oops

I made a beret... it sorta went wrong... well, it came out WAY too big anyways.

Methinks I shall be unpicking & restitching it on smaller needles or just go out looking like a blind giant mushroom?

and instead of working my way through my stash, more 'stuff' has found its way in!! ... oops,
but it was a gift... and it's all gorgeous, so it's a great exception to my destashing rule !!!


My very lovely friend at The Happy Felter decided to have a go at spinning and kindly gave me her first results to play with :D I had to guess at what size needles to use so went for UK 8's as they're the biggest I had!!!


after a few rows its looking like I may use it all to make a big bag or I may even get a giant crochet hook and turn it into a waistcoat? I just dont want to make any more hats or scarves!!! whatd'ya think?... all ideas welcomed. Whatever it chooses to become, I know its gonna be luvly, Thankyou Nikki x

oh, and the scarf... its still growing, I get bored distracted so easily...

1 done 2 to go

has it REALLY been almost a month since I last blogged?!!! Oooops... well, I have been busy since I made my bobbly bobble hat, and have made another one... only nicer, from some Aran wool for my mum who also wanted one... and a scarf! the scarf is only half finished, it seems to be taking longer than I had hoped, but it IS a lot of stitches LOL again its a pattern Ive made up as I go along and has taught me confidence making a rib pattern.

I should have added a few extra stitches onto each side to always ended in a knit stitch to stop it curling at the edges... but it is what it is... I live & learn. There's probably an easy solution to correct it, I just havnt found it yet!

I've also been playing with a few other things too, and finally framed my inchies :D the frame is from Ikea, called Ribba and was perfect for them.


some closer shots of a couple of my favourite squares


I have another box frame spare and am not sure what I'll do with that one yet... I might experiment with my sewing machine with fusible fibres and washaway stabilizer and frame the result.

I will run out of space on my walls soon methinks as not only are there plans for lots of my 'stuff' going on the walls, but I recently saw a lovely idea on Boxoftrix's blog for storage ideas for buttons... closely followed by a 50p find at a boot sale so have set to work with the transformation using this ...

and this...

(its REALLY fine paper that is both acid free and colourfast when pva/varnish is applied to it; and bonds perfectly without seams to give a nice smooth finish)

into this...

(ok,ok, so its not entirely finished...)

but I wanted to share it & I wouldn't be 'me' without umpteen unfinished things to complete LOL this WILL get done, and will become the home for lots of upcycled spice jars refilled with the many buttons that I have hidden away out of sight and mind... so watch this space!
I bought the papers when I went to the stitch n craft show recently, from 'the decopatch place'. If you want to check out their amazing stock, have a look at their website www.thedecopatchplace.co.uk but be warned, there is a lot of 'I want' stuff there!!!

oh and I have learnt to crochet... well I've been shown how to crochet and somehow managed to produce a granny square, jury is still out as to whether I actually enjoy it yet though!

how many bobbles does a bobble hat need?

well, I was totally DONE with making scarves so it was suggested that I make myself a bobble hat for my next project... my mind being what it is didnt think plain hat with bobble on top no, no, no! me thinked it an ideal opportunity to make a very silly sort of hat utilizing the fact that I learnt to do bobble stitch :D

so I am proud to present my very bobbly bobble hat!

its not perfect... there are mistakes in it as I had to 'unknit' a bit and think I must have got a few stitches twisted but I'm happy with it as a first attempt and thats all that matters to me :D
however... its now warm enough outside for skimpy tops, shorts and sandals... and I have no travel plans for going anywhere cold enough to take my new hat!! so it shall have to sit, patiently waiting for a chilly day when its needed... I can wait... I 'm happier in the sunshine anyway.

