My how you've grown!
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Tuesday, 26 January 2016
Saturday, 22 August 2015
Wednesday, 19 August 2015
Inspiration
The sewing stars are aligning, at last. The jelly bean will be 6 (?!!) in a few days, and I am making her a top (or two) for her birthday.
I snaffled this viscose jersey the other day, from the splendid stitch (with splendid customer service - a very quick turn around and a couple of free swatches in with my parcel) and got to work last night tracing the pattern (from Ottobre 4/2015).
I bought a goodly length (2.5m) so there will be plenty left for me to make myself a thing or two. Just don't tell anyone I bought more fabric, okay....
Monday, 25 May 2015
In which I realise I might have bitten off more than I can chew
Sometimes deadlines are just impossible. Was it Douglas Adams who said he like the sound of them whooshing past?
Knowing that my parents visit was fast approaching, I spent a couple of evenings last week diligently cutting fabric into pieces and then stitching it back together again - trying to get the quilt top for my mum into some sort of order.
I chain pieced and I pressed, and I now have 100 finished blocks. I ought to be ready to stitch these together into rows, but eeek. The blocks aren't quite perfect.
Some of them are a bit smaller. Some are a bit bigger.
Some are (gasp) a bit wonky. Turns out, my cutting wasn't always as accurate as I thought. And, um, neither was my sewing.
#alwayslearning
So, I'm sort of stuck. I don't know whether to embrace the wonkiness and just sew the darned thing together, or spend time fiddling and trimming and trying to square things up before sewing the darned thing together.
My parents are here now too, and as my mother doesn't Know about The Quilt, I'm not going to spoil the surprise.
Sigh.
A half plan is forming in my head, but it'll have to wait.
Enjoy the bank holiday if you have one. I'm at work, the kids are at school, so it's not a holiday here #justsaying.
Knowing that my parents visit was fast approaching, I spent a couple of evenings last week diligently cutting fabric into pieces and then stitching it back together again - trying to get the quilt top for my mum into some sort of order.
I chain pieced and I pressed, and I now have 100 finished blocks. I ought to be ready to stitch these together into rows, but eeek. The blocks aren't quite perfect.
Some of them are a bit smaller. Some are a bit bigger.
Some are (gasp) a bit wonky. Turns out, my cutting wasn't always as accurate as I thought. And, um, neither was my sewing.
#alwayslearning
So, I'm sort of stuck. I don't know whether to embrace the wonkiness and just sew the darned thing together, or spend time fiddling and trimming and trying to square things up before sewing the darned thing together.
My parents are here now too, and as my mother doesn't Know about The Quilt, I'm not going to spoil the surprise.
Sigh.
A half plan is forming in my head, but it'll have to wait.
Enjoy the bank holiday if you have one. I'm at work, the kids are at school, so it's not a holiday here #justsaying.
Thursday, 14 May 2015
Monday, 11 May 2015
Sew
Howdy chaps.
Just back to report on last week's sewing adventures. In the midst of the rain, I got an annoying sewing job done - involving replacing a zip on my husband's hi-viz bike jacket (I broke the zip, so I really had to fix it!) It is a major cobble - I broke two needles in the process, unpicked a lot of very wonky stitching but managed in the end to return the jacket to him with a functional zip. And, he was happy with that. Phew.
Once that was out of the way, I moved onto other things. I refashioned one of my old hoodies into a sweatshirt/hoodie for the bean. He's got lots of sweaters that are almost too small, so I hacked apart one of my sweaters to make something for him. I cut the sleeves off, the hood off and cut along the side and shoulder seams. Then I narrowed the back and the front by several inches (taking things in at the sides) and lopped a chunk off the top of the sleeve, using one of his other sweaters as a guide. After rejoining the shoulder seams, I set in the sleeves and joined the new side seams. The neck was very wide - much too wide for my 8 yr old, and I couldn't find an easy way of reducing this because of the logo on the back and the kangaroo pocket on the front. [Note to self: these features make refashioning much more tricky!] I opted to reattach the original hood - just tucking a wee pleat in the centre back to make everything line up. The neckline is still super wide, but with the hood attached it's not very noticeable.
The best bit. He loves it. A photo will follow at some point - but each time I try and take one he has covered the sweater in milk, or mud, or something splattery.
Just so you have something to look at, here is a stack of freshly stitched squares that I am making into a quilt top for my mum. The fabrics all came from my grandma, and a duvet cover she made for me when I was a teenager.
