Thursday 25 February 2010

why the silence?

Well I hate it when I'm nosing in on people's lives through their blog and they go silent, so my silence has been because my computer is very poorly, but I have a friendly techy dr so hopefully we will be reunited and working again very soon! Meanwhile I'm using my daughter's laptop so no photos or anything pretty today!!

I have been knitting away on my olympic project, but I don't think I'm going to get it finished! But that's ok because I will have finished the back,fronts and have started first sleeve and I wouldn't have got this far without the challenge so yay no gold medal but its the taking part that counts!! Isn't it??

I'm away this weekend on a study weekend for the counselling course I'm doing. I have a skills assessment on Friday and I seem to get a total mental block when I ask the questions, I have a special talent for closed questions, which is exactly the opposite of what is needed!! I guess practise is what I need at least this is role play and not a real vulnerable person whose head I'm messing with! so all that means no sewing, and when I get home I have 10 days to revise for an exam!! So that should mean no sewing as well!! But I have been given 2 lightweight macs, which at the moment are rather voluminous and old lady style, so I'm taking them apart and recutting to something more stylish and wearable, cos they could be really useful on my bike!! For one I'm going to use a pattern from last winter's Ottobre magazine, it will work as a toile that I can use - if it works that is!!

So I'll be posting some pix and details next week when I'm home and got my laptop back and well.

Sunday 14 February 2010

Some pressies for a new baby



So these are the pressies I have made for Pixie Belle,whom I haven't met yet but she is now nearly 2 months old so it is time I sent them to her!!

There is a feely quilt, I have used smooth cotton for the front and brushed cotton for the back, and a cotton wadding in the middle of the sandwich. There is some bubble wrap enclosed in one corner and this makes a scrunchy sound, and I have attached different textured ribbon/fabric loops on the edge. I also stitched a some ric-rac, cord and braid across the width for a different feel!!



Here are the bootees, they are made of the same smooth cotton and lined with soft brushed cotton, I got the pattern for these from, 101 Great Ways to Sew a Metre: Look How Much You Can Make with Just One Metre of Fabric!

The pattern was good but the instructions to put the sole, top and back together was a little unclear. I also got the idea for the quilt from there but changed it a little to suit my purposes and fabrics!!



And this is the bag for them all to go in to given to Pixie and her Mum!!

I'm really fed up these days with the amount of paper and packaging we waste and throw out and dump in a landfill site. So I never buy wrapping paper or those fancy gift bags anymore. I use old magazines or newspapers for wrapping and then real ribbons to tie round for decoration. I'm often asked if I want the ribbon back and I always say yes so that it can be recycled!! In fact, my daughter quite enjoys getting a bit of ribbon she has had before! And instead of the fancy bags, I make a bag in fabric, even a lined one can be made in an hour and at least that can be used again and again by the recipient!!

The sew a metre book is worth having as its full of ideas and as I'm a great collector of old shirts, I can usually find enough to make up the projects!! I've just checked amazon for this book and it says its on pre-order but I got my copy for my birthday last month so you should be able to get one!!

I must go now and continue my knitting olympics event (see last post). I've done about 1 inch! I must get on with it or I'll be hardly out of the blocks and that won't get me a medal!!


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Thursday 11 February 2010

Knitting olympics


If you have never heard of knitting olympics, go straight to www.yarnhlot.ca/blog. She has thought up the concept and you can register your project there and then claim your gold medal but only if you finish before the flame goes out on 28th Feb. The event co-incides with the winter olympics, which I have to say I may not be watching much, I do like a bit of skating but I'm not really a sporty kind of gal!!

Anyway here is my project that will be my event!! It is Sirdar 9236 and although not a difficult pattern it is a 4 ply pattern done on very little needles!! So it will be quite a challenge to finish in time!!








Below is a detail of the lacy hemline so there is a bit that will need to be watched as I go!!

And here is the yarn I will use.

So I'm already to cast on tomorrow, I'm not sure what time the ceremony starts English time, so I need to check that!! Anyway why don't you have a go and take part, you never know you may surprise yourself. I'll keep you up to date on my progress.

Wednesday 10 February 2010

Hello

I have been a lurker in the blogworld for a while now, I read about 20 blogs regularly. I have been threatening to set up a blog for a long time and at last I have done it!! I hope I manage to share parts of my life and the world around me that you find interesting.

I guess it makes sense to start with a bit about me, I've been married for nearly 33 years but I have to stress my husband and I were very young! (and still are!) We have 2 children who I shall try not to mention too often, they are grown up and live independent lives. I have two gorgeous dogs, Jinski and Finn collectively known as my boys and I'm afraid I will probably mention them very often!!

I love to knit and sew and I rarely have a day when I don't do either or more often both. I have for as long as I can remember, as a child I would manage to get hold of anything to make into something else. I am now an avid collector of other people's old clothes and castoffs and remake them into something fresh. I love bags, hence my blog name and whilst my favorites are soft squashy leather, I also make many from clothes and other off cuts of fabric.

I work for a charity and we organise gap year and shorter term programmes for young people to work with Churches in Europe. Through this I have made friends in France and Croatia and travel to both places fairly regularly.

Well that's more than enough about me, I plan to use this blog to share my makes and bakes so I hope you'll look by every now and then, let me know if you like it or if you don't, I love to hear from people!!