Whos the reason for the season?

My 30 makes in 30 days challenge really helped my Christmas crafting. I managed 52 mini stocking which have been re-homed, 2 and a 1/2 scarves, and 3 pairs of socks. It's not quite the me made Christmas I wanted but it is defiantly the closest I have ever got. The gifts I have made are all going to people I know will love and use them. I have really enjoyed picking yarn and patterns for people and next year I plan on making 1 gift a month so I don't have to panic knit till my hands seize through November and December.

My next challenge as the new year approaches will be finishing as many PHD'S as possible, and working through my year stash. I have piles and bags of yarn all over the house, while PHD mountain is almost reaching the ceiling. My challenge will be to finish 2 PHD'S before I start any new projects. The harder prat will be cutting down on the amount of yarn I buy. It all looks so nice and I have so many ideas for things to make.

Enjoy this festive season, spend time with the people you love, and ask yourself who's the reason for the season? For me the answer is Jesus Christ my lord and savior. I think the birthday present Jesus would ask us for is to love one another, be kind, caring, considerate, and generous with our time, and love.

Happy Crafting.

Test Knitters Needed

I have finished typing up the pattern for my sock design. The inspiration for my new sock pattern is my niece and nephews. They are always full of energy running round the garden playing football. The eyelet detail on the sock is the path of the football. I have called them Lightening socks as even the smallest can run as fast as lightening or at least 10 times my top speed.

 

I found the socks quick to knit and the eyelet pattern easy to memorize, (if you can read your knitting).

The hardest part of the sock was working out the stitch counts for the heel turn. I lost count of how many attempts it took me to get the numbers to work. 

 

Before I release the pattern I would love someone to test knit the pattern and let me know if it works, and makes sense. The pattern comes in 3 sizes small (7 ½ inches, 56 stitches), medium (8 ½ inches, 64 stitches), and large (9 ½ inches, 70 stitches).

If you would like to test knit these socks sign up in the Torc Crafts ravelry group (sign up here)

Happy Crafting.

Day 1 Mini tree stockings

My first make is a trip down memory lane. As a child i went to a church Christmas fair where i found and brought a mini stocking with a fun size chocolate bar inside. The chocolate bar was gone in seconds but the stocking made it home and onto the tree. 30 years later the little knitted stocking is still hung on the tree every year.

I have so many happy memories attached to that little knit I wanted to share them with my niece and nephews. I searched everywhere I could think of for a pattern or ready made stocking to give them and when I failed to find anything suitable I decided to make my own. 

 

Every year I make as many as I can to give to friends, family, and charity.

To share the joy of Christmas past, present, and future check out my free mini stocking pattern on the free pattern page or my ravelry store (Ravelry store).

Happy Crafting.

30 makes in 30 days

As i look towards November I am looking for projects that can be used as gifts. As I looked through Pinterest for inspiration I remembered a craft challenge from years ago called 30 makes in 30 days.

There are three ways to approach this challenge, 1: Churn out quick and easy projects as fast as humanly possible, 2: Take the opportunity to finish existing projects or, 3: A mix of old and new projects.

I plan on using option 3. I have so many projects on the go there is bound to be 30 projects close to finishing or at least i can dust off and make some progress on some forgotten projects. I am hoping to finishes some tissue pack covers I started two years ago and perfect my chunky bandanna cowl recipe.

Another idea I have been working on for a few years is mini stocking Christmas tree decorations with a fun size chocolate bar inside.

An accidental make I churned out a few months ago was a pencil case. I was trying to make a project bag and got the dimensions wrong. I cut down the fabric and decided it looked about pencil case size. Unfortunately I forgot to write down the measurements so I need to measure the finished pencil case before I can remake and improve my pattern.

My last Idea is wash sets. A will put together a hand knit wash cloth, home-made soap, and a home-made bath fizzer. I will wrap them in a home made wash bag if I can find the time and fabric.

I also have 1 shawl, 10 scarves, 2 hats, 3 cowls, 3 pairs of gloves, and a few more pairs of socks to make for the ever growing list of people I knit socks for each Christmas.

 

Keep an eye out for my list of fast and funky challenge patterns and let me know your favourites. 

 

Handmade Christmas 2018 is on, What are you making this year?