The duvet cover was made from vintage fabric scraps from clothes and other household textiles in my nana's house. The duvet cover disintegrated a long time ago, and I've been trying to decide how to make the remnants into a quilt top for some time. Last week I finalised my design/approach, cut the squares to the right size and started to stitch. There are 100 patterned squares, and I chain pieced the lot while the children ate their supper the other night. Wowzers that was fast! Who knew?
There might just be a deadline with this one. My mum's birthday is at the end of the month, and they are coming to visit. Maybe I can get it done before then?
Just back to report on last week's sewing adventures. In the midst of the rain, I got an annoying sewing job done - involving replacing a zip on my husband's hi-viz bike jacket (I broke the zip, so I really had to fix it!) It is a major cobble - I broke two needles in the process, unpicked a lot of very wonky stitching but managed in the end to return the jacket to him with a functional zip. And, he was happy with that. Phew.
Once that was out of the way, I moved onto other things. I refashioned one of my old hoodies into a sweatshirt/hoodie for the bean. He's got lots of sweaters that are almost too small, so I hacked apart one of my sweaters to make something for him. I cut the sleeves off, the hood off and cut along the side and shoulder seams. Then I narrowed the back and the front by several inches (taking things in at the sides) and lopped a chunk off the top of the sleeve, using one of his other sweaters as a guide. After rejoining the shoulder seams, I set in the sleeves and joined the new side seams. The neck was very wide - much too wide for my 8 yr old, and I couldn't find an easy way of reducing this because of the logo on the back and the kangaroo pocket on the front. [Note to self: these features make refashioning much more tricky!] I opted to reattach the original hood - just tucking a wee pleat in the centre back to make everything line up. The neckline is still super wide, but with the hood attached it's not very noticeable.
The best bit. He loves it. A photo will follow at some point - but each time I try and take one he has covered the sweater in milk, or mud, or something splattery.
Just so you have something to look at, here is a stack of freshly stitched squares that I am making into a quilt top for my mum. The fabrics all came from my grandma, and a duvet cover she made for me when I was a teenager.
The duvet cover was made from vintage fabric scraps from clothes and other household textiles in my nana's house. The duvet cover disintegrated a long time ago, and I've been trying to decide how to make the remnants into a quilt top for some time. Last week I finalised my design/approach, cut the squares to the right size and started to stitch. There are 100 patterned squares, and I chain pieced the lot while the children ate their supper the other night. Wowzers that was fast! Who knew?
There might just be a deadline with this one. My mum's birthday is at the end of the month, and they are coming to visit. Maybe I can get it done before then?
Sunday, 15 February 2015
The easiest cowl in the world (tutorial?)
I promised the other day that I had unvented the easiest cowl in the world, And, here it is.
It seems completely fraudulent to call this a tutorial, since it is so blinkin' easy.
Are you ready?
Wait. Before I begin with the tute, I should go back to the beginning of the story. A wee while ago, my dear 8 yr old son asked me for a cowl. He wanted it to wind round his head like a ninja, and asked for one in (navy) blue - that's a school colour since this boy is a model pupil and takes school life pretty seriously. Anyways, I thought: simples - I can knit, so I will knit him a cowl.
And then Christmas came ... and went ... and there was no cowl. There were not even any beginnings of a cowl. I had yarn, and a pattern (probably), but no time or mojo to fit it into my life.
Fortunately for me, the bean has a birthday every year (who knew?) and this happens to be at the end of January. So, I just let the Christmas cowl thing slide, knowing I had another cowl-gifting opportunity racing towards me.
I was going to nail this thing. Like a boss.
A day or three before the birthday, there was still no sign of a cowl starting. But, I had a plan.
When I was pregnant with little bean, I stole a couple of man sweaters from my husband. He discarded them because they had a weeny hole in one elbow, and he couldn't bring himself to wear them in public (wimp). They were great maternity wear - fine merino wool - long enough to cover the bump, warm and generally very comfy. I carried on wearing them after I stopped being pregnant too - and one of them was just starting to go into holes under the arms.
A light bulb came on, and I just went with it. (Here's the tute: concentrate)
First, I got the sweater onto theslab table. And I started to cut. I cut along two lines: one under the arms, and one above the bottom ribbing
.
[sorry about the rubbish iphone pictures - I was half way through before I even thought of taking a photo]
Snip, snip went my scissors.
