook and a hair clip.

A hair band and tie that I crocheted in her current fave colour.

A cute little box and necklace from a charity shop.

Another little sweet box from another charity shop (good job she doesn't mind) to fit in with existing pots.

And I managed to fill it with charity shop and boot sale finds, running with the butterfly theme.

Yes, she did get a bit of money as well!  Along with a guitar; no picture, sorry.

And The Runner gets in on the making act as well.  He made this necklace for her.

Many other bits and pieces, too numerous to photograph, but these were my favourites, along with The Bag, of course, which seemed to take so long to make.

No, not that one!  The real sized one!

Oh, I almost forgot the slippers I bought for her (she suffers with cold feet, poor baby).

And Starfish gave her something she's been wanting with a passion for some time.

Shame he's not real!  Starfish and I went into the shop and said "we want Matt Smith please".  "Oh yes", the lady said.  "We've got one out the back."  Imagine our surprise if she'd come back with a real one! 

Well, if you've made it this far, I think you deserve a slice of cake!

Miniature

In between making ready for the students today, I have been trying to carry on with my present for Scary.  It is a bag that consists of eight panels and each panel is different.  I am using old sheets, clothes and any odd bits and pieces that I have lying around.

It's coming on but it's taking rather longer than I anticipated.

I have tried some free embroidery (I think this is what you call it) for the first time and I'm reasonably pleased with the result.

I wasn't sure how the bag went together.  I kept reading the instructions and I couldn't visualise it.

So I thought perhaps I needed to make a little practice one before I started putting the big one together.

Does anyone have a Barbie that needs a handbag?

Wrist Warmers

Just a quick photo of the wrist warmers I made for Starfish.  They weren't quite finished for Christmas but she seems to like them.

Now Scary wants some as well!

Three Things and A Giveaway

First of all, Happy Easter and I hope that you are having a lovely weekend.

Anyone fancy an egg before they all disappear?

Secondly, this is my 100th post!  Way hey!  I've seen lots of other people do giveaways on landmark anniversaries and I really would like to try this.  However, a little part of me wonders if I should.  Do I have enough people following/reading/caring? 

Well, here goes, let's do it.

If you comment on this post, or you join/have joined my followers, then I will enter you into a draw which I will do next Sunday 11th April at 12 noon British Summer Time.  Not exactly sure what you will get but it might be something woolly that you wear around your neck!  It will definitely include this postcard though:-

and I am happy to send overseas.

Thirdly, it's my birthday today.  The weather has been lovely, I've had some gorgeous presents and a really lazy day.  More on this in another post.

And fourthly (is that a word?) surprise surprise, my mantelpiece is up!!!

After over two years mantelpieceless, I was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to happen.  But now I've got one, With Knobs On!

Literally!

Scarf #2

Yay!  Managed to finish the fluffy scarf!

I managed to mostly rip out the yarn from the previous attempt, with one little lump at the end that I couldn't unravel.  I looked for some help on the Internet and it told me that I should be using it double.  No way was I going to rewind that blessed stuff into two balls (I was beginning to be sick of the sight of it) so I decided to mix it with something else.  I had some undefined black wool (4 ply I think) so I had a go with that.

It worked really well and although not easy to knit, it was certainly 100 times easier with the 4 ply.

I'm afraid the pictures do not do the yarn justice.  In the turquoise there are also patches of purple, sea green and grey and it is so soft and not at all itchy.

Anyway, I couldn't find a pattern online that I liked, and I didn't just want to do garter stitch as I thought that would take too long, so I just made it up.  (Well, actually I started following a simple lace stitch in one of my books but I was watching True Blood at the time and forgot to do row 3 of the pattern!)

I had one skein of Colinette SilkyChic in colour Jay.
One ball (approx 100g but I only used maybe just over half) black 4 ply.

Cast on 24 stitches loosely on 10mm needles, with both yarns.

Knit one row.

Row 1:  K.1, (yrn, K.2 tog) repeat instructions in brackets until last stitch, K.1.
Row 2:  Purl.

Repeat these two rows until desired length; I did about 60 inches and then knit another row at the end.

Cast off loosely.

