Purl and Seam

Fabric : Fibre : Family

Felty

December 4, 2013

Way back in the summer I promised the local library that I’d do a “talk” at their December coffee morning on some, at that point undecided but definitely sewing related, subject.

It was months and months until December at that point and so, obviously, I forgot all about it until a few weeks ago when they reminded me.

Oops.

Cut to this evening.  Although I’d planned that I’d talk the ladies through making some very simple felt Christmas decorations, and I’d collected together all the materials I’d need, I’d not actually done anything with them.

More oops!

felt hearts

So I’ve been drawing simple shapes, cutting some of them out and packing a small box to take with me tomorrow.

felt trees

This stocking, however, is for another project altogether.

felt stocking

One of The Husband’s colleagues is, Jude, a craft blogger who is knitting up a storm, making little stockings, which she is planning to fill with chocolate and sell for charity. All monies raised will be sent to The NIHR / WT Children’s Clinical Research Facility and the AT Society.

Both the stockings and the photo are Jude's

Both the stockings and the photo are Jude’s

When she asked me if I’d be willing to help out a little, of course I said yes. And promptly volunteered Ma as well!

Ma immediately set the needles clacking and whipped up a bagful of these little lovelies in no time flat:

IMG_9861_edited-1I, on the other hand, am characteristically tardy, but will, on my return from the library tomorrow, crack on and get my contribution done.

With such good causes at stake I really need not to let the side down.

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I’m out!

October 24, 2013

So…a visit to the doctor on Tuesday morning decided my participation in KCW. Another course of antibiotics with a side order of steroids. Both in bigger doses than before.  Eugh! I started taking them immediately and by Tuesday afternoon was feeling even more out of sorts than before. The lovely side effects of dizziness and insomnia meant that by yesterday morning I was fit for nothing but sitting on the sofa knitting and hand sewing.

It does mean that I’ve made progress on some mitts I’m knitting as a favour for a friend:

IMG_9443_edited-1and the hexie quilt is coming along nicely, thank you very much.

Hexie quilt in progress

But the sewing loft is closed for the time being.  I’m fine with that.

And whilst I knit and stitch and watch movies, I’m dreaming of our wedding anniversary weekend in November, because Alice-who-isn’t-a-cat and Ma and the Stitches-in-law are treating us to dinner.

But not any old dinner…nooooooooooo!  Dinner at the scene of the original crime!

Northcote Manor

Northcote Manor

I may have wept with joy when I opened the envelope.  It’s such a wonderful treat and a complete surprise.

We are very, very, VERY excited…as you can imagine. And, with a fair wind and a bucket load of drugs, I’ll be feeling fine by then.

In the meantime, I’m off to the sofa.  I have mitts to knit! But…I’l leave you with cute cats.  Just because I can.  And they’ll make you smile.  Which is a good thing, no?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIePsbJSS04&feature=youtu.be&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DKIePsbJSS04%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&app=desktop]

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Aislinn – casting on at last

June 13, 2013

I haven’t been going to my Thursday night knitting group regularly for absolutely ages so this is something I’m really looking forward to rectifying now that The Husband is settled in his new job and is home at a civilised hour every night.  It’s lovely to have our evenings freed up as this something we’ve never been able to rely on.

With this in mind, and knowing that I’m planning to head off tonight and don’t have a knitting project on the needles, I thought it was time to tackle the modifications for Aislinn so I can finally cast her on.

image from amyherzogdesigns.com

image from amyherzogdesigns.com

This is the first of Amy’s patterns that I’ve tried and already I’m smitten.

schematic

Copyright Amy Herzog Designs

Look at that schematic.  So much information. Amy is really walking the walk with this pattern.  It gives you all the information you need to easily identify what’s going to work for you and what isn’t. Together with the worksheet provided by Amy in the Craftsy class it didn’t take me very long to work out that I only needed 5 modifications to the pattern:

  1. Add bust dart shaping
  2. Reduce waist shaping
  3. Increase sleeve to full length
  4. Reduce the size of the cuff
  5. Start the waist shaping a little earlier than the pattern states.

None of these are super complicated, and I have the luxury of being able to run my modifications by the designer to ensure I’ve not completely missed the mark.  But, whilst I wait for that response, I am finally ready to cast on…

IMG_8213_edited-1It will be a while before I complete this garment…I’m not the world’s fastest knitter after all.  But if the instructions are half as clear as the schematic, I’m confident this will be a pleasant project.  And who knows, I may just have a well fitting cardigan at the end of it!

That’s the plan anyway.  Wish  me luck!

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Got the blues – Made by Ma!