Happy crafting.

Finally Finished.

In December 2016 I brought a yarn advent calendar from Stardust Homemade crafts (shop here.) and decided to start a cozy memory blanket. Almost 2 years later I have Finally finished adding the 25 mini skeins into the blanket, just in time for this years advent calendar to arrive. As i was starting a new blanket I choose to put the squares in a row, i didn't think about the size of the square which has made the blanket a lot wider then one person needs, but that's what you get for not planning and measuring.

As the weather cools and podcasters pick up there cozy memory blankets i noticed the difference in square size. As I watch the collection of blankets I wonder, What size are the squares? What size are the needles? How many stitches? Which gave me an idea. Why not put all the information in one place? So that is my newest project. Whenever I have a few minutes and don't know what to craft I will grab some needles and yarn and start putting together a table of yarn weights, needle size, stitch count, gauge and finished square size.

I love knitting blankets in squares, so each square can be a different colour and/or pattern, unfortunately I hate sewing the squares together. The cozy memory square are join as you go making life so much easier.

Now to finish the strawberry fields yarn mini skein club I purchased November 2016 till march 2017 for the second row of my cozy memory blanket and only managed to knit 15 of the 25 squares.

I can't wait to wrap up in my finished blanket, and start work on one for my mum as she's been dropping the worlds most subtle hints “Isn't that pretty, I love the colours, and it looks so warm, Its nicer then my Blanket.”

What not so subtle hints do you get for hand crafted items?

Happy crafting.

Making the most of my craft time.

With more projects then there is hours in a decade I find it hard to finish larger projects. Its not always possible to spend and hour sat at the sewing machine or on the sofa knitting. As I watch podcasts I find myself wondering how podcasters manage to work full time, cook, clean, look after kids, and knit a Jumper.

I'm hoping the answer is little and often. Each day when I get craft time I aim to work at least 1 row on a large project, 5 rows on a smaller forgotten project, and if I have any time left I work on which ever project is most interesting. This way all my project get a little attention with out the pressure of having to find large chunks of time to work on the larger projects.

I have been using this plan for about a week and have already managed to finish a blanket, A scarf and a hat. Not bad for a weeks work.

Happy crafting.

Creating space for creativity.

As my pile of finished objects grows the brain space it was taking up is being filled with creativity. So many ideas for new designs I don't know which one to start with. I have ideas for socks, scarves, blankets, cardigans, and jumpers.

The combination of cooler weather, increased craft time, and a stitch dictionary has made an enormous difference to my mood. As I craft like a machine I am reorganizing and sorting my supplies. With a cleaner tidier craft space when I want to craft I have more time working and less time tidying, searching and cleaning.

Maybe this year I will finally manage the me made Christmas I have been failing to achieve for 4 years, or maybe a huge pile of half finished patterns waiting to be written up.

However you craft, don't forget to have fun.

Happy Crafting

Climbing WIP mountain

With Projects piling up, and more new starts then finishes, I need a way to complete the started projects while starting new ones. While watching the Bakery Bears Dan said he rotates projects so all of his projects get worked on. Kay's response was I work on the project that calls to me most.

I woke on the project that shouts loudest and forget the rest, unfortunately the loudest most interesting project tends to be a new start. One possible solution I tried is a combination of Dan and Kay's Knitting plans. Everyday I pick and older unloved project and a newer more exciting project. I force myself to work 10 rows on the older project and reward myself with time spent on the newer project. So far this seems to be working. Since starting this new knitting plan I have finished 2 pairs of socks, a scarf, and almost finished a blanket. The best part is I have only started one new project.

Will I ever get WIP mountain under control? Probably not, but at least I will have fun trying.

Happy Crafting

Buried under blankets

As the weather finally started to cool down I am obsessed with blankets. With 8 on the go spending time working on them is much needed. What I didn't need is a new blanket kit begging to be cast on, so I brought 3 of them. I have a problem.

The Kits are by a UK company called Marriner yarns. I discovered their blanket kits on amazon and found the price and 100% acrylic yarn perfect for gift knitting. They have designs for male or female, young or young at heart. The blankets are garter stitch squares seemed together which I have adapted to avoid the seeming. I want all of the 8 colour ways. Living alone I don't need 8 Blankets so why Have I got 9 on the go.

