Flibbertygibbet

Winter WIPs

As you can see in the sidebar, the word count is falling a little bit behind (I need to write an average of 1667 words per day to crack the Nano nut and should be at 10,000 by the end of the day today) so this is going to be pretty brief. 

Rowan felted tweed, and Rowan Tapestry.  A fun scarf for Mum's birthday at the end of the month (I've temporarily given up on the Louisa Harding lace one, I don't have the concentration at the moment.  Knitting is something for relaxation right now, so nothing too taxing, thank you) because you can never have too many thin scarves.  Or something like that.

I finally made it to the swimming pool again yesterday, and used the spa there for the first time - surprisingly impressive for a local leisure centre. But also discovered that I seem to have done something to my foot, which may have been inflicted during a trip up the canal to Islington on Saturday en route to Loop.  My husband was in rather a stompy mood, so we hoofed it up there.  Loop was manic as it usually is at the weekends, my husband was intrigued by the demographics - mostly yummy mummies and twenty-something couples.  I can't talk, I've recently jumped back on the knitting bandwagon myself.  It was summed up by a little boy of about three, who was being trundled about the shop in one of those 4WD all-terrain-but-mostly-used-for-popping-to-Carluccios buggies, who looked up from his rather low vantage point at the shelves and cubbyholes which overflow with yarn and accouterments, and simply said
"We like this shop."
Indeed.

Other sidebar items:  my decorations for the Christmas ornament swap on Swap-bot.  Meet Fred.  (Fred?  Fred and Ginger, geddit?)  His mouth may need to be reworked. I think he looks a little like he has a nervous, toothy smile.  But maybe that's because he's about to be stuffed in a Jiffy bag and sent who knows where....

Time Poor

When I first started to freelance, I was cash rich, time poor.
When the work temporarily dried up, I was cash poor and time rich.
Now that the work has resumed after the drought, which I filled with crafting and 1,329 new commitments, I am both cash poor and time poor (they pay late).

Ever so slightly frantic at the moment, and just about sick to death of plumbers - and tradesmen in general - who do a crappy job and then run off, usually making things worse than they were in the first place.  Oh well, karma will get you every time, I guess. 

Currently I'm proofreading a sex book, a sort of 'how-to'.  Luckily I know the other person who's proofing so we are comparing notes ("I don't think page 48 is right, do you...? I mean, if he's holding her there, then how could he possible get his hand/leg/[other body part as applicable] under there, and still stay on the chair?")

Here's a glimpse of what's keeping me busy when I'm not "working".

My first quilt for a little boy - it's about 90% quilted and then has to be handbound.

1 1/4 gauntlet gloves done - everyone at knitting group will be so relieved when these are finished and I'm no longer ripping back, looking puzzled, asking for advice.  A long tedious story, but the rib is 4-ply and the glove part is dk.  With some creative eyelets in between to take it from 70 to 38 stitches. But it worked!

And here's a picture of the lovely surprise I got from the lovely, thoughtful Caroline.  I had mentioned that I was trying to find somewhere that sold the Clover embroidery patterns - and when she found them online, not only did she send me the web address, but also this hysterical card, and the flower pattern too!  Caroline, you are an angel.  I can't wait to try them out!

BTW the caption on the card says: "Manhood," thought Dickie, "is a very serious business".  I mean, the jumper isn't that bad, really - but oh, the knitted balaclava, with the natty little coordinating button. Does the polo neck roll up, perhaps, to be a full face mask? And as he is supposedly a figher pilot, with the plane in the background, or is he just taking the dog across the airfield for a walk, with that lead in his hand?  I also love the judicious colourization which has not only been applied to the paper under his arm, to make it look like the Financial Times, but also to his cheeks, giving him the appearance of a rather girlish blush or having been a bit too liberal with the Benetint.  Ah, just too much to ponder...

BTW, sorry not to have replied to comments etc lately - as I said, it's been a bit mad.  But please keep commenting!!  It's so lovely to see, and I promise I'll catch up...

PS D - yes, MissMouse again...

Progress

Here's what I've been up to.  If you're waiting for a swap item or a competition prize from me, then look away now!

Fingerless mittens - a birthday gift.  She loved them, hurrah!  And her sister has very generously commissioned a pair.

These are for Danielle, who I promised something useful for crafting. There are a couple of other things to go along with them, a pincushion and a needle book.

For Caroline, in a little swap we're doing.  Her blog is called Dolliedaydream so I thought of these Dolly Mixtures stitch markers.  (are these sweets uniquely British?)

And some for me, with the leftover clay.  The little bag matches my pincushion and needlebook.  Hmmm, is this turning into an obsession?

For Penni.

And earrings for me.  I didn't have time to make a new outfit for Thursday night so these had to do.  The round sequin is gold, though it looks silver in this photo.

