Temporary One a Day

With Christmas fast approaching and no more hexagons made at the end of last week, I have had to make a change to my One a Day.

I wanted to start Jane Brocket's Mustard Seed Scarf for part of my mums present.

 

It's from The Gentle Art of Knitting and works in a repetition of 10 rows. So I thought as each block of 10 rows takes about 40 mins it would be good for  One a Day.

Here is my progress this week.

I am using Rooster almerino aran in a colour called custard, which is why this is now called my 'Custard Scarf'. It has been a dream to knit so far because the wool is beautiful, but I do have to concentrate as I have to do lots of counting. 

I hope all the other One a Dayer's have had a good week. I know from last week I'm not the only one to hibernate a bigger project for a Christmas  craft-a-thon !!! 

Pop over to Gingerbread Girls to see all the fabulous updates. 

On the wrong foot!! and a win....

So this weekend has been more than a little crazy, my Sister was staying at my parents for her Christmas visit and we were doing Sunday lunch as an early Christmas dinner!!
But this early visit, also meant that presents had to be finished or I would have to spend lots of money on postage nearer the time. So, Saturday found me in front of the sewing machine trying to finish a Christmas cushion.
I had decided that it needed pom poms! Why!
After nearly an hour in front of the machine, trying to fight the pom pom trimming through I realised I forgot to change the foot on the machine! After far to much mumbled swearing at myself and just another 5 mins!!! I finished this

I never make anything to give, unless I really like it, but this I loved. I used spotty fabric for the back and even popped a bell on his hat. (terrible picture but I was rushing to get it wrapped)

        

Even the boys were impressed, and they never notice what I'm up to. (Unless it involves a football!)
The rest of the evening went to wrapping things up and I have to say I did get a little help from a sneaky glass of wine.

 
I think Sunday was successful, everyone enjoyed themselves and present were exchanged.

Then this morning I logged on and looked at my top sites and saw 'That Craft Fish' had updated. I reading through seeing who the winner was of the gorgeous Pip Lincolne book Make Hay While the Sun Shines and it was ME!! I couldn't believe it, I re read the post three times to check!! I'm so excited. I found Kirsty's blog when I was looking for some different buttons and came across her shop. I ordered the most wonderful spotty buttons and wanted alot more but had to resist!! I have been recently gazing at her amazing felt, you really need to have a look at her shop.
I'm off to jump around the kitchen....

Zips away

Today I have been so productive, unfortunately for my family not on the home front but on the sewing machine!!!

I have been dying to make some Christmas cushions with this fabric,

but I couldn't tell you the last time I used a sewing machine, so was a little nervous. As I didn't want to mess up the real one (as it is to be a present) I decided to make a practice one first.
I had some fabric from Cath Kidson which was a second so was fairly cheap(!!) and using this wonderful set of instructions I managed to produce this.

It even has a zip and a lovely little tag saying 'To someone special'.

I am so impressed, it even goes with the plain green one from M&S. 

The tutorial was really clear, but I do think it's a little bit too big for my pad also I did buy the zip too long and sewed the tag in the wrong way around (Whoops). So it was lucky I made a trial one. 

I'll hopefully get to complete the Christmassy ones with pom poms over the weekend and will pop up some pictures once their done. 

Now I'm off to try and find a dinner out of store cupboard finds!!! Beans on toast anyone?

One.... every other day

This week it has gone Christmas craft crazy in our house, and my hexagon blanket has been sorely neglected :-( I received my new wool and was able to finish off the loose ends from last week and complete 3 hexagons this week. I have got 6 started, but that is where they have stayed!

Please ignore the awful photo, the light is dreadful today!

I fear I may have set myself too much of a mammoth task, to make as much homemake christmas pressies as possible.

My blanket is having to share my time with..........

a scarf I'm starting for my mum with this gorgeous Rooster almerino aran and my cross stitch for my christmas cushion. I have also got another NOEL on the go... HELP!!!

And (as if I'm not about to be buried under the list!!!) as some of you may have seen I also went to a sock knitting class on Saturday and was amazed by what I learnt. We made a mini chunky sock in class and then was sent home with the wool to make a full size one and are is my efforts!!

     

They are very chunky but this means that you get a sock very quickly and get to practice the pattern without forgetting what you've learnt. It was great fun and I really enjoyed learning a new skill. 

So it will be chunky socks all round this year!!

I hope the other One a Dayer's have had a good week and you really should have a look here to see all the wonderful progress. 

Noel Reveal!!!

My oh my, where has today and yesterday gone. I had great ideas of revealing this yesterday but time ran away from me and the light got too bad to take the last picture!! So here I am today moaning on.....

I have finished my Noel letters!!! Yippee!!

They have been a joy to knit as they are small projects and are quite portable, where as my hexagon blanket is too big to travel with me. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to assemble them that well, but the key is the double-sided sticky tape. They are suck onto card, then backed with red felt and then stitched together. The pattern is from Debbie Bliss The Knitters Year.

