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Tuesday 27 March 2012

Knitting on hold!


Wedding plans - love is in the air!

I have had a lovely day with my daughter - we have been finalising her wedding plans - the big day is on May 12th which is 6 weeks on Saturday. We visited the florist and agreed flowers for the bouquets, button holes and floral arrangements for the venue - we were spoilt for choice.

Next it was hair and make up trial and lastly a meeting at the venue to agree menus and the days running order.


                      

 The venue looked beautiful in the spring sunshine today - fingers crossed the weather is as good in May.

So hopefully everything is now under control - although we started doing our still to do list on the way home and we have lots of crafting left to do.

The theme is butterflies and the colour scheme is pink, lilac, blue, yellow and green all in soft pastel shades. We are making table favours, place names, table plans and activity packs for the children - so lots of work but all very exciting.

 







 So far we have made up the little boxes and added the ribbon - these will be filled with butterfly candy.










Using stampers and cutters we have cut out butterflies to decorate the boxes and we are also going to embellish them with little pastel gems.







Cut out butterflies - to be glued onto the boxes.
















Ribbons for boxes and also to decorate jam jars - which will hold tea lights and wild flowers.










I will up date the photographs as our project develops.

Another of my outstanding jobs is finding my "Mother of the Bride" outfit - so on Friday I am going wedding outfit shopping -  I have left it rather late but hopefully the stores will be filled with lovely spring outfits to offer me inspiration.

Bye for now x



Saturday 24 March 2012

Beautiful morning





I have just had my breakfast on the patio for the first time this year and whilst drinking my coffee I have been reading Molly Makes - which is a wonderful "living and loving" magazine. Its full of ideas, inspiration and crafts. http://molliemakes.themakingspot.com/blog






I have also made a very big decision - I have just subscribed on line for 12 months, I am so excited.

I have promised myself that I will not open another magazine, book, or touch anything to do with knitting until after 6pm ( fingers crossed)

Bye for now x

Friday 23 March 2012

Little projects that knit up quick




I have been looking through my knitting books for inspiration one of my favourite books is Natural Nursery Knits by Ericka Knight another favourite is "blankets bears and bootees" by Debbie Bliss.

After a lot of deliberation I have decided that my book of the moment is "blankets bears and bootees" by Debbie Bliss. I've Checked my ever growing yarn stash and found that I have got quite a lot of lovely cotton yarn in soft spring colours which will be perfect for baby bootees.

I love knitting bootees but I find them very tricky to sew up and keep the shape right - I need to keep practising!

So since my last post I have been busy making bootees and shoes - hope you like them!
















                                                                                                                                                                  















I think they look adorable - I will have to find lots of lovely new baby girls with cold feet!.

















With some little oddments of yarn that I had left over I have designed two little baby headbands - what do you think?


























I have finished off with a cute little bird toy - also from the "blankets bears and bootees" book.                   

As you can imagine I haven't been doing any spring cleaning, food shopping or cooking - I think I will have to hide my knitting needles and get on with some chores tomorrow. ( or maybe not!)

Talk soon x

Thursday 22 March 2012

Granny Squares

I have had a busy morning looking after two of my grandsons which was good fun - we played lots of games indoors and a little bit of football in the garden - unfortunately Nana is rubbish at football!

After lunch I had a well deserved rest and I started to do some of my crochet work. I am quite a novice but when you go wrong its so easy to unpick not like knitting.








I am making granny squares for a blanket- not sure how big this blanket will be it all depends on how successful I am at making them and putting them together - could even become a cushion.














I love the colours - my daughter has knitted bunting in these colours and has given me the yarn that was left over so that it will all match for the nursery. The yarn is lovely its Rowans Amy Butler Belle Organics collection in double knitting.










    I have also knitted another mushroom

 




 I think when photographed in the garden it looks almost real!





Looking ahead - Pam and I have booked a table at a local craft fair on the Saturday before Easter  - I need to knit some things for the fair - not sure what to knit yet but I think pebbles and mushrooms may be a bit of a niche market!

I am going to think about knitting some new baby hats and maybe some knitted Easter eggs.

night night x

Tuesday 20 March 2012

Last thing at night

I've had a lovely day which started in the garden, then I met a good friend for lunch and we also indulged in afternoon tea, but I have still had time to take some more photographs for my blog.


As promised I managed to take a few photos to share with you of the hats for the new tiny twins - Sam and Ellis           


I have been experimenting with the camera on my new phone - the quality is good but not sure I have chosen the right style.


                       
The mushrooms that Kate adopted seem very happy in London and she has sent me some photos now they have settled in!.