I was left with a nice tube of stretchy knitted fabric. My plan was then to sew along the cut edges and somehow fold it over and secure it, making a really cosy double layer cowl.
Can you see what is coming next? Yep. That's right: I didn't DO anything else. I just left it. The edges seemed to be stable enough without stitching (they have rolled), it was nice and stretchy, and I thought the depth of fabric just made it better for ninja poses.
I styled it on a hanger just to see if it worked.
[Yeah, navy blue is a total badass to photograph]. A total success, no?
All I can say is this - I cut off the arms and hem of a man's sweater to make a cowl. And THAT WAS IT.
It has been worn by the bean, more than a few times. He favours the double wrap. It hasn't fallen apart yet, and I haven't been able to steal it #sadface
Just in case you are wondering: this is a regular fine merino knit (machine washable) from Marks and Sparks. I didn't treat it in any way, e.g. by felting. Job done.
It seems completely fraudulent to call this a tutorial, since it is so blinkin' easy.
Are you ready?
Wait. Before I begin with the tute, I should go back to the beginning of the story. A wee while ago, my dear 8 yr old son asked me for a cowl. He wanted it to wind round his head like a ninja, and asked for one in (navy) blue - that's a school colour since this boy is a model pupil and takes school life pretty seriously. Anyways, I thought: simples - I can knit, so I will knit him a cowl.
And then Christmas came ... and went ... and there was no cowl. There were not even any beginnings of a cowl. I had yarn, and a pattern (probably), but no time or mojo to fit it into my life.
Fortunately for me, the bean has a birthday every year (who knew?) and this happens to be at the end of January. So, I just let the Christmas cowl thing slide, knowing I had another cowl-gifting opportunity racing towards me.
I was going to nail this thing. Like a boss.
A day or three before the birthday, there was still no sign of a cowl starting. But, I had a plan.
When I was pregnant with little bean, I stole a couple of man sweaters from my husband. He discarded them because they had a weeny hole in one elbow, and he couldn't bring himself to wear them in public (
A light bulb came on, and I just went with it. (Here's the tute: concentrate)
First, I got the sweater onto the
.
[sorry about the rubbish iphone pictures - I was half way through before I even thought of taking a photo]
Snip, snip went my scissors.
I was left with a nice tube of stretchy knitted fabric. My plan was then to sew along the cut edges and somehow fold it over and secure it, making a really cosy double layer cowl.
Can you see what is coming next? Yep. That's right: I didn't DO anything else. I just left it. The edges seemed to be stable enough without stitching (they have rolled), it was nice and stretchy, and I thought the depth of fabric just made it better for ninja poses.
I styled it on a hanger just to see if it worked.
[Yeah, navy blue is a total badass to photograph]. A total success, no?
All I can say is this - I cut off the arms and hem of a man's sweater to make a cowl. And THAT WAS IT.
It has been worn by the bean, more than a few times. He favours the double wrap. It hasn't fallen apart yet, and I haven't been able to steal it #sadface
Just in case you are wondering: this is a regular fine merino knit (machine washable) from Marks and Sparks. I didn't treat it in any way, e.g. by felting. Job done.
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
DIY Elsa costume (FO)
The jelly bean was five a couple of weeks ago, and like most small girls, is fairly enthusiastic about the film Frozen. Badly sung and barely remembered versions of 'Let it go' feature regularly in our house.
An Elsa outfit of some description was needed for her birthday, and I did some careful research on the webz to get some ideas. I decided to make a skirt and top rather than a dress, with a separate cape. As with all dressing up clothes, I figured it would be useful to make things interchangeable, just in case a fireman or a pirate ever needed a snow queen's frosty cape to wear.
In one of those 'oh yes' moments, I realised that the sparkly teal knit fabric I had in my stash might just be. completely. PERFECT. for this project. It feels fairly horrid and is undoubtedly a synthetic throwback from the 1970s, but it looks pretty (and double bonus is only cost £3).
As if that was not karmic enough, when I was hunting through my box of scraps, I found an old vest/cami top of mine in a nice ice-blue colour, just right for the not-quite-matching vibe of Elsa's sleeves.
As if that was not karmic enough, when I was hunting through my box of scraps, I found an old vest/cami top of mine in a nice ice-blue colour, just right for the not-quite-matching vibe of Elsa's sleeves.
