Baby Time!

My Mums beautician is pregnant. We love her to pieces, shes been with the company pretty much since it opened, so we are all really happy for her. I decided to test my knitting skills with something for the baby.

The first thing I made was a baby blanket. I used Rico Pom Pom wool in lemon, as Ness doesn't want to know the sex of the baby. It was a delight to knit, even if it is a bit heavy. Nice and warm though.

I also decided to make an actual garment. I went with socks, as I got a baby crafting magazine that had the cutest pattern ever in. I changed it slightly to just using white and lemon. In the pattern it called for white, green and orange, but I didn't feel that these were neautral enough. Took me about 3 hours to do. It sounds a lot, but it was the first time I had a) Knitted socks, baby or otherwise, and b) Slipped and wrapped stitches.

I can't wait to make more, they're so damned cute!

Knitting Needle Madness

I recently 'inherited' a load of needles, patterns and a project bag. I say 'inherited', but the lady that gave me them isn't actually dead. They were her mum's, but shes now gone, and so my friend doesn't use them. There were about 20 pairs in there, plus a load of DPNs and some cable needles. I did have a needle holder, but it was full, to the point of bursting. It was my birthday not long back, and I received some HobbyCraft vouchers, so I thought I would go buy myself another holder. This didn't work. All 3 options came with needles. This is great, don't get me wrong, but I don't NEED needles, just the case. So, I decided to make my own. I procrastinated for a week before finally getting on with it.

For the main part of it, it is two pieces of fabric, one interfaced, with a piece of felt sandwiched inside. The bottom is the same, with some ribbon sewed onto the top to hide the raw edge. I then pinned the bottom onto the bigger piece (lining the pattern up as much as I could), then I sewed a holding/seam line 1cm in from the edge all the way around. I then sewed ribbon to to hide all the edges, as if it was bias binding.

To create the channels, i sewed from the bottom to the top roughly every 2 cm. Some channels are bigger. I eye balled this. I then just sewed the top over into a flap, holding the top corners down by about an inch. Dead simple. I need to sew some ribbon on to hold it closed.

Original Case. Serves its purpose but its a but full!

Outside

Detail. I used simple chain stitch for this, and did it before sewing it all together

Inside. This gives a better impression of the top and bottom. Really simple but effective!

I have so many pairs of 6 1/2mm needles! If anyone needs a pair I'm your girl!!!

Clothes!

Ok, new year, new start. Im going to attempt to update regularly.

So, to start with lets get caught up on old projects. First up a dress. Im totally in love with the 50's, but being that little bit bigger means a difficulty in getting clothes to fit me. I went into my local fabric store, saw this fabric and fell in love. At first I was thinking a shirt dress, but then when i got the fabric out I changed my mind. And with a

bit of cutting, not mush measuring and a lot of cursing, i came up with this;

Excuse the dodgy photo quality, and my face. Once i can get a better photo of it I'll put it up. I'm going to have to take it in though, since making the dress i've lost nearly 2 stone, meaning it is now too big :( Alas! However, not to worry, better to big than too small.

Also along the clothes front, I made a skirt to go with a corset I already owned.

Its a simple circle skirt, no seams, with i think three layers of net and a lining, sewn directly into some elastic, with ribbon on the outside waist that ties in a bow at the back. Its not hemmed, although the top layer does have a zig-zag stitch around the bottom to stop it from fraying too much.

So thats them, i'll now go organise other photos!

XOXO