Wednesday 30 December 2009

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
















Here are two pics of my first post Christmas project. I bought this yarn from a follower who ended up with a stall at the Sally Army Christmas Fair. Its a lovely hand dyed yarn that she makes in her own studio. The colour is much nicer than my two indoor pictures show. I know all projects should be photographed outside but at the moment in London we seem to have about 1 hour of daylight and no hours of sunshine. Its also too cold and wet to photograph anything outdoors.

I am trying to teach myself lace. I managed the fishtail mits but now find any but the easiest lace pattern really hard, its not something you can do while watching telly! I get easily bored trying to knit scarves so I have decided to treat this as a lace sampler and teach myself lace patterns starting with the easiest one in my book of knitting patterns and working my way up. I hope the finished project still looks nice.

I got an Elizabeth Zimmerman book for Christmas and I have just read it from cover to cover. That's the first knitting book that I have found you can read almost like a novel...she has some weird and wonderful ideas and a great way of chatting to make you laugh and think. I'm not so sure about her patterns. I would like to make the seamless sweater since I do hate to sew. Her cut and sew patterns would be very difficult for me as they seem to assume more than a nodding aquaintace with ordinary sewing techniques. Most of the things she tells you to do I have never even heard of, basting? Anyway back to the seamless sweater, all very well except I can't wear sweaters anymore. I seem to have developed a wool alergy (how ironic for a knitter/crocheter) which is worse around my neck and upper chest. I can only wear cardigans or at a push a jumper with a very deep v neck. I will have to ask my mum when she comes to visit me for my birthday.

Sunday 29 November 2009

Young Scratch and Sniff



Here are some pictures of my cats. No reason really just that I have lots of new crochet but no photos.

The craft fair was a big success and a big thank you to all the stall holders and helpers. We are definitely going to do some more so watch this space. Laura, I would love to come and see your studio one day and if you have any more lace weight yarn in new colours let me know, some incentive to set up a folksy or etsy page.

Its all hands on deck now for Xmas, trying to think of things to get the girls when they have everything they need anyway, I enjoy Christmas in November but somehow in December it all gets a little too hectic and I begin to loose my enthusiasm.

Well got to go now and comb my daughters hair before bed.


Sunday 22 November 2009

Last of the bendy 38


Here is a link to me on video, just to make things stranger anyone who doesn't know me can guess which one is me.....

I haven't blogged for ages cause I have been busy making things for the craft fair. There are still a few days left but I am almost crocheted out and don't really want to do any more. Feel some knitting creeping up on me. I have a mad idea for a tumbling blocks patchwork quilt made of knitted shapes instead of cloth. There probably is a pattern for it out there on the net but I want to see if I can work it out myself.

I'll post any pics here and keep a note of my progress.

Friday 16 October 2009

Missing Bag


Here is a picture of a painting, what you may say has this to do with crochet, well here's the thing, I was returning tired but feeling like I had done a good evenings work, from my crochet class. With me I had my bag from the RA featuring a painting similar to this one, in it were almost all my crochet hooks, my old and much loved pencil case full of bits and bobs, tape measures, darning needles etc, and a ball of yarn that I got for £10 from the Knit and Stitch show. I had spent the evening carefully unwinding and rewinding this ball because I had wound it too tight from it's original skein. What do you know, I left the bag on the bus...

I phoned the bus garage the next morning but no luck, the bag was gone for good. I am heart-broken. Also my almost full sketch book was in the bag, that's like losing a diary or an album.

Ah well I went and spent too much money getting some more hooks and expensive yarn and now I feel back on course for the craft fair.


I enjoyed the Knit and Stitch show which I went to with my daughter, spent too much but saw lots of lovely things and came back inspired.

Wednesday 7 October 2009

Central Park Hoody


Yes I am now joining the ranks of 15yr old trouble makers, with my most ambitious knitting project yet. I hoped to make it in time to wear for the autumn but it already feels too cold and I'm thinking of winter coats, scarfs and gloves. Still I'm very proud of this and pleased with myself for finishing it in what for me was a record time. From August 21st when I bought the yarn and started knitting swatches, to October 5th. Hard to really visualise the need for it in August and already past it's prime, ah well. NOW there is no excuse not to get on with the stuff for the craft fair....oh no work!

Thursday 1 October 2009

First Look


This is the beret I have been working on, just finished it, luckily with yarn to spare!

This is the first look, I will be posting it on Etsy soon, I think. See it was going to be a set, gloves, scarf and hat..Ah well, perhaps no one likes sets anyway.

No Knitter Knatter this week, sorry about that, we are a bit short staffed and we have a big do on so it's all hands to the pump.

Things on the craft fair front are going well. I have seen some lovely stuff and emailed some really nice people. I can't wait to meet them all and establish some more crafty connections.

I have a business fan page on Facebook now, this is the link. If you would be my fan.

Shooz, I need to contact you viz a viz the craft fair, please go to my folksy or etsy site and send me a message. Or read my comment on the same post that you commented on. Err I hope that makes sense.

Friday 25 September 2009

Announcing, Announcing, Announcing

ANNOUNCING THE FIRST EVER, LOWER CLAPTON SALVATION ARMY CHRISTMAS CRAFT FAIR.


Yes you heard it here first. On November 28th, 10am - 2pm. Address and proper poster here soon. Stall holders wanted. High quality hand made crafts only. If you are interested just leave me a comment here. Now you can follow the exciting adventures of yours truly as I try and make enough stuff to sell, so far I have two pairs of gloves, one hand bag, two small purses and 6 assorted tiny bags. The other day I sat down and timed myself and it took me two hours to crochet one glove. Me thinks its going to be an uphill struggle.