Yada, yada. Here is the make:
1. SKIRT
I wanted to emulate some of the shape of Elsa's skirt, without the split or foxy silhouette. So, I decided to have an a-line panel at the front, and gathered panel at the back. The front panel has a little hi-lo curve at the hemline to look extra cute. I used some of the jelly bean's existing clothes to give me an idea about dimensions, but generally just cut it on the fly. I cut the front panel on the fold, and then used a curved hem from another pattern to give me a cutting line for the hi-lo hem.
I just cut a rectangular panel for the back of the skirt, with plenty of width to give fullness. Of course I had cut this before thinking I should add a curve to this hem too, so that it could form a little train. Oh well.
Because this is a non-fraying knit and for dressing up, I did not finish the hem.
I wanted to emulate some of the shape of Elsa's skirt, without the split or foxy silhouette. So, I decided to have an a-line panel at the front, and gathered panel at the back. The front panel has a little hi-lo curve at the hemline to look extra cute. I used some of the jelly bean's existing clothes to give me an idea about dimensions, but generally just cut it on the fly. I cut the front panel on the fold, and then used a curved hem from another pattern to give me a cutting line for the hi-lo hem.
I just cut a rectangular panel for the back of the skirt, with plenty of width to give fullness. Of course I had cut this before thinking I should add a curve to this hem too, so that it could form a little train. Oh well.
Because this is a non-fraying knit and for dressing up, I did not finish the hem.
I did the waistband on this baby three (yes, THREE!) times. The first time I included a dressing-up-friendly velcro closure, but then realised it would pull the fabric something rotten and end up mangling the skirt. So I took it off.
I cut another waistband from the scraps and got that all sewed on ready for the big day. Before I could add a fastener, I got sick (lying-in-my-bed-unable-to-do-anything-sick) and the birthday dawned and the jelly bean put it on anyway. It was fine apart from the fact that it had no fastening, and it was about 2 inches too small (yes, too small?! wtf?)
I cut another waistband from the scraps and got that all sewed on ready for the big day. Before I could add a fastener, I got sick (lying-in-my-bed-unable-to-do-anything-sick) and the birthday dawned and the jelly bean put it on anyway. It was fine apart from the fact that it had no fastening, and it was about 2 inches too small (yes, too small?! wtf?)
Cue more seam ripping. Sigh.
The third time I made a casing and elasticated the whole darn thing. No fastenings, no velcro. Nothing to go wrong. It's fine.
2. BODICE
Next I made the top. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to do this at first, but somewhere I got the idea to use the raglan tee pattern I bought a year back (it's all about the stash).
I cut the back from the teal fabric and the sleeves from the ice-blue fabric, without any adjustments. Oh, actually, I did make an adjustment - I made a mistake when I cut out the sleeves, so Ihad to fudge it a bit lowered the back neckline to match the front and trimmed the neckline on the sleeves.
For the front of the bodice, I used a piece of the teal fabric, but adjusted the neckline to look more like the front of Elsa's bodice, with a little bit of a sweetheart shaping at the top and a point/V at the bottom. I then filled in the 'missing' part of neckline with a scrap of ice-blue fabric. I've been reading lots of sewing tutorials lately, and I made use of a tip I saw somewhere (umm, make it love it I think) about using a glue stick to stabilise things before sewing. I glued and then top-stitched the two pieces together, before making up the tee in the normal way.
To finish the neck I folded over a narrow hem and top-stitched. The clean line fits with the vibe of Elsa's costume, and it was really quick! I love it!
3. The CAPE
Finally, I got to work on some organza which I bought for the cape (£4.50 per metre). Although it is fairly easy to sew, it is so fragile that it pulls apart really easily. I hemmed the bottom, then gathered the top and attached a ribbon tie. The first attempt looked lovely, but was too long, and came apart when the birthday girl stood on it. I shortened the cape to reduce the risk of being stood on again, and reattached the ribbon at the top - hopefully it will be a bit more robust this time...
All in all, I am totally thrilled with the way this turned out. I spent £4.50 on the organza and everything else came from my stash (ribbon, thread, fabric, elastic). Oh, and the jelly bean likes it too.
Next I made the top. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to do this at first, but somewhere I got the idea to use the raglan tee pattern I bought a year back (it's all about the stash).