May 19, 2013

Oh, could my post titles be any cornier?

Ma has been busy with the needles again, so here are the last couple of knits for the kids for a while.  They are all set up for the summer…it being England, and all!  Not renowned for it’s glorious sunshine and soaring temperatures! You’ll see what I mean with these pictures…it was grey and rainy yesterday…and it shows!

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You’ll probably recognise this pattern from last year. It’s Little Montoya from Kate Jackson Knits. Button had rapidly outgrown her cream version and it’s too pretty a pattern not to revisit.

IMG_8030_edited-1The Boy also has a sweater in the same yarn, Hayfield Bonus Aran.

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I suspect this pattern is from the Jolly Beachcomber book.  I suspect Ma will comment if it’s not.

IMG_8039_edited-1I had the Devil’s own job getting these photos yesterday…they were both full of beans.

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IMG_8009_edited-1And I’m not pointing fingers, but Daddy was stood behind me at the time…. 😉

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Little Boy Red – Made by Ma

May 11, 2013

First up can I say a big thank you for all the lovely comments on the last post about The Boy’s surgery.  I cannot tell you how much they all mean to us and we’re hugely grateful for all the good wishes.

Thursday night he was more than a little miserable and he didn’t sleep much.  I got a lot of cuddles!

On Friday morning he was really freaked out by the fact that he could see two mummies, so we just stayed in our jammies and had a very lazy day.  At 8 o’clock he couldn’t even walk down the stairs.  By 3.30pm when we picked Button up from school, he was jumping off benches and balancing on kerbs!

I’m astonished at his resilience.

Today…he’s his normal ebullient self and is off visiting Grandma!

In his new red sweater knitted by her.

Pattern:  Jolly Beachcomber Knits, pattern number  2337.

Yarn: Hayfield bonus Aran

IMG_7943_edited-1Bless him…he looks like he’s gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson!  It’s hard to see from the photo but he has bruising on his forehead and cheek from the retractors, and the makings of a cracking shiner!

At the moment the eye looks a little “over corrected” too, but I’m assured that as the swelling goes down this will settle into place.  And he tells me that it’s a “little bit hurty but its ok because it will get better soon”.  I love that boy!

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I simply cannot get enough of red garments for these kids…it’s a great colour on both of them! And the Jolly Beachcombers pattern book is fabulous.  We go back to it again and again.

IMG_7947_edited-1I am reliably informed that this is a “very nice sweater indeed”.

High praise from Mr Pickypants!

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More cuties in cream – Made by Ma!

April 29, 2013

It’s bitterly cold still in our neck of the woods.  Button has been very brave venturning out in shorts for photos.  Thankfully Ma has been busy with her needles as they had grown out of pretty much all their knits.

First up is a little jacket that Button has had before.  She absolutely loves it, and this time Ma made it with long sleeves, so it’s even cosier.

IMG_7839_edited-1

Pattern : Sirdar 2358

Yarn : 80/20 poly/wool from Abakhan at £6.17 for a 400g ball

Much as I’d love them to be clothed in Madelinentosh all the time…these two are R.O.U.G.H. on their clothes.  This yarn can just be thrown into the wash and comes out as good as new.

IMG_7845_edited-1IMG_7849_edited-1The Boy was not to be left out…

IMG_7870_edited-1

Pattern : Sirdar Jolly Beachcomber  No 2334

Yarn : As above.  Thankfully as well as being resistant to small people, this yarn is also soft.  Boy is a whiner about wearing a sweater.  Unless it’s super soft it’s a no go.

IMG_7874_edited-2

IMG_7873_edited-2Thanks, Ma.  These are just lovely.

LABELS ~ Knitting

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Baa Ram (n)Ewe colour knitting skills

April 15, 2013

It seems that I’m not actually producing a great deal at the moment, and I’m really OK with that.  I have stuff on the go and hope to have something to share with you next week…if I can just get my act together to sew the darned hem!

But I am also working on developing (n)ewe skills…and that, my dears, takes time.

Sadly, the jokes are still very, very old indeed!

This week, Lara Croft and myself treated ourselves to a colour-work knitting workshop at Baa Ram Ewe in Headingley, Leeds, to celebrate making it through the Easter school break without murdering the little horrors.

image from baaramewe.co.uk

image from baaramewe.co.uk

We set off bright and early on Saturday morning with rare sunshine on the hills as we crossed over into Yorkshire.  Thankfully our visas were up to date ;-).