I have had them on the shelf since Monday and the boys keep switching the letters around!!! It has been a running joke in my house, asking 'who is Leon?' "has anyone seen Leon?!!!!

I made these as a present for my sister, but the more family members have seen them the more want them!!! So I have already started a set in red.

For those of you from the One A Day gang you will know I was waiting for some more yarn, and came home today to find this.

So I can get back on with my blanket and the Stylecraft is for another little Christmassy project!!! 

Hope you are all having a fantastic day. 

One A Day Wk.7

What a glorious day it is for Tuesday Tallies. I have even been able to take pictures outside as it's so lovely and bright today. Quite unusual for November.
I have been able to keep up this week and there has been no operator errors! I am now at 81 hexagons!! You may notice that two of them have not been finished, this is because I have run out of yarn and my shopping trip was unsuccessful. So I have had to place an order online and am patiently(!) awaiting it's arrival.

Whilst decided where to take this weeks picture I tried it on my stairs. Big mistake!
I now want crocheted colourful carpet!

I can't believe how good it looks there! Highly impractical and incredibly expensive, but gorgeous! 

My helper is alao sneaking into the picture,  trying to pull it down!

I have finished my NOEL and hope to reveal tomorrow or Thursday. I'm really pleased with how it has come out. 

EEK, I've just booked myself on a class on Saturday for sock knitting!! It something I've wanted to try for ages but find the patterns and 4 needles quite overwhelming!!! I'll let you know how I get on. 

Now I'm off to Gingerbread Girls to see all the other One A Day projects, this is my favorite part of Tuesday Tallies.

Voting for Cake

This weekend was as busy as ever. Trying to catch up with friends and get on top of the homework!
I always try and make a cake on a Friday so we have a nice treat over the weekend. This week I didn't know what to make so I put it to the vote. The boys said it had to be this ....

Konditor & Cook's Curly Whirly cake, I first baked it a few years ago and it was a big hit, but I tend to make things for a while and then move onto a new recipe. I was so glad they reminded me about it. It was really easy to make and tasted gorgeous!!!! You can find the recipe here
For some strange reason I deviated from the recipe and made it with 3 layers! I should have left it as it was, with just 2 thicker ones.  Although no-one moaned!

I have nearly finished my NOEL and should be able to show it later this week.
Hope you had a good weekend xx

Remembering the fallen

One A Day wk.6

This week I needed to catch, and was doing so well cramming in a bit extra every day. But the more I looked at it the more I realised it wasn't looking right. I had first thought that as I am coming to the ends of the balls of yarn that it was crinkly and not sitting right so just carried on. Until Sunday evening when the penny dropped.
I had forgot to start the last round with a chain around it. You work out of the chains in this pattern not the space and I had just joined the last 12 with no chains!!

So the only thing to do was.....

It felt so depressing, but I knew I want this to be around for ever and I would always look at it and see the mistake. So yesterday I went to my mums and worked like a mad woman on it and made it right.

Yippee! 

I have completed 14 hexagon this week, 12 of them twice  taking my grand total up to 74.

I've got to get some more yarn this week and as my LYS don't have the colours I need and the one a short drive away don't do any of Hand Knit Cotton I think a trip to John Lewis is in order. I could spend hours wandering about their haberdashery department.

I would also love to share these sweet granny squares I saw over on Crafty Chatter yesterday.

                     

They are made by the wonderful Sugar & Meringue and there is a tutorial on how to make them.
Aren't they great. It would be wonderful to make them for a crafty get together, just imagine a blanket of cookies!

After drooling over those magnificent cookies I'm off to Gingerbread Girls to see the progress of everyones projects.

One A Day wk.5

I can't believe that it's already Tuesday and time for my One A Day update. With half term and a teething baby girl, I haven't really managed to fit one in every day and have only managed 6 circles. They are not even hexagons yet :-(

I hoped to get more done, thinking that with the boys being off school and relaxing at home I could steal the odd half an hour here and there to keep on track!! (ha some hope!)

But with Christmas fast approaching I have started a few other projects over the last two weeks. I've been knitting this from  The Knitters Year by Debbie Bliss.

They need blocking and another piece knitted up and assembling but it should turn into these.

They are to be a present for my sister as it's her first Christmas in her new home. They have knitted up amazingly quick and I would like to try them in red and cream next for me.
And have also started this cross stitch from CrossStitcher Magazine which I hope to make into a cushion instead of the apron on the picture.

    

I am already so excited about Christmas and I would like to think that by being a bit organised and starting Christmas things now I won't be having a mad panic in December!!!

Before I forget, we did get to carve our pumpkin and dress up for Halloween too.    

     

Hopefully next week I will have caught up and have a bit more to show on the One a Day blanket. Now for the best best bit, to see all the other updates at Gingerbread Girls.