I cut the back from the teal fabric and the sleeves from the ice-blue fabric, without any adjustments. Oh, actually, I did make an adjustment - I made a mistake when I cut out the sleeves, so I
For the front of the bodice, I used a piece of the teal fabric, but adjusted the neckline to look more like the front of Elsa's bodice, with a little bit of a sweetheart shaping at the top and a point/V at the bottom. I then filled in the 'missing' part of neckline with a scrap of ice-blue fabric. I've been reading lots of sewing tutorials lately, and I made use of a tip I saw somewhere (umm, make it love it I think) about using a glue stick to stabilise things before sewing. I glued and then top-stitched the two pieces together, before making up the tee in the normal way.
To finish the neck I folded over a narrow hem and top-stitched. The clean line fits with the vibe of Elsa's costume, and it was really quick! I love it!
3. The CAPE
Finally, I got to work on some organza which I bought for the cape (£4.50 per metre). Although it is fairly easy to sew, it is so fragile that it pulls apart really easily. I hemmed the bottom, then gathered the top and attached a ribbon tie. The first attempt looked lovely, but was too long, and came apart when the birthday girl stood on it. I shortened the cape to reduce the risk of being stood on again, and reattached the ribbon at the top - hopefully it will be a bit more robust this time...
All in all, I am totally thrilled with the way this turned out. I spent £4.50 on the organza and everything else came from my stash (ribbon, thread, fabric, elastic). Oh, and the jelly bean likes it too.
Wednesday, 14 May 2014
Thursday, 5 September 2013
Sewtember
The rhythm of the new school year and a new weekly patterns of comings and goings is being established again. School - home - toddler group - swimming - gymnastics - mini-rugby - football - dancing. It's quite busy.
For some reason, my knitting needles have been silent over the last couple of weeks, and there has been no knitting or crochet for a while. The stripey Charles I started earlier in the summer has been washed and blocked and given a neck band and button band. I just need to sew up the arms and side seams to finish it, but has been languishing in my knitting bag for a week or two now. Still unfinished.
We were distracted somewhat by the jelly bean's fourth birthday, which was a Great Occasion, just as it should be. There was cake and bunting and cards and grandparents and an outing - with a few young friends - to see a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I managed to sew a couple of things for the great event, including 5 fabric 'party' bags for the friends who came to celebrate, and a purple wizarding robe (upcycled from a pair of wide-leg velvet trousers) to add to the dressing-up basket.
She's a right one that girl. She has a t-shirt which says 'Though she be but little, she is fierce'. Fierce and beautiful and bright; and we wouldn't have her any other way.
For some reason, my knitting needles have been silent over the last couple of weeks, and there has been no knitting or crochet for a while. The stripey Charles I started earlier in the summer has been washed and blocked and given a neck band and button band. I just need to sew up the arms and side seams to finish it, but has been languishing in my knitting bag for a week or two now. Still unfinished.
We were distracted somewhat by the jelly bean's fourth birthday, which was a Great Occasion, just as it should be. There was cake and bunting and cards and grandparents and an outing - with a few young friends - to see a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. I managed to sew a couple of things for the great event, including 5 fabric 'party' bags for the friends who came to celebrate, and a purple wizarding robe (upcycled from a pair of wide-leg velvet trousers) to add to the dressing-up basket.
She's a right one that girl. She has a t-shirt which says 'Though she be but little, she is fierce'. Fierce and beautiful and bright; and we wouldn't have her any other way.
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
LYS
Ooh, look what has just arrived in my neighbourhood: a new yarn shop.
I have only peered through the window so far, but could see lots of pretty skeins hanging up...
I might just have to nip in and buy myself a birthday present.
I have only peered through the window so far, but could see lots of pretty skeins hanging up...
I might just have to nip in and buy myself a birthday present.
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Birthday
It's my husband's birthday today. He left for work early, so the grand presentation of gifts will come this evening.
I'm trying to finish this sock, so he'll have something handcrafted in the pile. We'll just gloss over the fact that this is sock no. 1, and there is no chance of sock no. 2 before then...
Happy Birthday my love.
Monday, 28 January 2013
Six
The bean was 6 this weekend.
We celebrated as is customary - with cake (a chocolate Victoria sponge, just in case you are wondering)
Happy birthday, my bright and funny boy. When you were 1, you looked like this.
Now you look something like this..
We love watching you grow. We love you.
We celebrated as is customary - with cake (a chocolate Victoria sponge, just in case you are wondering)
Happy birthday, my bright and funny boy. When you were 1, you looked like this.
Now you look something like this..
We love watching you grow. We love you.