Baa Ram Ewe is a delightful yarn shop stocked to the ceiling with beautiful yarns such as Jamieson and Smith, Rowan and Debbie Bliss.

image from baaramewe.co.uk

image from baaramewe.co.uk

But their speciality is Yorkshire Yarns and their own Titus yarns had me twitching to make a purchase.

image from baaramewe.co.uk

image from baaramewe.co.uk

Thankfully we were whisked off to a nearby coffee bar to start the day.

image from salvos.co.uk

image from salvos.co.uk

Coffee in hand, Sara, our Rowan tutor for the day, lead us gently into the world of colour knitting.

Sara's samples

Sara’s samples

At this point I’ll admit to be more than a little nervous.  Lara Croft is a very calm and accomplished knitter.

Me…I don’t do calm.

But I’m going to let you into the three big secrets I learned during this course:

  1. Take it slow…what’s the rush.  Enjoy the process (and you know I’m not a process kinda gal, so this is B.I.G.).
  2. Pay attention…this is knitting to lose yourself in.  
  3. Don’t be scared…what’s the worst that can happen…it’s only sticks and string at the end of the day!

There it is…the secret key to colour-work knitting.  It turns out even us mere mortals can do it!

IMG_0629

BTW, I’m not being flippant.  I realised that it boils down to knitting and purling and picking up and putting down two colours of yarn.

It’s really not that hard as long as you aren’t afraid to just get stuck in and give it a go, work slowly and pay attention to the chart and your work.

This isn’t knitting for in front of the TV…unless you’re far more skilled at this than I am.  At which point I’ll tip my hat to you for being fabulous.

I left the day with the feeling that the lovely mittens pattern and yarn currently languishing in the loft can finally see the light of day and my needles.

I can do this!

And so, I think, can Ewe…

Disclaimer…no animals were harmed in the cracking of these jokes!

PS…I really would like to go back to Baa Ram Ewe and buy some of their lovely yarn.

PPS…The coffee at Salvos is delicious…as are their sandwiches

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LABELS ~ Knitting

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Fair Isle

January 3, 2013

I love Fair Isle knits.

300I love the intricacy of the designs.

flooertopI love the sense of tradition and heritage.

sheepheidside1I love intarsia too.

boreal2Frankly, though, I’m crap at knitting either of them!

Can’t get the tension even.  Can’t avoid squooshed up stitches or saggy threads or holey bits.

In April all that will change.

Lara Croft and I have done it and signed up for the Knitting with Colour workshop at baa ram ewe in Leeds.

image courtesy of baa ram ewe

image courtesy of baa ram ewe

We are inappropriately squeaky with excitement at the prospect.  This is something I’ve wanted to crack for more years than I care to remember and LC is just the most fun to spend a day with.

I simply can’t wait.

Squeak!

PS….all the pictures of the divine knits are courtesy of the wonderful 

Kate Davies.

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Picture perfect purple for a prickly party princess – FO 30 & 31/2012

December 16, 2012

Well we almost didn’t make it to the party today…but that was more to do with Madam Button von Stroppypants having a major attitude problem and Mummy foolishly rising to the bait!

However all was resolved 5 minutes before the allotted hour and following a quick change, our prickly party princess was ready to go.

IMG_6787_edited-1

You may remember this dress from That Bloody Wedding…the pattern is New Look 6881 and it’s a pattern I just love.

NL_6881LThe fabric is a poly duchesse from Abakhan lined with poly habotai also from Abakhan.

As the dress is sleeveless it really needed a cardigan and this is the finished Langston

Langston

knitted in Debbie Bliss Rialto DK.

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I did a very cursory block of this cardigan hence the frill isn’t lying as flat as I’d like, but this doesn’t really detract from the overall loveliness of this little cardie.

As you probably know by now, I’ve never met a cable I didn’t like, and this is no exception.

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Such a lovely pattern…one I can definitely see myself making again.

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And madam had a lovely time at the party and is now, finally asleep.  Don’t be fooled by those big blue eyes!  I’m off for a very stiff drink 😉

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A whole lot of nothing except a cute cardi!

October 24, 2012

The thing about having nothing that you have to do, is that the temptation to do nothing is rife.

As there’s only a whole load of sofa surfing going on, I thought I’d share the most recent Made by Ma, which, of course, features cables.

What can I say…I’m a sucker for cables!

Cute.  No?

The Small Print

Pattern Book:  Patons Play Days Book 4

Design:  Harriet

Yarn:   Patons Cotton Tropicano DK

I will get my butt into gear soon.  Maybe.

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Welcome

Image of a woman in her fifties taken from the shoulders up. She has grey shoulder length hair, brown eyes and a soft smile.

Hi there,
I'm Evie and I knit, stitch, spin and sew.
With varying degrees of success!
But always with my family around me in our little town in the North of England.
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