For anyone who's interested in making a bobbly bobble hat - this is the pattern, I sorta made up the decreasing bit up as I went along following a few basics my mum told me

Using 4mm needles, cast on 100 stitches - this makes a hat to fit approx 22" round

Row 1 knit
Row 2 purl
Row 3 k7, *MB , k9; repeat from * to last 8 stitches MB, k7
*MB (Make Bobble) - knit into front, back and front of next stitch, turn and knit 3, turn and purl 3, turn and knit 3, turn and slip1, k 2 together, pass slipped stitch over = bobble completed
Row 4 -6 stocking stitch (purl 1 row, knit 1 row)
Row 7 k2 *MB, k9, repeat from * to last 3 stitches MB, k2
Row 8 - 10 stocking stitch (purl 1 row, knit 1 row)
Repeat Rows 3-10 to Row 44
Row 45 purl
Row 46 k4, k2 together. Repeat to end of row
Row 47 purl
Row 48 k6 *MB K7 repeat from *to end of Row. *note that at some point in this row you may have to knit 8 not 7 to keep bobbles in correct position * it worked better for me to do this by eye.
Row 49 purl
Row 50 k3 k2 together. Repeat to end of row
Row 51 purl
Row 52 k2 *MB k5 repeat from * to end of Row.*note that at some point in this row you may have to knit 6 not 5 to keep bobbles in correct position * it worked better for me to do this by eye.
Row 53 purl
Row 54 k2, k2 together
Row 55 purl
Row 56 k1, k2 together
Row 57 purl
Row 58 k2 together (you should now have 13 stitches)
Row 59 purl
Row 60 k2 together
pass thread through remaining 7 stitches and pull tightly, knot and use remaining length of thread to sew up hat.
Make a pompom /bobble and secure to top of hat.

Wear and enjoy x

upgrade from UFO to WIP = more cushions!

Another UFO has been promoted to a Work In Progress :o)

I found this long forgotten project lurking sadly in the bottom of a basket when I had a clear out in my workroom a couple of months ago. I had originally bought it about 8 years ago, stitched about an inch of the centre and decided that I HATED stitching on pre printed canvas... and quit! Anyway... I reminded myself that this year IS going to be the year I turn my stash into completed projects so off to work I set. I admit to getting completely & utterly mind numbingly bored filling in all the white stitches!! and wasn't enthused at persuing its completion but got there in the end :o)

It still has to be turned into a cushion but that wont take me long, I just need to work out what sort of backing I want to put on it. Also it only measures up at present to 10" square so I'll probly add another border to it to make it big enough to at least be classed as a useable cushion!
(The needlepoint kit was from Candamar Designs)

I've also been doing a bit more knitting and have made even MORE can-can scarves & can happily state that I have had enough of scarves now and dont think I'l be making any more for a Looooong while LOL
I made another square from my book too, which proved quite a learning curve as there was an error in the pattern!!! so I had to work it out for myself in the end, but this taught me quite a lot in the process about un-knitting/fixing !

I know I have to 'block' it as its gone a bit zigzaggy on the edges but its another pattern I can tick off as 'done' and another square closer to my sample blanket being completed :o) I'm determined that its gonna be a blanket and not just a few MORE cushions! LOL
(the material in the background was a 'must have' purchase, that I havn't decided quite what to do with, ...yet)

Despite the weather in the UK turning into summery /shorts weather, I have started on my bobble hat at last :o) after my mum showed me how to do a bobble stitch I thought it would be fun to make a bobble covered, 'bobble hat', it was tricky learning how to make the little bobbles but have since found a great online tutorial for those of you not lucky enough to have a mum like mine to show you .
click this link to take you to Heidi Bears great bobble stitch tutorial
I'll add pics amd pattern when there's more to show than the first few rows.

I went to the Stitch n Craft show at the Bath & West showground this week and nearly wore my feet out browsing & shopping. I bought lots of goodies and despite trying to clear my stash and my never ending 'to-do' list, I bought lots of lovely new stuff to add to to it!! hahaha... I never learn! but I am hopeful that my new goodies will be turned into completed projects over the next few weeks and not just delegated into the U.F.O. bin just yet ;o)

UFO's

I've recently amassed a 'bit' of wool/yarn and had to find somewhere sensible to store it, so decided to have a bit of a tidy/sort out in the vague hope of finding more storage... and found a few UFO*s along the way, buried at the bottom of a long forgotten 'to-do' pile...
here's one of them

I had totally forgotten about it... I think I was going to use it as part of a cover for my dogs cage as a panel on one end?... until the dog started chewing her blankets and I realised that the new cover I had planned was destined for a similar fate... and into the UFO pile it went. I shall have to think of something else to do with it now or it'll more than likely end up as a cushion !!