Monday, 27 August 2012
Progress #2
So, after a week at home, this is how the list looks now:
1. Finish Dolly (baby cardigan), block, assemble and send to recipient.
FAIL. Sat down to finish fronts, but when measured against back, discovered that they bore little resemblance to the size of the back I had knitted. So I ripped them. Completely. From almost finished to nothing. Just like that. I did not cry, I just swigged my beer a little more vehemently, and got out some crochet (ha!)
2. Before sending Dolly in the post, check that recipient is still small enough to wear 3-6 month size. If not, pass onto smaller baby and start knitting a bigger Dolly for first recipient. Do Not Swear.
Fail (see above). Now inevitable that first baby will be too big for 3-6 month size...
3. make some cloth nappies for jelly bean's dolls
Have made a paper pattern, but nothing stitched. Part Fail.
4. make some more doll blankets/quilts for jelly bean/gift stash
Fail. Concentrated on Other Things.
5. make birthday crown for jelly bean
Success! It was even completed in time for the jelly bean's birthday. But there are no photos (yet).
6. make birthday cake(s) for jelly bean
Success: Two cakes were made. DH is now complaining that there is no butter in the house. Oops. I will not mention the slight issue of cake batter leakage which meant one of the cakes had to be stopped mid bake and (successfully) reassembled.
7. dye some (old) clothes
Fail. I did look at some dye in the shop, but didn't have any cash.
8. tackle UFO pile: ripple blanket; man socks; sewing pile
Part Success: ripple blanket has got another stripe, man socks have now got a second heel and I made a start on (my first) quilt top! Eek.
9. make a large pile of gift bags
Success: it may not be the largest of piles, but I managed to whip up 9 bags. All made from the stash.
10. do some gardening (back garden: veggie plot)
Success: weeding and clearing was begun. Harvests were gathered (broad beans and potatoes) and eaten (yum).
11. do some more gardening (front garden: flower plot)
Complete Fail.
12. take books back to library
Success. Whizzed up on my bike one evening, and came back with some new goodies :)
13. ride my bike
Huge Success. I have cycled to school and back with one child; I have cycled to school and back with two children; I have cycled to cake shops to hire cake tins; I have cycled to town to buy fabric and bits and bobs and new bras; I have cycled to the library (see above); I have cycled to (Edinburgh) Fringe shows with the family and to meet friends for a grown up night out; and yesterday we cycled to the pool for a swim, and then to the park to play with friends.
14. drink coffee
Success.
15. eat cake.
There was plenty. 24 fairy cakes and 2 birthday cakes were baked last week, and I had my fair share.
1. Finish Dolly (baby cardigan), block, assemble and send to recipient.
FAIL. Sat down to finish fronts, but when measured against back, discovered that they bore little resemblance to the size of the back I had knitted. So I ripped them. Completely. From almost finished to nothing. Just like that. I did not cry, I just swigged my beer a little more vehemently, and got out some crochet (ha!)
2. Before sending Dolly in the post, check that recipient is still small enough to wear 3-6 month size. If not, pass onto smaller baby and start knitting a bigger Dolly for first recipient. Do Not Swear.
Fail (see above). Now inevitable that first baby will be too big for 3-6 month size...
3. make some cloth nappies for jelly bean's dolls
Have made a paper pattern, but nothing stitched. Part Fail.
4. make some more doll blankets/quilts for jelly bean/gift stash
Fail. Concentrated on Other Things.
5. make birthday crown for jelly bean
Success! It was even completed in time for the jelly bean's birthday. But there are no photos (yet).
6. make birthday cake(s) for jelly bean
Success: Two cakes were made. DH is now complaining that there is no butter in the house. Oops. I will not mention the slight issue of cake batter leakage which meant one of the cakes had to be stopped mid bake and (successfully) reassembled.
7. dye some (old) clothes
Fail. I did look at some dye in the shop, but didn't have any cash.
8. tackle UFO pile: ripple blanket; man socks; sewing pile
Part Success: ripple blanket has got another stripe, man socks have now got a second heel and I made a start on (my first) quilt top! Eek.
9. make a large pile of gift bags
Success: it may not be the largest of piles, but I managed to whip up 9 bags. All made from the stash.
10. do some gardening (back garden: veggie plot)
Success: weeding and clearing was begun. Harvests were gathered (broad beans and potatoes) and eaten (yum).
11. do some more gardening (front garden: flower plot)
Complete Fail.
