Monthly make for February

I cannot believe that we are at the end of February already!! Even with the extra day today it has felt incredibly short, but I love the fact that days are beginning to feel longer and brighter. Signs of spring are everywhere which always puts me in the best mood, I do think it just might be my favorite season.

You may remember I took the pledge to make a Monthly Make with Annie at The Felt Fairy. I wanted to use each month to try something new, so this month I have made my first pair of proper stripy socks..

When I say proper socks ,I mean this because I made a pair of super chunky slipper socks over Christmas, but they are not what you would wear out or every day. (My lovely children said they looked like a plaster cast for a broken foot!!! So lovely with their comments!!)

But these are real socks, that can fit in my shoes...

Excuse my turquoise tights, but I was not changing and exposing you to my scary winter legs!

The pattern is  Stripy Socks by Jane Brocket and is from The Gentle Art of Knitting. It was a very easy pattern to follow and was great for a sock novice like me. I did change it slightly by using kitchener stitch to castoff at the toes instead of the way the pattern told me to. The wool is Regia Design Line by Kaffe Fassett in Brilli color 04483. I bought it from my lys and it was cheeper than I've seen online. The ball of wool was 100g and I still have 30g left (and I'm a size 7 shoe), which my son is already asking for a pair.

Please go and have a look at the Flickr page for February's Monthly Make, there is a massive variety of finished projects to see.

I'm off to finish my QAL blocks as I have two to catch up with! xx

Tuesday's Tallies

After being short last week on my daily hexagons tally,  I have been able to get back on track this week and have managed to complete 14 hexagons. The yarn I needed arrived but was still missing a colour, (which is still to follow) so there is not much raffia in the mix this week.
So this weeks total is 182 hexagons.

I have concentrated this weeks squares onto the side and have now caught up, so I have a straight bottom with 14 hexagons across.

        

I'm happy with the width for now, I think with a good border it will cover the duvet just right.
So I can just keep adding to the bottom and hopefully I'm only a few weeks from starting the border!!

I truly believe that without the One a Day updates I would still be sitting there with these........

The support and comments from people has been wonderful and I sure to some it may be slightly repetitive to see the same blanket growing so slowly each week. But it has given me the motivation to want it finished and in use. By only making one or two a day has enabled me to do other projects at the same time so I haven't got too bored of hexagons!!
I'm off to see all the other One a Day projects which you can see at Gingerbread Girls, but I'll be back tomorrow with my Monthly Make for February (If I can finish it this afternoon!!).

One a day....just about

This week has been a crazy week and unfortunately my hexagons have been neglected. When I went to try and catch up on Sunday I realised I was supposed to have ordered more cotton so...... there was not enough to make 14 hexagons. (unless I wanted to use 4 colours only, which might look strange at this later stage!!)

I went and bought the only two colours my lys had (red and rose pink) and pulled a yellow from my discontinued stash. But I am still missing at least 8 colours, I will get on and order them today. 

I have managed to make and join 7 hexagons this week and make 6 circles up to their second round! 
This brings me to a grand total of 168. 

I decided as I had run out of several colours to add these to the side rather than starting a new row. 

It's a bit annoying, because as the blanket is getting bigger you need to add more to see even the smallest difference. 
I'm popping off to see the progress of the other One a Dayer, please do have a look at the wonderful projects being worked on here. 

Sew Happy QAL

I am afraid to say this half term has been a bit of a wash out. All I have done is babysit my parents business, which has needed a lot more watching than it normally does and dealt with problem house alarms!! (my parents one!)
We have waited in for engineers and I've dealt with stock problems, all while trying to keep 3 children entertained and on Wednesday the Wii broke. Needless to say they have been a tiny bit bored, we have not been on many child friendly outings and I've got virtually nothing crafty done.
So today, while the sun was out and they where enjoying themselves in the garden, I stole a few hours to get on with my blocks for my Sew Happy QAL. Here is what I've done.

Diamond Peek-a-Boo block

Churn Dash Redux block

I'm over the moon how good the blocks have come out and I can only put that down to the marvelous tutorials by Jenna at SewHappyGeek.

And here are my 9 blocks together so far.

The light is terrible, but I didn't get to take the photos till late this afternoon, I might re-attempt this photo in the morning. (I now have updated the photos, they were just too dark! But this time someone was trying to pinch blocks.....)
We are nearing (two weeks away!) the block I am most worried about, the paper pieced QuatraStar! But I have to say this QAL has really taught me so much about building the blocks and Jenna has been a star to help a beginner like me with planning the material I will need for the sashing and final layout.
It is slowly turning into a proper quilt and I can't wait to get it finished.
If anyone has any suggestions on an easy way to quilt it when it's finished I would love to hear from them. I've pinned lots of binding tutorials on my Pinterest board but am still undecided on what to use. I'm too scared to try anything to difficult and this week need to get to John Lewis to get a walking foot, which should make it all a bit easier.
I'm off to find a quilting tutorial for dummies!! Have a great evening.