Thursday 24 September 2009

The Great Clapton Scarf Disaster


Here is my lovely ruffle scarf, or at least it would be if it had worked out! I started out with one pattern that I wanted to change, decided I didn't like it and restarted with a mixture gleaned from free patterns on the internet. After nearly finishing the lilac border I realised I wouldn't have enough yarn so I frogged that row (that's knitter speak for unraveling) and started it again. After about 200 stitches I found that even with the revised row there still wasn't enough yarn. At that point I gave up and cut off the first bit of the darker purple rows and tied/sewed up the resulting mess. Not good enough to sell but now what do I do with it, use it myself, I have tons of scarfs! Or recycle the yarn which is getting desperately bitty after frequent frogging. Ah well I suppose it's a learning experience.

Monday 21 September 2009

Knitting!


So here is some knitting. These were the first small circular projects I made. I tried using four needles but then went to majic loop. This is much better for me. The pattern is here. In crochet I will hopefully start some soon! I am trying to make some stock for a craft fair, at this rate I will have one pair of gloves and a hat...watch this space.

Friday 18 September 2009

More Links


I wanted to post this on Thurday but I couldn't find the right link. This is the blog for the person whose yarn I made those lovely gloves from. Lots more lovely yarn to buy here.

This is a photo of the blankets I am making for the girls. The pic's are not too good as they were taken indoors. I haven't worked on them over the summer as it was too hot to have a huge crochet blanket on my lap, but when I finish the 'Central Park Hoodie' that I am knitting I will turn my hand to finishing these. Only a few rounds to do but they are so big now that each round takes a few hours of interrupted work. I could do it quicker if I totally concentrated but who gets much time like that?

Thursday 17 September 2009

Why do children love the autumn?


Yes it's true as the chilly breezes start to blow and the first of the leaves fall my children get really excited despite the fact that last Saturday was stonkingly hot nothing deters them from there conviction that autumn is on its way.

Why do they like it so. I can just about remember going back to school in september, kicking the leaves aside on my way home and counting the days till christmas. I loved winter too, as do my children, my teenager even did when he was younger. (I don't know what he thinks nowadays, he doesn't talk to me anymore).

Yet us adults always bemoan the colder days and longer nights. I am torn in two over autumn. Part of me remembers the childhood happiness and also I feel renewed in autumn. The kids are back at school, I have time to myself. For knitters and crocheters this is the best time of year we can go back to lovely warm and cozy yarns and plan and make all our pressies and things to sell for the holiday season.

On the other hand I too find myself getting depressed as the nights draw in and I dread the cold which grinds me to a halt. I think about the dead time of winter, January and February when nothing can cheer me up.

We should be more like our children, they seem to be natural optimists so perhaps if we remember our own childhood or look to our kids we can view autumn in a better light.

Don't worry my next post will be about crochet, or even..knitting.. On that subject I have posted those gloves and the patterns for them on etsy and folksy so please check them out, you can use the links at the top of the page.

P.S hope you like my picture of clapton pond!!

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Clapton Crochet Chatter AKA Hackney Knitter Knatter


I have been mentioned on a local blog http://davehill.typepad.com/claptonian/ so if you are local to Clapton and a crocheter let me know. And if you crochet or knit or have always wanted to know how but didn't know who to ask. Come and meet me and other nutters oops knitters on Friday mornings 10 till 12 at Clapton Salvation Army, 122 - 124 Lower Clapton Rd. That's the building behind the trees opposite Rowhill Road. There's also a coffee shop (where we host our group), and charity shop.
Free tea and coffee and hopefully a bit of a giggle.

Tuesday 8 September 2009

Cats Love Mushy Peas


Yes its true and you read it here first, what does this have to do with crochet? You may well ask, nothing actually but since I decided this was musings from a crocheter then I can muse on anything really.

Years ago I had a cat who liked to lick out tins of mushy peas, then the other day our cat Sniff leapt up on a chair next to our bin and started to eat some mushy peas that I had just thrown in there from the pan. Why? The only thing I can think of is that the mint in mushy peas tastes like catnip. Any thoughts..

Crochet..I am very pleased with these fingerless gloves. I designed them myself and they are going to be the second pattern I am going to sell. To see my small range of crochet items and accessories click on the links to the left.

Sunday 19 July 2009


SARAHS BAG

Well here is the finished bag. The good weather seems to have left us so I finished it in the living room while it rained outside.

I have given it to her but I don't know what she makes of it as she is waiting to open her birthday pressie. It is from an old (60s) crochet book, that was what she picked, guess the old stuff is coming back in fashion. One of the women in our knitter knatter group brought in a bag she had crocheted years and years ago and that very same day I saw a pattern for an almost identical one on the front of a current crochet mag.

Sunday 5 July 2009

Crocheting in the garden

Hello anybody out there and welcome to my first post on my first blog. At least....some years ago I started one while bored at work but could never find it again to add to it.

Its been really really hot here in London, too hot to crochet you might think. It certainly is too hot to crochet the two blankets I am making for my daughters. But...I've discovered the joy of sitting in my garden in the evening and crocheting a bag I am making for a work colleague. We have a tiny garden in a council estate in inner London and while it is not exactly quiet at least I get away for a bit from the kids and husband all inexplicably ensconced in the over heated living room watching telly or computerising. Also we are the only people on this bit of the estate who use their back garden (really front garden but that's another long story) so all the barbequeing, playing music, kids playing etc is that little bit removed and it was remarkably peaceful, I even think I heard some bats flying over.

I stayed out till it was too dark to see my stitches and felt really tranquil and ready to face the family.