12. take books back to library
Success. Whizzed up on my bike one evening, and came back with some new goodies :)
13. ride my bike
Huge Success. I have cycled to school and back with one child; I have cycled to school and back with two children; I have cycled to cake shops to hire cake tins; I have cycled to town to buy fabric and bits and bobs and new bras; I have cycled to the library (see above); I have cycled to (Edinburgh) Fringe shows with the family and to meet friends for a grown up night out; and yesterday we cycled to the pool for a swim, and then to the park to play with friends.
14. drink coffee
Success.
15. eat cake.
There was plenty. 24 fairy cakes and 2 birthday cakes were baked last week, and I had my fair share.
Monday, 9 July 2012
41/7
It's that time of year again. The one where I have my birthday (41, ahem) followed shortly after by our wedding anniversary (7 years). To add to the excitement, my brother and sister in law arrived last weekend with their two young sons.
It's such a shame that the weather has been so awful - but if I have learned one thing in my 41 years on this earth, it is this: moaning about the weather never, ever, ever make one jot of difference to the weather that comes. You just have to make the best of it. So, the driest days have involved trips to beaches, farms, play parks and walks around and about; and the wettest days have involved trips to museums, swimming pools, soft play and inside sorts of places. Edinburgh's blessed with a number of such venues, so it hasn't been too hard - but still, a shame for them not to have seen some Scottish sunshine.
My in-laws organised a gathering of the wider family to celebrate the visitation from the American branch. As both my mother and father in law celebrate their 70th birthdays this year, we made the most of the opportunity to celebrate, and surprised them with birthday cake and champagne! They were completely unprepared for the surprise - but both seemed really delighted. Significant birthdays are always worth celebrating, and the greater the age, the more reason to take stock and give thanks for health and happiness.
Meanwhile there has been knitting. Dolly (age 3-6 months) now has 2 sleeves. A back will follow methinks. There is also a sock making good progress - mostly encouraged by the tennis, which was superb this year - and one or two other things have sprung on and off the needles. A tank top began a week or so back, but was no sooner started than ripped again. Not. Quite. Right.
It's such a shame that the weather has been so awful - but if I have learned one thing in my 41 years on this earth, it is this: moaning about the weather never, ever, ever make one jot of difference to the weather that comes. You just have to make the best of it. So, the driest days have involved trips to beaches, farms, play parks and walks around and about; and the wettest days have involved trips to museums, swimming pools, soft play and inside sorts of places. Edinburgh's blessed with a number of such venues, so it hasn't been too hard - but still, a shame for them not to have seen some Scottish sunshine.
My in-laws organised a gathering of the wider family to celebrate the visitation from the American branch. As both my mother and father in law celebrate their 70th birthdays this year, we made the most of the opportunity to celebrate, and surprised them with birthday cake and champagne! They were completely unprepared for the surprise - but both seemed really delighted. Significant birthdays are always worth celebrating, and the greater the age, the more reason to take stock and give thanks for health and happiness.
Meanwhile there has been knitting. Dolly (age 3-6 months) now has 2 sleeves. A back will follow methinks. There is also a sock making good progress - mostly encouraged by the tennis, which was superb this year - and one or two other things have sprung on and off the needles. A tank top began a week or so back, but was no sooner started than ripped again. Not. Quite. Right.
Monday, 18 June 2012
Beanies and bobbles (FO)
The pink hat I lost last week is still hiding in Glasgow somewhere, but the other #9 baby beanies are all washed and ready to drop off at the Pregnancy and Parents Centre.
They look kinda cute all stacked up and ready to go...
At the weekend we went to a friend's fifth birthday party (happy birthday Aisling!). I was itching to make something for her, so I spent a happy half an hour or so trimming scraps of felt to make this sweet pair of rainbow hair bobbles. I did it while watching England play Sweden in Euro 2012. There were places where my cutting was decidedly wonky; but, I just think that adds to their charm.
And, in other news (in case you were wondering) the building works are still on-going, but due to finish this week. We can't wait! Things already look and feel so different, it's hard to remember what it looked like before...
They look kinda cute all stacked up and ready to go...
Baby beanies (9 here)
pattern: own
yarn: any and various odds and ends in the sock/4 ply stash
At the weekend we went to a friend's fifth birthday party (happy birthday Aisling!). I was itching to make something for her, so I spent a happy half an hour or so trimming scraps of felt to make this sweet pair of rainbow hair bobbles. I did it while watching England play Sweden in Euro 2012. There were places where my cutting was decidedly wonky; but, I just think that adds to their charm.