It's Tuesday....

and that can only mean one thing. Tallies of my One a Day hexagons.
It's been a week that has been very busy and full, but I honestly can't tell you what with!!
It's just me, been busy doing nothing.....
I have got 14 hexagons made and joined this week and that brings me to the grand total of 161! 

I think it was the right choice to add on to the side, as it will fit perfectly after I've added a border. Still a fair way to go, but I'm getting there.
It really is getting quite heavy now, and I daren't work out how many balls of Handknit I've used or going to need. I keep buying balls when I see them, especially the yellow which is now discontinued!! Thank goodness for ebay.

I am still as much in love with this project as when I started, and it still makes me smile when I sit under it adding to it. The colours are just so cheerful, it can always put me in a good mood.

As it's half term I hope to have some time this afternoon to catch up with the other One a Dayers, to see their progress. Please pop over to Carole at Gingerbread Girls to see everyones. 

Oh, and Happy Valentines Day xxx 

My place and yours.....On the wall

I am joining in with Vic at  Punky & Me  to show you what's on my walls.
Before taking these photos I thought that we had a lot of white walls, but I've realised we do have quite a bit on our walls.
We have collected quite alot of mirrors and I'm pleased to say I love them all but haven't had to pay for any!!

 

These three mirror were left in the house when we bought it by the previous owners family. Some people think they are a bit dated but I like them as they are different. The photo doesn't show it well but the bathroom one has some lovely fish etched in it. 

The mirror in my bedroom was given to me by my godmother, as she didn't have any room for it in her new home. I love that it was in her parents home, then hers and now mine.

This mirror was bought at a carboot by my mum, she said she knew just where it would go in my hallway as soon as she saw it. It cost the grand total of £2.50!!

These prints we bought in Bath on a rare weekend off, they are fairly old and are of King Edward I  and King HenryIII.
We got these as our boys are called Edward and Henry, but they sat in a bag of ages while I looked for good sized frames. In the end I found these in Ikea that were perfect size and were very cheap.







My new favorite ones are in the kitchen that were made from a
Christmas present and Ikea frames. My sister bought me these two tea towel and I thought they were too nice to be used on wet dishes so turned them into tea towel art!!

This I bought back from China years and years ago and it's been rolled up in a box. When I found the Ikea frames I knew I had found it a home and popped it in the hallway. The colours are stunning and a can't believe I let it get so creased for 18years!!!

The map is on the boy's bedroom wall, it is laminated and magnetic. It's from The Future Mapping Company and they love it, they plot where their Grandparents are on holiday and where we are going.

Lastly, these are not yet on the wall but are waiting to be put up!! They are from my old childhood bedroom and are now going in Rose's room. They are Mable Lucie Attwell prints and really remind me of my old bedroom.




Sorry if I've rambled on but, I have loved the chance to see what we actually have up on our walls and it been great to see what others have hanging from theirs. I've already had some great ideas. Go and have a peek at them here.

Tuesday's Tallies

It's Tuesday again and time for an update on my one a day. I am on track and got 14 hexagons joined on this week, this makes a grand total of 147 hexagons.

After laying it on the bed last week I realised that I need to add to the width as well as the length. So, I added 11 to the bottom and 3 to the side this week.

We have had lots of snow this weekend and I hope to get some photos posted up later today or tomorrow.
But for now, I'm off to Gingerbread Girls to see all the other One a Day projects.

Blocks and a socks Ta-dah!

Firstly let me say.......Thank Crunchie it's Friday!! This week I have felt really tired and I can only think it is this really cold snap we are having. It's freezing here and they are saying we may get snow this weekend!!!!   I'm making sure we're stocked up, so we can stay in, all warm and cozy. Because as you may be aware London doesn't do snow very well! Although we do live on the very outskirts (looking over to Essex) it's very hilly and my car was snowed and iced in for over a week last time we had a flurry.

Ramble over, on to this weeks block for the Sew.Happy.Geek QAL. 

Flying geese pinwheel block

This blocks was more complex, but again with the easy tutorial it came together wonderfully. I'm still loving the fabric (Delighted! by Riley Blake) and think the blocks are working well together.

The photo is a bit wonky, but I was on tiptoes on the kitchen chair. As it gets bigger I think I'll have to hang from the roof through the velux windows!!
Please do have a looks at the Flickr group to see the other fabric please are using.

Now for my first Ta-dah for February. You may remember all the way back here I went to a sock knitting class and I showed you the sock I made that day and the full size one I finished the same week. Well, I then had to crack on with Christmas makes and forgot to make the other one, but feeling so cold has spurred me on and here they are together at last.

Pattern Quick and Chunky Sock pattern
Wool   Jarol Sweet Briar Chunky in Heather (08)

Now they are finished and I managed to get them right (even kitchener stitch!) I am ready to tackle a regular pair. So I popped into my LYS and bought some wool I have been eyeing up for a while and cast this on.

The pattern I'm using is from Jane Brocket's The Gentle Art of Knitting and the wool is Regia Design Line in Brilli color 04483. It's self striping and I can't wait to see how they develop.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and if your somewhere chilly, keep warm.