Baby Born gets a new outfit

 Yay! I've made it back for a third week. Unfortunately there isn't much to show you apart from this outfit I made for Little Lady's Baby Born doll.

Skirt

It's great knitting doll clothes as they knit up so quick. Just a bit fiddly to put together.

Jacket

 I have finished another project but can't share that with you yet as its a pressie and knowing my luck the recipient will be nosing through my blog.

Beret

 I also have 5 (yep FIVE) projects in various stages in the knitting/crochet bag plus a project in the making on the sewing table and another one at the planning stage.

For now I will share with you the finished product and fingers crossed I'll have something else to show you very soon.

Finally, Happy 91st Birthday to my Mum.

Thanks for looking, x

I've made it back for a second week...

I know, shock horror, I've made it back for a second week. Well what can I say....let's hope it lasts.
I'm sure everyone would advise you that when embarking on a new hobby you should start at the beginning and learn the basics. Well that's what I intended.....by making a cover for my grand-daughter's new Nabi....

Yep. I bought the book 'Sewing for Dummies' and diligently read the introductory chapters and knew that I wanted to give this a serious chance of succeeding (the hobby that is). But, I also knew that I had two projects I desperately needed to do.

 I'm quite pleased with my first effort. I followed a rough pattern for a laptop/iPad cover, adjusting the measurements. However, then I realised it needed a gusset, which was not in this pattern, so I had to put my thinking cap on. So then the felt and wadding lining I had already cut, and wasn't prepared to waste, was too small.

 After several bouts of de-stitching (is that a word?) I had my finished article. The felt and wadding lining is in place on the front and back, just not all the way round. Next time I'll make the lining first and then cut the outer cover to fit.
BTW, do you like the cupcake material? Isn't it cute.

Next stop, the bread machine. For those of you who have followed my blogs in the past you will know I like to make bread. So much so that it is not feasible to keep the machine in a cupboard, but it was taking up much valuable space on the kitchen worktop. So I decided to move it into the utility. One very fluffy problem.....Simba!

We have 2 cats, and they sleep at night in the utility. Benny is smooth coated but Simba, well during the winter he becomes even more fluffy and grows a mane that would do any lion proud.

Being a bit OCD I was 'stressing' about cat hairs and hygiene.....so decided a cover was needed asap for my machine.

Voila!

I've had this material for years. Can't even remember what I had bought it for, but thought 'that will do'.

Again I found a pattern which I was able to adapt. It even gave the formula to work out how you calculated the amount of fabric to cut.

Note to self......should have read that before I made the Nabi cover, lol.

The only problem was I couldn't understand the instructions. So armed with pins and material I hot footed it up the hallway to the utility and pinned it around the machine.

Chuffed to bits.

Just to prove the other needles haven't been idle.

You may remember I showed you, about a year ago, a purple cardi I had made for our English grand-daughter (Little Lady). Well I immediately set to making another in a larger size in pink......

Then Mr Mojo went AWOL.....

Finally in about October I decided to finish it but by now Little Lady had grown (isn't it so annoying when they do that, lol), so it became a Christmas present for #1 Scottish Grand-daughter.

 Last, but by no means least, a couple of ear warmers in a new colour yarn I picked up in the Abakhan shop.

 These are in my Folksy shop along with other colours I've been knitting.

I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog and fingers crossed I'll be back very soon, x

Happy New Year

My first topsy turvy doll (Susan B Anderson)

Oh my goodness, I can't believe the last time I blogged was in April.....
I don't know where the time has gone although I must admit life has been a little crazy, but what's new in CB-world. On top of crazy stuff I just totally lost my mojo for all forms of crafting last year. I think not having my own private sanctuary to make a mess and leave it hasn't helped. So although I am crafting again I'm afraid the rubber stamping is still not happening.... My New Year resolution was to attend every monthly meeting of our little rubber stamping group.....FAILED....I had to dip out of the January meeting because of work so now I am targetting the February one.
So what's been happening here in the forest....well, in May hubby had a big reconstruction job on his leg to try and correct the damage he had done in China. That involved quite a long post-op recovery which is still on-going. He is still attending for physio on a regular basis and now has 2 further operations to look forward to as the leg still isn't right, despite being like the bionic man with a load of metalwork inside.

Simple quilt for youngest grandee's dolly

In July, despite being on crutches still, we hobbled down to the forest to see Blondie in concert. Absolutely amazing.
Then later that month we hot-footed it to London to spring a surprise birthday meal on #1 Son who was turning 30. I think there was about 15 of us in total, including grand-daughter, and it was a brilliant evening even if he did keep us waiting as he was shopping in Next.....
August wasn't such a good month as it saw us saying goodbye to our beautiful labrador. It was all very sudden and totally unexpected and is still very raw for us.

Bunny #1

Bunny #2

September wasn't brilliant either as I managed to write off my car.....fortunately I wasn't hurt and it could have been much worse, but another drain on the purse strings as #1 Son took me car shopping. I shocked everyone by getting a bright red car....I always vowed I wouldn't have a red car but hey ho. I love it despite the fact that a stupid woman drove into it while it was parked last week and has done over £600 of damage...NOT HAPPY. On the plus side, 2 witnesses came forward and I waited for her to return to her car where she declared that she had no idea that she had hit my car.....least said.

Triceratops for #1 Grandson

Sometime after September I started getting my mojo back and started knitting like someone possessed, as you can see from the pictures.I had to take a break in November when hubby and I took a weekend city break to Berlin, fabulous. Its about as much as we dare risk given his leg problems.



A hectic Christmas soon followed and now it is 2014 and I promise, yet again, to blog more regularly.

My first Christmas cake in a long time

Topsy turvy snowman/christmas tree (Susan B Anderson)

I hope you have enjoyed looking at the piccies of my recent projects and reading just a snapshot of what I think was quite a busy 2013.

Off now to read what everyone else has been up to.

My first knitting loom creation

 Bye for now, x