It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ...

Hello fellow tweakers,

I have a day off today and I have got soooo much to do!! Haven't done much on the knitting/crochet front. In the next couple of weeks I am hoping to finish off some half done projects. I have been wrapping more presents this morning and am hoping to finish that today.

It is so time consuming, but I have to admit I love curling the ribbon and making them look pretty!!








This is my Clementine Bag,









..the inside and the outside

the little flower











..the whole thing









I just need to line it and sew up the sides. It was easy to do I just cut it to shape making one side of the flap a little funky. Made the corsage with brown and cream dk. Then I edged round the front flap with brown using a dc (sc) st. Made an icord which I then felted. Added a magnetic fastener and that was it. Apart from the bit of sewing yet to do!!

Well it was short and sweet but I do have to go. Loads to do. If I don't get the chance to blog, I wish everyone a happy holiday and a wonderful New Year.

love Cathy xx

You are lost and gone forever dreadful sorry Clementine!!!

Hi folks,

Remember Clementine, well my darling hubby did the washing. In she went totally unaware of what would happen, and she felted!!!! Ooouch!!! She would fit around my neck but I would feel like I was about to be choked. But I have to say I have felted by accident myself and its so frustrating.

Now I am recycling her into a little bag, because I used the vintage yarn I hadn't got the heart to throw her away!!

My darling daughter has 'borrowed' my camera, we have yet to find it, so alas no photos. Kids drive you daft at times don't they!!

I have been making dolls pram covers for two little girls, whose mothers are friends at work, just to help out Santa's elves you understand!! I am currently making a little stocking for another friend to take to Germany when she visits her grandson!

My Butterscotch set began and ended with the little scarf. I made a kind of loose beanie/beret type hat. The hat looked ok but it looked dreadful on me. I looked like a Smurf... and not in a good way!! How is it that some people can wear hats and look terrific, and others can't!!!

Got to go now this stocking needs to be finished as well as loads of housework!!

Bye for now

love Cathy x

Another completed scumble!!

Hi fellow needle tweakers

At long last I have finished my latest scumble - Orange Sorbet!! This one has been a lot of work and admittedly I haven't always been in the mood to make it. Made with 4ply on a 3mm hook it didn't 'grow' very fast. But see the results for yourself ..
















..and now for the close ups ..












Unfortunately my photographic skills have still to improve, but at least you get an idea of some of the design.

Check out knitonthenet.com for crochet this issue, (issue 7). I am patiently waiting for the book 'A Stitch in Time' by Susan Crawford and Jane Waller due out soon!!

At the moment I am making myself a scarf, hat and mitts, (I am just coming round from a viral infection and I have had shocking earache in both ears, need to wrap up methinks!!). I am using Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in Golden Sand.

At the mo I am making the scarf edging. The scarf is knitted but I haven't decided on the mitts and hat yet! The scarf is worked on 6mm needles. The yarn is just lush, it's beautiful!! I will call my set Butterscotch, half the fun of crafting to me is deciding on a name for my creations!!




... and finally a little close up of the flowers my wonderful man has bought me when I was suffering!!!!







Catch you all soon
love Cathy xx

Life is never just black and white!

Hi everyone, I'm back,

Still unpacking, house is lovely, feeling all settled in now!! Currently doing secret things with yarn. All will be revealed soon!!

I have done a couple of projects lately which I can show, this is one .. Jessie's chullo!!

The picture isn't very clear, due to the black hat and my lovely daughters black hair. She is usually reluctant to wear anything which is knitted, because she relates it to images of old ladies and old fashioned things!!
Guess what - SHE LOVES THIS - yeeha, result!!! This was made from Sirdar bonus chunky, on 4mm needles, and the pattern was due to a kind, sharing person on ravelry!!


















As we are experiencing the credit crunch I found this Sirdar Zanzibar yarn in a sale!! It was around a quarter of the original price and I bought a few balls of blue and red. I made one scarf on 8mm needles and plain garter stitch. I need to decide what to do with the rest. I have sensitive skin and find it almost impossible to wear 'hairy yarn', this is very soft and light, and suits me. I have to mention that if mistakes are made using this yarn - it is a beast to undo!!


I am still working on my cardigan using Sirdar Escape, I have finished the back and the fronts, it's an easy pattern, but time consuming I aim to finish it after the secret work!!








I can't wait for the next issue of knitonthenet and of course the new book, by Susan Crawford and Jane Waller, ' A Stitch In Time', both due out soon.
In the meantime I have work to do!!
Catch u soon, needle tweakers,
love Cathy x

Four more sleeps to go....

Hi everyone,
Well four more sleeps to go, to the 'move', I'm stressed, excited, energised, exhausted. You name it, I feel it. Still a lot of work to do, this will be my last blog for about a week I guess!

