Crafty Tuesday Returns: Unfinished Knitting

I have so many posts running around in my head and, as I am on holidays, you would think I might find a little time to get them written and posted. But the words are not coming so easily nowadays and I never seem to have the picture I want to illustrate a point...

However, Crafty Tuesday over at Barely Controlled Chaos is a spot I've loved for a long time (and I mean a LONG time) and it always inspires me to get something up, so to speak. So what craftiness have I been indulging in when I should have been doing housework/ schoolwork/ work for our business (oh yes, did I mention that new string to my bow?)?
Well, when my shoulder was at its worst, just after the surgery, I started knitting again. It was the only thing I could do without moving the shoulder too much as I use an odd method favoured by the ladies of Northern England, tucking the right needle under your armpit.

Observe normal method:

Observe very old shot of me in a former life:

With former fashion sense (what is that bow in my hair about??????) but with the needle tucked very firmly under my right arm. Oh and that very 80s jumper was one of my projects. We were quite adventurous in those days.

But I digress. As usual. Seeing as I could tuck the needle under my armpit and thus immoblise my shoulder, I was delighted to have the excuse to do a bit of knitting. The last time I knitted anything was in 2009 and so, with glee, I pulled out old patterns and bags of leftover balls of wool, with the intention of making something for 'nothing'.

I could have made a few scarves I suppose, or a blanket, or even a plain kiddy jumper using multicoloured stripes.....but no......I found this.

Way back in the 90s, one of the women's magazines published a series of these Beatrix Potter characters in the form of knitted toys. I made Peter Rabbit from the first edition and promised myself I would make the rest of the set after the baby was born.

Well, she is 17 now.

So I have decided to do Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, the hedgehog, as my post operative crafty therapy. I felt sure I could find sufficient odd balls of wool to complete the project.

FOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not only did I find many of my remaining 80s colours far too garish for this watercolour character, but I could not find the right shade of brown for her face (there was none of the above rabbit brown left unfortunately). In fact, I visited several wool shops and bought SIX different balls of brown before I settled on the one I am using! So much for making 'something for nothing'.
I still think I may have gone 'too dark'.

Anyway, I am at the 'making up' stage now so hopefully by next Crafty Tuesday I will have a Mrs Tiggy-Winkle to show you.

After that, well, did I mention I had also bought sufficient wool to do a Pigling Bland?







For a look at what other crafters are up to, click over to Crafty Tuesday.

Image Credit 1

Some Things Must Be Shared

Whilst looking for an old knitting pattern requested by my mother, I came across this.



I wonder if that gentleman kept this picture in his portfolio?

Seriously! I don't think that, even in the eighties, I would ever have inflicted this monstrosity upon a male friend. Tellingly, the blurb at the front of the pattern collection says:
'Not forgotten are knits for men- you'll want to steal them for yourself...'
I would venture to suggest that any knit for a man that you wanted to steal for yourself was probably not suitable for a man. So what do you think readers? Am I being too harsh?

Crafty Tuesday: Coming Together

A belated crafty Tuesday today as it's actually Wednesday but last night I was so bushed I fell asleep early. Here's one of the orphan outfits! I am not too excited about this particular pattern but I've received another one back from another sewing mum, using the 'colonial' pattern and I'm very happy with that one. Here it is with an (unfinished) pinny.The pinny needs a bit of work :-(. The year 10s did their best but they haven't cut down the seam allowance behind the neck facing so it looks a bit bulky and the armholes need deepening (and hemming but we'll get to that). I haven't got a fastening on the back yet either so it all looks a bit 'full' at the front.

I hope you realise how brave I am showing you this 'half finished' effort! :-D Please bear in mind it is only one in a set of six.

Today I bought some fabrics to make dresses for the 'lovely Boylan Sisters' (O-X-Y-D-E-N-T!!!)
My vision is three identical dresses in different colours; pink, blue and yellow. Of course I couldn't get a silk backed crepe in pale, sunny yellow for love nor money could I? I have pink, blue and a pale gold...I may keep looking.

I still have to get hold of some men's black dress waistcoats for the menservants, a marine guard's outfit, a few more floral chiffon numbers for Miss Hannigan and Annie's ubiquitous red dress ; but this week I have had another three people offer to sew for me! Praise the (unreasonable) Lord!

And now for a 'finished article'!

Yes! It's my little friend Rosalie (how I wish I could give her big cuddle) in her new cardigan! It did fit after all. But for how long :-D?????

In school news:
Many years ago a colleague and I wrote a 'poem' to help kids learn the three times tables. It goes like this

One three is three: pigs for his tea
Two threes are six: pigs are in a fix
Three threes are nine: pork tastes fine
etc etc etc (if you would like the complete version let me know. It boasts the sensational line
"nine threes are twenty seven: send the wolf right up to heaven")

Last week as we played tables bingo and as I called "one three is ....?", one of my cheerful little year 8 lads sang happily " one three is three, the wolf will get his dinner".