* = Un Finished Objects

tarting it up!

I've added a few extra pages, (tabs under the header) for you to see some of my other stitched 'stuff' that I've made over the years, to give you an idea of the sort of projects that take me hostage, & what kind of things you may see appearing here besides my attempts at knitting!

I have almost 'scarfed myself silly' now.... no more... ok, 2 more to do and thats it... I HAVE to move on to something more challenging!

this is yet another type of 'net' like yarn I've tried. This yarn is Katia - Triana, and unlike the Rio - Cancan yarn that you can choose to make 2 scarves from one ball or one really long one, this Katia wool is supposed to do one scarf per 100g ball, but mine seems a little on the short side to me... perhaps I should have done my stitches a little tighter together? might have gained me a couple of rows over the length of the scarf?

Perhaps I shall make a start on something from this book that has caught my imagination :o)maybe my love of miniatures draws me to it, or that it just looks so warm and summery... spring's not quite sprung enough for me... its trying tho LOL methinks I need to practice some texture squares first... no point running before I can walk eh?

1st post!

OK so here goes... another outlet for my creative activities & ramblings!

I love making my miniatures, but textiles of any description have also been the cause of much Oooh-ing and Ahhh-ing by me over the years too, so I thought about it for a while, and decided to have a seperate blog just for my stitched stuff.

For those that dont know me, I am one of those peeps that has my fingers in lots of creative 'pies'. I find some creative crafts more addictive than others, depending on my mood, the seasons, my bank balance, a spark that lands from somewhere... and many other reasons! If you havnt arrived here via my other blog that I show my miniature work on, and you'd like to have a look, it's Wendies Mini World, click the link & it'll take you there.

My other past hobbies will unfold over time, but for now, my new 'addiction' is knitting! As long as I can remember, my mum has been a knitter who's always tried to encourage me to join her in her craft. I always adamantly declined. My sister learnt from her, and the way I saw it back then was that they were both doing a fine job, I didnt need to learn! ... Now, after many decades, I'm ready!!!

During the last school holiday, a local craft centre was offering mum & daughter knitting days. My daughter & I thought it might be a bit different to our usual outings and decided to join in and I am so glad we did!

step 1 - learn to cast on ... ✔
Step 2- learn to knit stitch... ✔
Step 3 -learn to cast off... ✔
(please note - there was much cussing during the above steps! LOL)
Step 4 -Repeat step 1 and learn to purl... ✔
then we were given Homework! - knit 1, Purl 1. Also known as moss stitch.... ✔

its uneven, its messy... I'd like to think it was just the wool I was using!

step 5 - show my mum! who immediately decided this was all FAR too easy peasy and dull and taught me how to do a bobble stitch!!!! OMG, my head nearly exploded with the pressure! Luckily, we get on VERY well and had tears of laughter streaming down our faces whilst watching my attempt, but I finally got there :o)

and I was rather pleased with it :o)

I bought a book that has lots of other stitches in it, and am going to wade through it, making other 6 inch squared patterns and eventually make them all up into a blanket.

Armed with this minimal experience, I then discovered the most amazing yarn/wool/fabric!!! and made these.

The black/grey & the red/orangey yarns are both Rico Cancan, and was just so easy to knit that I went out and bought several other colours to make up for friends! The blue is a different brand, 'Butterfly' and was a little trickier to knit with.
I found this link on youtube that shows just how easy it is! hope it helps someone.




Well... I think that's 'it' for my first post, hopefully as I progress onto more difficult projects, I may even gain a few followers? :o)