Quick knits

After several months of frantic activity to complete The Cardigan in time for Christmas, it's nice to chill out with a bit of chunky wool and big fat needles and whip up a cosy scarf - very satisfying. Also pictured are the knits I kicked off with back in the spring, one of which I tried to turn into a cushion with a velvet back; nice idea but due to my slapdash method it didn't turn out too well. It's now awaiting a big fat cushion to shove inside which I'm hoping will go some way towards hiding the wobbly stitching around the edge. Next on my list: a red woolly voyageur hat for my lovely husband - he promises me he'll wear it.

Well hello 2016 you beautiful new year!

Here we are at the start of another year, one full of promise for me and my lovely husband - in just a few short months we will be packing up the house and moving to a tiny flat for a while (to save a few ££s) and then relocating to Nova Scotia for good - yippee! Our kids are grown, our plans are laid, and a whole new era begins. Meanwhile I'm hoping for a bit of snow to celebrate the season - somehow 'I'm dreaming of a warm wet winter' doesn't have quite the right ring to it, but it's all we've had so far! So here's a little snowflake to bring in the New Year.

Finished!

Many moons ago when my eldest daughter was about 7 years old, I started making a cable knit cardigan for her. I made the fatal error of not getting anywhere near enough yarn when I started, and it took me so long to do that by the time I was half done the yarn was out of production and the cardigan was never completed. So I thought now that I am knitting again I would have another go, and after many happy hours of knitting, here is a brand new and rather cost cardi, albeit with several minor technical errors. And I have 2 balls of yarn left over! Happily for me, daughter (now in her 30s) decided it's not quite her thing now, so this one's mine and together we're planning another project for her.

Happy little hexagons

Very happy to have finished my hexagon quilt - a labour I loved, bright colours and random patterns with many of the fabric scraps a reminder of other projects. The border could be better, but it's a quilt to get snuggled up in, not to put on show, so I'm content. Maybe that's my measure of a successful quilt - one that keeps my loved ones cosy and comforted. 

Bits and pieces

One of my little pleasures in life is creating something out of scraps that would otherwise end up in the bin - upcycling  and recycling are so very satisfying. I had a bunting-fest a little while ago, to pretty up the garden for a family get together, which looked lovely on the day and is now safely tucked away, ready to pretty up festival tents and garden parties of the future. So simple to make and so very satisfying.

This little piggie

After what seemed like hours searching Pinterest for a flying piggy pattern, I gave up and made up my own - needs a little adjustment here and there and a lot more care to keep it neat, but I think it has potential. This little prototype will be winging its way to the daughter of my lovely friend Jane, who gave me the fabric that inspired the project. A nice way to spend the afternoon - and a nice break from the never-ending hexagon quilt!

I'll bet not many people have got one of these...

Inspired by this pin on Pinterest, I set about making something similar for my friend's birthday.  Not too shabby and quite chic at first look.

However, it seems one needs a whole lotta zipper to make your average size make up bag - and all I had was about 6 inches!  So it turned out to be a teeny-tiny make up purse:

Not your average sized make-up bag.  What to use it for?

Ta-dah!  Possibly the world's first make-up-pad-remover-overnight-stay bag?  I await with interest the look on my friend's face as she upwraps it. But hey, as ever with home-made gifts, it's the thought that counts, right?