Took some pictures of my garden before I leave ...

The first picture of my passion flower is very sentimental. I lost my friend Mavis just over four years ago. She was a Minister and she was going to perform our wedding ceremony, she sadly died of cancer a couple of months before my wedding. She showed me the passion flowers in her garden, so I got one. I am leaving this it has grown so well it would be criminal to try and move it.




I haven't a clue what this one is I am no gardener but luckily my in-laws are!











Meet Clementine!!












This is made from 3 1oz balls of the Patons and Baldwins vintage stuff I mentioned in the last blog, done on a 3.50 and 2.50 hook it has come out really well.










I stuffed the button with a little scrap yarn, to bulk it up, together with an ordinary button. I am told that years ago home made crochet and knitted buttons were stuffed with scrap yarn, in case the garment was in need of repair or alteration later, wartime meant frugal days indeed!!
This is a closer look at my pattern:







It is a very simple filet lace one, I didn't want anything too thick.

Got to go now still loads to do.
Happy crafting tweakers, will broadcast soon from the new house.
Take care
love Cathy xx

For those about to rock ..... and crochet!!!

Haven't managed to blog for ages, still packing and sorting things out. Hopefully the move will be done in a week or so!!

I had a little reprieve last Monday ..

Went to see Nickelback at the MEN Arena, Manchester, they were AWESOME!!! We only got home at 2.00am and we were working and the kids were at school the day after!!

The gig was well worth getting in late for!!













NICKELBACK YOU ROCK!

Guess what I found on ebay?

Original Patons and Baldwins yarn. Patons Double Quick DK knitting yarn in 1oz balls. As the ball band says its all wool. I couldn't resist it. It reminds me of yarn my Nan used to knit with donkeys years ago. It is so nostalgic for me!! I will try to think of something vintagey to make with it!!








I have finally finished my loopy shawl, take a look!









I decided on a loopy fringe to funk things up a bit!! Waddya think!!


Things are a little frustrating right now, even though the house moving process is going well I still am feeling anxious. I have frogged quite a bit in the time I have had for crafting, it was a relief to finish 'loopy' as I then felt as though I had achieved something! Well I have to go still a lot of organising to do.

Catch you all soon
love Cathy x

Healing amigurumi!

I have been nursing a corker of a cold for the last couple of days, and we all know how rotten they make you feel. I have been in bed most
of the time, so no housework or packing has been done!

I have been looking at all kinds of amigurumi on Ravelry and they always cheer me up. They range from real life objects to total fantasy objects. This little fella is a picture from my Annie Obaachan's Amigurumi book. I think he's a gecko, my Jess wants me to make her one that size. Yeah course I will babe, and I'll visit the optician pretty soon too!! I have to say the more I see of amigurumi the more enchanted I become. It is so absorbing and creative, each piece of work is unique!
I wish I had discovered it years ago.










I have frogged my Escape and started a pattern with it, the contrast stripe is an odd ball of purple Debbie Bliss dk from my stash.

It is a cardigan designed by Hilary Mackin called 'Blackberry Tweed' and was published in the March 2005 edition of 'knitting' magazine. It is a four row mock cable pattern which is easy to do and grows quickly, (I am all for that!). I have made this before in a lovely mottled chocolate colour with a plain brown stripe, I put it in the dryer and forgot about it, how many of us have done that!! It didn't shrink widthways but had a dramatic effect on the vertical aspect, I was so annoyed at myself after that. Another lesson learned the hard way.

Now I will have to move myself and try to catch up on things.

Bye for now,
Cathy x

Packing and paperwork!

Hi everyone

Apologies for not blogging for a while, I have had some excellent news. Our house is sold and we have found another one. For a few days it was like being on an emotional roller coaster, we had fallen in love with a house and not sold ours. I had a few sleepless nights and on the fourth night I couldn't sleep with excitement. The family are delighted too!

I have started packing and had to be selective with my stash!! A lot of it is packed away.
It is a wee problem deciding what to leave out. As usual I have several projects on the go!

I am crocheting another shawl in my favourite pattern, previously made in jade and blue, photographed earlier in my blogs. Once the first set of rows are completed it can be done without the pattern and is a joy to make. The one I am currently making is in a pale mustard colour in a cotton blend dk, the colour is actually called 'corn'. I bought this in a sale a while ago. Strangely enough I bought a dress in a sale and it has the same colour in it. A perfect combination!!









A new yarn shop has opened a few doors away from where I live now, I was there on the opening day, as a blatantly obsessed yarnie should be!! This is what I got ...

Its a dk yarn called 'Escape' by Sirdar. (There might be a little pun there!). It is self striping and the colours are very rich. I had to go for green because I love it!! I am making a very simple cardigan. I need to have projects that are very easy as my mind is very distracted!!! (I am soo excited!!)