Please remind me not to buy fluffy wool again!

In a Country Churchyard .... in your Kinky Boots!

I found a lovely remnant the other day and resolved to make an apron out of it for my friend D.  She has been my friend for what seems like forever, but in reality we have known each other since we were four years old when we started school together.  I admire her so much because she has picked herself up from a rotten marriage and has just finished a degree and started working in elderly care, something she has wanted to do for a long time.

So the other day I cut it out and today I managed to finish it.  It is hard to see but the material has apples, cherries, lemons and apricots on it.  Hopefully it will match her newly decorated kitchen, which is yellow.

I didn't quite have enough material to do the waist ties but I hope you think the green backing material doesn't look too bad.

Scary deigned to model it for me today.  Don't you just wish your bum looked like this?

And what about the kinky boots?

Marathon Runner couldn't quite handle the boots.  I think men find it difficult when confronted by their daughters in such attire!

As it was such a lovely day today, we popped into a nearby churchyard to have a little walk.  This is Widworthy Church, just off the A35 near Wilmington, Devon.

St Cuthbert's Church was built in the fourteenth century on the site of an earlier wooden church and may even be the site of pre-christian burials.

Do you know the song by Chris de Burgh that goes:

 "In a country churchyard, there's a preacher and his people

Gathered all around to join a man and woman,
Spring is here and turtledoves are singing from the steeple,
Bees are in the flowers, growing in the graveyard,
And over the hill, where the river meets the mill,
A lovely girl is coming down,
To give her hand upon her wedding day...
Dressed in simple white and wearing flowers in her hair,
Music as she walks slowly to the altar,
And picking up his bible then the preacher turns towards her,
"Will you take this man to be your wedded husband,
to honour and love in the eyes of God above,
Now let the people sing with me,
The words to live forever in your heart...

Let your love shine on,
For we are the stars in the sky,
Let your love shine strong,
Until the day you fly away"

Many years have fallen on that golden country morning,
The graveyard's overgrown, the church lies in ruins,
Ivy on the walls and ravens wheeling round above me,
As I made my way towards the last remaining headstone,
I fell to my knees, read the lines beneath the leaves,

And suddenly it seemed to me,
I heard the words like singing in the trees...
Let your love shine on,
For we are the stars in the sky,
Let your love shine strong,
Until the day you fly away..."

Sorry, I was just going to quote the first couple of lines but I just got carried away!  It is one of my favourite songs and I always imagine I am here when I hear it.

Although I am not a church-goer, this is really a special place for me.

Don't you just love old gravestones?

I do hope you have all had a relaxing weekend.  See you soon.

Eleanor the Emu

I've been working hard to finish Eleanor today so it's already 11.30pm and I'm only just starting my post!

I think I might give her some eyelashes, just so it's obvious she's a girl!

It was quite an easy pattern but the feet just took forever!

Valentine Presents

We go through this every year:

Him: "Do you want a Valentine's present?"

Me: "Not if I've got to ask for it!"

Not really known for his romantic inclinations, is my Marathon Runner. He is thoughtful sometimes, I'll give him that.

The trouble is, sometimes he surprises me and brings something home, even though he said he wouldn't.

So here is the dilemma; do I buy/make him something or not?

I did wonder about making one (or two) of these

but have left it a bit late. Perhaps I'll just do a bunch of these

or maybe I'll just make him his favourite Lemon Meringue Pie?

Feeling Pleased with Myself

I started this at least two years ago with some leftover wool from knitting a toy, Kipper the Dog I think, and more leftovers from a school jumper. I found it in the cupboard, half sewn together. when I eventually got around to turning out MY CUPBOARD over Christmas:-

Didn't it look tidy back then? Ahem.

Anyway, I digress. It looked a bit sad and inadequate (the crochet, not the cupboard). Too small for a blanket and although there was some wool left over, I couldn't remember what crochet hook I had used for the squares. So I finished joining it together, and carried on around the edge until there was no wool left. It's still a bit small for my liking, but it will make an OK lap/travelling blanket.

I feel pathetically pleased with myself having finished a project that has been littering up my house and mind for so long.

Only another 500 unfinished projects to go .....