And, in other news (in case you were wondering) the building works are still on-going, but due to finish this week. We can't wait! Things already look and feel so different, it's hard to remember what it looked like before...
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Birthday
Yesterday was my husband's birthday. At 0628 our daughter climbed into our bed, followed soon after by her brother. After a little bit of whispered direction from me, they wished their father a happy birthday and began to sing to him. We might have preferred another half an hour of sleep, but their sweet duet was certainly worth the early start.
The birthday celebrations begin in earnest. The gifts were piled up and the house decorated. The fabric gift bags I made at Christmas got another outing, along with the bunting a friend made a year or so back.....
The birthday cake was a joint effort. I did most of the measuring and baking, but the little people licked their fingers and decorated the cake as only preschoolers can - with originality and wonkiness.
Happy birthday my love. xx
The birthday celebrations begin in earnest. The gifts were piled up and the house decorated. The fabric gift bags I made at Christmas got another outing, along with the bunting a friend made a year or so back.....
The birthday cake was a joint effort. I did most of the measuring and baking, but the little people licked their fingers and decorated the cake as only preschoolers can - with originality and wonkiness.
Happy birthday my love. xx
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
Rhythm
The rhythm of this new year and a new semester is taking a while to sink in. My teaching days and times have changed, and my inner clock/diary is confused..
It's a new drum. A new tune.
Part of my new weekly rhythm is swimming. My husband is a swimmer - a good swimmer - and before our son was born he helped me to improve my technique. I'm getting back into the groove - and it's noticeable how things improve week by week. Tonight I did 50 lengths.
Crafting and knitting and sewing have little space in my week at the moment. Snatched moments here and there are all I've been able to muster. No evenings of sewing like there were before Christmas - although I'm desperate to get my machine out and try out my new walking foot (thanks, Santa!) I have been knitting some socks for a friend's 40th though. I thought I would nail the pair before the great day, but I didn't. I didnt even manage to finish the first one before the party. Sigh. Last night we watched a film and I cast on sock no. 2. The film was Valkyrie. We enjoyed it and the sock grew nicely. I'll show it to you when it's finished. It's stripey (of course).
It's a new drum. A new tune.
Part of my new weekly rhythm is swimming. My husband is a swimmer - a good swimmer - and before our son was born he helped me to improve my technique. I'm getting back into the groove - and it's noticeable how things improve week by week. Tonight I did 50 lengths.
Crafting and knitting and sewing have little space in my week at the moment. Snatched moments here and there are all I've been able to muster. No evenings of sewing like there were before Christmas - although I'm desperate to get my machine out and try out my new walking foot (thanks, Santa!) I have been knitting some socks for a friend's 40th though. I thought I would nail the pair before the great day, but I didn't. I didnt even manage to finish the first one before the party. Sigh. Last night we watched a film and I cast on sock no. 2. The film was Valkyrie. We enjoyed it and the sock grew nicely. I'll show it to you when it's finished. It's stripey (of course).
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Making Monday (on Tuesday): dribble bibs
I'm a bit late with this week's making monday (oooops!), but if a things worth doing....
The last couple of weeks have been studded with birthdays - first dear wee Elias, then my dad, then my cousin's twins and yesterday, a little friend of ours who has got to the very grand age of three! Happy birthday to you all.
Wherever possible, I prefer to give home made gifts, so my dad got socks, and the twins - who were 1 at the weekend - got a variety of things, including a few cute dribble bibs (tutorial here).
These were upcycled from some old terry squares and some of the jelly beans old clothes. She really wears her clothes, and not all of them are in a fit state to pass on when she has grown out of them! Some days it is hard to keep track of the clothes she gets through - such is her capacity for attracting dirt and soaking herself with any/all available liquids. Not that we'd have her any other way...
The last couple of weeks have been studded with birthdays - first dear wee Elias, then my dad, then my cousin's twins and yesterday, a little friend of ours who has got to the very grand age of three! Happy birthday to you all.
Wherever possible, I prefer to give home made gifts, so my dad got socks, and the twins - who were 1 at the weekend - got a variety of things, including a few cute dribble bibs (tutorial here).
These were upcycled from some old terry squares and some of the jelly beans old clothes. She really wears her clothes, and not all of them are in a fit state to pass on when she has grown out of them! Some days it is hard to keep track of the clothes she gets through - such is her capacity for attracting dirt and soaking herself with any/all available liquids. Not that we'd have her any other way...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)