I don't know. Somehow it just doesn't have quite the same ring :-D

There have been other 'classic comments' recently but my head is so full I can't remember them.

Crafty Tuesday: Baby Cardigan

It's Crafty Tuesday again and I have finally finished the cardigan for my friend Oustiti's little baby Rosalie who was born in February. I sincerely hope it will still fit her :-)

I was pretty happy with the way it turned out although it came from the pattern book from Hell, as my Mum will attest. After a while you just have to figure out the pattern and stop looking at the book or your eyes start rolling around in opposite directions!

This particular cotton yarn is wonderful to work with I find. After I'd finished knitting I washed it and it was sooooo soft. I am hoping it will be just right for a European summer.Now to get started on something for A Free Man and Dr O'C's baby, although perhaps I should wait and see if it's a boy or a girl.

Back to the salt mines tomorrow. But before I get stuck into it, I'm clicking over to Carrie's for Crafty Tuesday. Why not join me?

Crafty Tuesday

I am so excited because I actually have craft (done by me) to post today. A plethora of craft in fact! Firstly, I made it to 'scrapbooking' on Friday night where they introduced us to this puzzle piece cutter thingy. We were challenged to do a spread using the puzzle piece as a theme. There were a variety of demo layouts to try and copy or, like me, you could do your own thing. Each of the puzzle pieces has a name on it, which I have cloned out (roughly) in 'Paint'. I do not know how Himself and his ilk do this kind of thing for a living. I have about zero patience for it. As evidenced here.

I was relatively happy with the finished effect as, I explained to Himself, it was a bit of a 'Ready Steady Cook' affair. You know the show where they present the chefs with random ingredients and they have to come up with something? Well, that's how this went. I had a folder of random photos, a selection of pages and coloured paper and the theme to work with. At least I finished it for a change!

I was so inspired that when I got home I finished a few more pages.

Himself doesn't like this one. I think I should have back mounted the photos but I was wearing out at that point. I might go back and do it if I'm feeling keen.

These ones were pretty simple but they had been sitting in the album, not stuck down for from 1 to 3 years depending on the photo! :-) At least they are in now.

And finally, the piece de resistance, at least it will be when it's finished; knitting!

I am making a cardigan for Oustiti's new baby Rosalie!! I am determined to finish it before the holidays are over otherwise it will sit around being unfinished until Rosalie is 25 and having her own babies!! :-)

Do you have any craft to share? There is usually a bit to go around over at Carrie's.

Crafty Tuesday: A Knitted Cushion

Hello from the icy wastes of Adelaide! It is freezing (well, relatively) here at the moment and, happily for the dams and rivers, it has been raining!! My first post back from blogging Siberia, where I have been since the end of school, is a crafty one. In fact, this is the reason I've been in blogging Siberia.

Since school got out on Friday I have been in therapeutic soul recovery mode. And what do I do when I need soul therapy and when I have time for said therapy? I make something.

However, what on earth inspired me to make a knitted cushion is a strange series of random linkings indeed. I actually picked up a cardigan the Bestie had knitted some months ago when we were enjoying our weekly pizza night at her place last Wednesday. She is a great knitter my Bestie, having created some amazing garments over the years, but in latter times she has developed an aversion for sewing things together. I on the other hand quite enjoy the final process of sewing articles up so I took the cardy thinking, I'll get that stitched up for her in no time. Unfortunately, the BA suggested we visit a local craft store on Saturday to purchase a quick unpick so I could finish a job for her (does anyone else lose quickunpicks at the rate I do????) and I spied the knitting section. Inspired by the Bestie's cardy I perused the patterns for an almost, but not quite entirely, dissimilar garment. I didn't find one. But I did find a pattern for cushions! It looked like the 'cardigan sew up' would have to take second place.

Back at the ranch, I had two cushion covers which were disintegrating rapidly, aided by children who callously cast them to the floor or use them as 'stepping stones' in various games. Perfect! A quick, easy project with a practical outcome (cushion covers I actually need) which would serve ideally to transport my mind and humour as far from the classroom as possible. To aid and abet this flight from reality I called upon a recent canny investment: the entire first season of The Waltons ( 6 double sided discs) purchased for the grand total of $15.00!!!!!!

So as I knitted my little heart out, I pictured myself in the well scrubbed homely parlour of The Waltons mountain home; the smell of baking on the air, children cheerfully completing chores and me rustically producing my own home accessories.

I did mention it was a flight from reality didn't I?

Anyway. I have finished it and I am quite pleased with the result. I am not sure how robust it will be or how it will cope with cat hair and cushion fights, but I am currently coasting on the satisfaction of finding a home made solution to a practical problem. I have bought more wool in a tweedy, greeny, brown colour to do another!

This then is my contribution to Carrie's Crafty Tuesday and I cannot tell you how good it feels to have made something again! I haven't done it in awhile. Do you have anything crafty to share this Tuesday? Take a look over at Carrie's and see what others have been up to.