Well I have finally pulled my finger out and managed to write up my crocheted ladybird mittens and they are now available as a Ravelry Pattern download! http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ladybird-mittens
I have also added patterns for a beret, Duck Mittens, mini bags today!! adding to the phone sock and baby hat patterns!! OOh and if you are on Rav check out the Christmas pud baby hat!!
The first Saturday of half term saw the Chapter Arts Centre’s May You Live in Interesting Times Fayre and WOW it was amazing. Yarn and Yarn had a stall teaching people to knit and demonstrating knitting (and french knitting and finger knitting for the younger kids) There were musical bikes and a GPS musical “thing” and a bike powered smoothie maker. Weird and wonderful gadgets abounded and Soft Spot’s yummy cupcakes, face painting, spin painting etc etc etc!!!!
Well half term arrived again and allowed me yet more time to declutter (meaning another two large bin bags of needless stuff has wended its way out of my possession) and do some bits and pieces around the house. I managed to see my way through to a tip run to the recycling plant side of things to offload an old dead garden bench and I also managed a car boot sale whoop whoop!
I have now made my own house cleaners, from some recipes suggested on a variety of websites and I love it!! I have invested in a couple of microfibre cloths which again I love!! I have made bird feeders for the garden by recycling the silly bags found in the washing tablet boxes, lard and bird seed, although the first bag was a bit too soon after melting as most of the lard leaked out from it (the rest of the bags were better when I finally decided to grow soem patience and wait for the lard to solidify slightly!! I also managed to bake some bread YUM!!! I loved the smell of the house and the bread is soooo yummy!
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- bird seed
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- Yummy Bread!
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- The bags from the washing machine tablets
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- the lard melting
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- Oops the first leaking bag!
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- Lots of yummy bird seed bags!!
“The things you own end up owning you.”
After an initial round of decluttering, which saw me heading to a car boot sale with more crap than I could have imagined!! (Yay I no longer have to clean or dust any of it!! or move it around into more fitting homes in varying rooms!!! ) I have completed a smaller second round using the idea from the Ravelry Simple Living Group 1000 things I managed to purge a further 29 items from the house including a pancake maker thing that I’ve never understood how to use, a seriously dead roasting tin, several hideous ornaments (none of which were my elephants I hasten to add!!!) A bag of clothes which I counted as one, but I am now thinking after chatting with some of the other groupies that I should have counted each of the 16 items (even down to the odd socks!!) seperately!! hum that would put the total at 45 hum… ok so maybe I’ve purged 45 items then!! lol must update the pretty excel sheet he he!!!
Looking at the garage now I think I need to hit more car boot sales over the half term before another larger round of decluttering starts!! Then maybe freecycle, and charity shops added to the recycling and tip run I need to do to definately purge two more cluttering items (one being the bench from the garden I killed at the start of the summer and still haven’t shifted oops!!)
Well I have been a busy bee this past month crafting to the hilt!!!
I have learned the art of Cabling thanks to Alison and her time spent helping me to work out the cryptic clues from Jo which after Jo’s clear and wonderful explaining I promptly forgot!! oops!!
I have finally tried the sleeveless baby sweater I have been wanting to for ages!! and its so quick and cute!!! Hope Thomas likes it!
I have knitted Neck snuggles till they are coming out of my ears lol!! I have been knitting phone socks for the chapter event, but I have also been selling them so this means that the stock still stands static at 10 mmmm I plan to get at least twenty done!!
I have been making up phone sock kits with the pattern I have now published for free on Ravelry
I have published the Baby hat pattern that I have been threatening to do for months (inspired as I say in the pattern by my beautiful niece Zara.)
I am also working on several more patterns which should be on Ravelry in the next month!!! Fingers crossed!!! I have also added loads of new items to my online shop and will have just over a hundred vintage knitting patterns added to my Etsy store in the very foreseeable future!! which is where some of my bucket pincushions are also residing!
Arriving early this morning in Abergavenny I was greeted by the new additions to the ceiling!! The previous years have included the chefs and then last year’s wonderful Chickens!! (eek!!) One of whom reportedly fell and took out a stall and stallholder!! oops!! This year they have sheep and many of them! I set the stall up and prceeded to start my stint of knitting and crotcheting in public again receiving loads of lovely comments – Thanks to everyone who came, saw and praised!!!
Wednesday Night at the WMC saw the opening night of Faith’s Art Group’s Exhibition. Lots of very talented people!!! I particularly liked the felted piece, the acrylic on Perspex and Faith’s gorgeous bags and bouquets!!
After a hideous night of no sleep and being ill I battled into Cardiff with Mum and Angela and round a CIA containing a disappointing lack of wool related products. I was very impressed with the Learn to knit stand staffed by members of Cardiff Stitch and Bitch/Cardiff Knitters!! and equally impressed with my purchases including some beautiful beads and some packs of wool from the ever lovely black sheep people!! There was also an exhibition of the dresses from the film “The Duchess”
Well John Lewis in Cardiff has opened and after a quick knit meet in Borders we ventured in…… and found the wall of wool!!!
A wonderful evening of live music, singing, guitar and piano (a steinway no less) and knitting all rolled into one in the Wales Millenium Centre. We also managed to combine the Cardiff knitting groups into one for the evening; both Stitch and Bitch and Yarn and Yarn!