This is Ethel she is one of the amigurumi I made in Wales. I love to make these.












I made this little cat for a girl at work who is leaving to go to university. Good luck Shabs we will miss you!!!









Thats all for now folks, keep tweakin
love Cathy xx

A welsh tale ..

We had a lovely break, the weekend weather was great, hot and sunny!!


Nick and Jess on the beach!!


















Then this happened ..

Heather, on the beach in lots of rain!! We had intermittent heavy sunshowers for the rest of the week! All plans for sunny days out were scuppered.








We did manage a trip to Portmeirion were the series 'The Prisoner' was filmed. The weather was very wet and windy and cold. It is a beautiful Italian style village, on a clear day its gorgeous. On
a wet day its like this ...













A cute little visitor
came to see us
when we went
for coffee!!!







Sunset on the sea in North Wales - gorgeous!







I made four amigurumi friends while I was away, will get photo's soon. The change in weather reminds me to make warm and cosy things for the coming months ahead.

Bye for now Cathy x

Holidays are coming ..

Hi fellow tweakers, well I am delighted to say that I am going on holiday tomorrow!!! Yeeha!!! So I will be out of touch with the www for one week. I am going to North Wales in a caravan, with my hubby, my kids and a friend of my daughter.

I have spent the last two days sorting out washing, drying and ironing you forget what a pain it is to pack!! Almost done, apart from footwear I am glad to say. If we haven't got it sorted now then it is tough!

One of the hardest things to pack was my knitting/crochet to take with me. I finally decided on a little open knitted wrap I have started in 3ply green, (this could end up frogged and a little crochet wrap instead) and enough kit to do a couple of amigurumi should the mood arise!!

My daughter's friend wants me to teach her how to crochet while we are away which I am delighted to do. I feel its an honour to be able to PASS IT ON!!

The last couple of days of crafting has been very indecisive (that's not like me at all lol, it was a case of start-frog, start-frog!! I have however made a little friend for a little friend, she was born last year - the Chinese year of the pig, and her mother loves pigs, this is just an ornamental pig for her nursery. Little Edith this one's for you ..

Meet Mama Pig!

Mama's side view







Mama's front view












Mama's back view, look at the curl in that







Do you think this hat will be suitable for the WI meeting next week folks!!









Well I'll have to sign off now I need to get some shut eye!!

Catch u all in a week!!

keep tweakin'

love Cathy x

My first amigurumi ...

Meet Henry he's my first amigurumi, ok I'll admit I've botched up his legs, and he does look like he has had a real fright, but he's kinda cute.

I am looking forward to making more, will have to use a much smaller hook next time, and go easy on the stuffing!! My tension wasn't that good!

Practice makes perfect she says!! When I look at his face I can't help but giggle. The design was based on Annie Obaachan's Amigurumi, - sausage dog!! The book is wonderful I dare anyone not to be inspired. The gallery at the back of the book is a real inspiration!! Well my daughter has fallen for him and wants to keep him.
Amigurumi is an ideal spare yarn user, especially if you have bought just a little expensive yarn to try and don't quite know what to do with it. I am definitely converted and want to do more!

Bye for now

Cathy x

FREE KNITTING PATTERN- MINTY FLUFF CUFF

Materials: 1 x 25gm kidsilk haze Ivory
1 x 25gm kidsilk haze Black
3mm needles
2.5mm circular needle
1 pair of 40cm round black shoelaces

USE YARN DOUBLE THROUGHOUT CARRY IVORY YARN UP THE SIDE OF THE WORK, BREAK OFF BLACK YARN AS NECESSARY.

Row 1. Using Ivory and 3mm straight needles cast on 70sts. K1 row.
Rows 2-9. Wk 2 x 2 rib (*K2, P2 rep from* to end)
Row 10. Eyelet row. K2 yfwd K2 tog (K4 yfwd K2tog to end of row)
Rows 11 & 12 knit
Rows 13-16 K in black
Rows 17-22 K in Ivory
Rows 23-25 K in black
Rows 26-28 K in ivory
Rows 29-31 K in black
Rows 32-36 K in ivory
Rows 37-40 K in black
Rows 41-43 K in Ivory
Row 44 Continuing in ivory repeat the eyelet row as in Row 10
Rows 45-52 work in 2x2 rib as before
Row 53 K
Cast off or bind off knitwise

Making up: with right sides together sew up the little bit of seam which you used at the start. Darn in ends. Turn to right side thread through shoe laces.

Aruba Blue Notes: this was made for a large wrist, can be made smaller by casting on fewer stitches. I would suggest 60sts for a medium and 50sts for a small size.

Enjoy

love Cathy x