I really hope the obsession lasts long enough to complete a blanket or 3. What is your crafty obsession?

Happy Crafting

Clearing out the stash

When I'm under the weather crafting always makes me feel better, as long as its simple, to much thinking means many, many, many mistakes. Over the years I have collected patterns and yarn choices for quick and easy crafts I can enjoy when I am to ill to do anything that involves thought.

While I have been suffering with a dental abscess I raided the stash for something to take my mind off the pain and got hooked on wash-cloths. With an embarrassing stash of Lilly's sugar and cream, Mary Maxim's Scrub it, and Knit Picks Dishie, getting hooked on wash-cloth knitting was much needed.

I have managed to make 1 a day and have now used 4 balls from my stash, unfortunately there is enough left in my stash to keep me occupied for several months.

Maybe I will design something else to make with my stash of 100% cotton yarn.

Kind words are like honey, Sweet to the soul and Healthy for the body. Proverbs 16:24

Happy Crafting

Castonitis Cured.

This week I have found a cure for my castonitis. Everytime I want to start a new project I cast on a square for one of my million blankets. For my cozy memory Blankets each square takes less then an hour so I can have multiple castons everyday without adding to WIP mountain. As I am Trying to work on the same blanket all the time I am actually making a dent in WIP mountain, and most importantly using up my leftover yarn so I don't have to Find somewhere to store it. WIN, WIN, WIN.

Between the Blanket squares I have been working on my autumn cardi (Details here). I have Finished one sleeve and most of the body, All I have left to knit is the 2^nd sleeve, 3 inches of stocking stitch on the body and 4 inches of garter stitch border. I can't wait to finish this cardi so i can wear it. I didn't do a gauge swatch, I didn't check the measurements, I just guessed which size might fit me and started knitting. Miraculously it fits, The sleeve is a bit longer then I'd like which is no surprise as I followed the measurements on the pattern knowing I am short, Sleeves are always to long.

The cardigan is a really nice design which I will knit again. It is designed in worsted weight yarn making it a quick knit (if I hadn't put it away for 6 months because I thought it wouldn't fit). I would recommend this pattern to everyone the designers Tin Can Knits are amazing, their patterns are full of diagrams and links to tutorials making their patterns perfect for beginners.

What projects are you trying to finish for autumn and winter?

Happy Crafting

Finish Friday

Another week over more projects started and no finishes. So once more I will Attempt to finish one of my oldest WIP's, A mermaid stuffie. Why has it taken 2 years and a month to finish a small toy.

The body and one arm is done, I just need to knit the second arm, bikini top, and sew the toy together. Not much work but for some reason I can't seem to get it done. If I manage to finish it I will move on to next oldest. One day I might actually get WIP mountain under control.

Eat, Sleep, Craft, Repeat.

Happy crafting

Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays

In my family Birthdays seem to come in 3's. As I look for cards I am always disappointed by the quality and shocked at the price. I am not going to pay £5 for a card with a nice picture and happy birthday written inside. I could do better with a sheet of printer papers and 2 seconds on the internet. So that is the plan for today's crafting.

I need a card for a 7 year old, A 35 Year Old, and a 70 year old. Flowers unicorns and jokes. Luckily I love crafting and have a ton of random paper craft supplies. I can't wait to start digging through the stash dreaming up designs.

Wish me luck its about to get messy.

Dream it, Believe it, Create it!

Happy Crafting

Sew Over Heated

As the temperature climbs I finally have an excuse not to do housework. Today I spent the day sat in front of the fan sewing.

When I looked at the results of yesterdays sewing I realized I got the measurements very wrong. The size of the bag wouldn't work. So I randomly hacked a bit of the bottom and hoped for the best. The bag looks much better but is still to tall. The only other issue is the zip, more practice needed, a lot more.

The piece of fabric I cut off was to big to throw away but to small to be used for much, so I decided to practice putting in zip by turning it into a pencil case.

The end result is much better then expected even though it was rushed with very little thought. I will have to take it apart and re-sew it properly.

The best part of today was placing the zip in the pencilcase, almost perfect. More practice before I start on my me made wardrobe.

Do more of what makes you happy.

Happy crafting