Yesterday I promised to tell you about my baking - I have been experimenting with pink sponge cakes. My daughter Kate not only likes knitted mushrooms but she has also fallen in love with a pink rainbow cake she saw on "call me cupcake blog" 

 

I made a big batch of victoria sandwich sponge mix split it into three and added pink food colouring.


I cooked the three sponges and then cut each in half sandwiched them together with butter cream to make a 6 layer pink sponge cake. I am quite pleased with the result.

 

Thank you for reading my blog today I have had lots of interest in my posts and hope you will all complete the spring flower poll.

Goodnight x


My garden


I have just had a wander around my garden its such a lovely morning and I sometimes forget how lovely the new spring flowers are - so I thought I would share them with you.



if you can't get out maybe spend a few minutes looking out of the window.




some of these flowers you can grow in pots on your window ledges.





or in a pot on your porch, patio or yard.



I love this one  wish I knew its name


Hope my garden flowers have brought you a little bit of sunshine and made you smile - talk later x

Sunday 18 March 2012

Mothers Day - a beautiful spring Sunday

It's been a lovely Mothers Day and I have been spoilt by my three lovely daughters.

I have had a very easy relaxed day and have been thinking about all of the different projects I have on the go. I seem to be flitting from one thing to another without completing very much. - I have lots of different knitting projects on the go and yesterday I started to crochet granny squares as my daughter Kate wants to commission a blanket for her nursery.

I have also fallen in love with a knitting book by Sian Brown its called The Knitted Home and has hand knitted projects in it for every room. I keep dipping into the book - so far I have knitted a basket of pebbles which can be sewn together to make a draft excluder, a tea cosy and some flower squares that can be sewn together to make a blanket, throw or maybe a cushion they are so beautiful.
http://www.sianbrown.com/
 
Basket of pebbles



I just couldn't stop knitting the pebbles I have more than enough for a draft excluder but I think they look really good just in a basket






I love them




I hope I have got you hooked and you are checking out your yarn stash to start knitting pebbles.






I have also been knitting mushrooms and have made them in different shapes and sizes.

These are my first attempts. I am trying to master the art of knitting in the round with 4 needles - hope you like them. 

They are now living in Parsons Green as my daughter Kate has adopted them.








I think I am going to adapt this pattern and have a go at knitting trees - my husband thinks I might need help!
















I have also being knitting hats for two tiny twin boys who were born on Friday. They were a few weeks early but are doing very well. I will have to get the hats in the post tomorrow - if I have time I will take a photo of the hats in the morning and put it on my next post..

In an earlier post I showed you a hat I had been commissioned to knit for a lovely little girl called Florence -  I have just had a lovely photo emailed to me of Flo wearing her new red beret.











Doesn't she look adorable  - I can't wait to design her next hat but I think she has got quite a bit of growing room in this one to keep her warm for a few months.













I have also got lots to tell you about my baking projects - hopefully back soon to tell you all about them good night x








Friday 9 March 2012

Late on Thursday or very early Friday!

Hi Everyone

I am so pleased that so many of you are taking the time to read our blog - and from so many different countries - I have just checked the stats and we have had over a 1000 hits from 10 different countries.
It would be amazing if you could leave us some comments - we would love some feedback and also it would be great to know how you found out about our blog.

Since Pam came back from her holiday she hasn't stopped knitting and has made some wonderful tea cosies and cabled cafetiere covers.



I think the tea cosies and cafetiere covers would make beautiful mothers day gifts



Thinking of cups of tea  - its almost looked warm enough to sit and have a cup of tea in the garden admiring the primroses and crocus in the borders but even though its looked very spring like and it has been lovely and bright  - its still quite chilly so keep those woolie hats and scarfs around for a little while longer.

Its the time of year for new baby lambs and also for lots of new baby boys and girls. We have designed some little baby boots which would be ideal for baby shower gifts, baby gifts or baptism presents. We are also experimenting with some simple gift wrapping ideas.



Gift wrapped for that special little one
 

Can be made to order in your favourite shade



When I haven't been knitting or cooking I have been following some very interesting blogs and my daughter gave me the link to Tiny Owl Knits. Its a very interesting knitting/crochet blog with some amazing patterns and ideas. I have put the link below.

One of my favourite finds on the Tiny Owls Knits blog are the cutest knitted felted rings
I think they look amazing



The rings are knitted in 4ply on double pointed needles and are made out of a 100% pure wool which will felt. I have had a go at making them today after watching the video and like Tiny Owls I think I could become addicted. I have put my photo below.


I think I have still got away to go as some of my hearts look like butterflies but I really enjoyed making them.

If you have time you should visit the site and watch the demonstration by Stephanie Dosen who designs the patterns and according to the blog she is American and is also a singer - currently living in London with her unicorn, two cats & a hefty yarn stash riddled with gnome families.

Its very late now so I am signing off until tomorrow - night night x