Origin-al thought

A very pleasant morning yesterday was spent meandering around Origin (the hangover wasn't so much fun, but it was worth it for a great meal here the previous evening, complete with the thrillette of seeing Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall) and I'm feeling completely inspired.  Once the housework is done tomorrow, there's a whole list of crafting and creating waiting for me. 

Here are the people whose work I adored:

Janet Bolton - whimsical fabric collage, and I would love to take one of her classes.

Adele Thurstan - ceramics, with almost Victorian scenes juxtaposed with contemporary images.

Alison Willoughby - wearable works of art, and Alison herself was so friendly, explaining the process of making her stunning gold leaf skirt.  She said the woman who bought it chose it to go with a gold handbag she'd already bought.  Perhaps that's the way to do, accessorise with clothing rather than the other way around.

Jenni Wilson - incredibly cute, and clever - not the kind of thing I'd actually wear myself, perhaps with the exception of these as a pendant or brooch but I appreciate the concepts, they indeed made me smile.

Linda Miller - when I asked her what sort of dog this is, which features in many of her beautiful embroidered pictures, I was wondering if it was a miniature bull terrier, much beloved in our household and she said that it wasn't.  Rather it's the made-up dog she'd ideally like, but says that the embriodered one is lower maintenance.

The Bookery - a book in a bag.  A bit daft but sweet.  The sort of impractical thing that I rather love.

Melanie Tomlinson - she makes automata.  How incredibly cool is that?  As well as pretty butterflies, which are my own personal girls-in-white-dresses-with-blue-satin-sashes at the moment.

Julie Haslam - domestic bliss indeed,  which comes from the reassurance of personal culinary traditions and history, based on her grandmother's recipe book and reinterpreted as stylish textiles.

Sarah Grove - her jugs and vases are divine and might even have been my favourite things in the entire show.

Johanna Basford - stunning wallpaper and prints.  Lizzie Allen's wallpaper was fabulous too (her website is still under construction).

Grainne Morton - I've long been a fan.  Absolutely inspirational. One of those "I want to be her when I grow up" moments when you see those treasures in real life - I certainly want to make things like that. 

Ruth Singer - a wonderful maker who also has a great blog  which I've been reading for ages.  It was lovely to meet Ruth in person, I just hope she doesn't think I'm too stalkerish for bounding up to her like a labrador. 

Cathy Miles - I loved her sense of humour and coveted the 'Stu' on his postbox, fabulous stuff.  Another favourite from the show. 

After sheltering from the rain afterwards I made my way to Cooksons in Hatton Garden and bought some new tools for jewellery making so that I can cut out some new silver pieces tomorrow.  I like Cooksons for two reasons - they have no minimum order amount, and more importantly, they are really friendly and helpful.  You can also order over the net. 

Today I visited Loop again - twice in a week, it's like an addiction, and this is with Ally Pally on next week.  Although they had a customer there who'd been in yesterday - he was buying sock yarn and was wearing the most amazing socks he'd knitted himself.  He's been knitting for forty-three years, his grandmother taught him when he was five. There was a discussion about knitting needles - I always thought that the brightly coloured needles in my great-aunt's knitting roll were made of plastic - it turns out they are casein. Milk protein.  As the sock knitter said 'as eco as you can get'.

Glovely stuff

Ah, after only a little solicitation of cyber-karma, two phone calls to Mother, and staying up to a ridiculously late hour, I have completed [the knitting part]{of one half of} my first Not-A-Scarf Knitting Project!  I wasn't sure what most of the instructions meant but I figured it out.  After a LOT of ripping.  I also didn't count the rows in the rib so well so I think it's longer than it should be, but that's ok as long as I match the next one.  The cast off is little tight, I will make it looser for the left mitt.  Just have to do the second one, sew them up, and put the ribbon through... but when I say that it makes it sound like a lot!  Today I have to complete a freelance job that's hanging over my head so that I can get back to knitting...

Inexplicably my feet were really cold last night when i was curled up on the sofa.  Then the mog came and placed her little paws on my iceblocks and warmed them up.  Awwwww. 

For B's birthday

Now I'm not normally one for kids' birthday parties, but in this case the birthday girl is a darling, as is her mum. And it's a first birthday so while there may be some crying and little people crawling underfoot, it's not a trip to Wacky World or Whizzy Kids or any other 'fun' 'filled' 'amusement' 'park'.  It's at mum's restaurant where the hospitality is always exemplary, warm and thoughtful.

Her presssie is finished, in the nick of time.  It's got quite a few imperfections, the binding is a bit crooked, it's a bit lumpy bumpy, though the label isn't quite as wonky as it appears in the photo.  But I think she'll like it.  (mother and daughter!)

A stitch in time

Literally, just in time, we're going to a friend's birthday dinner tonight and I've just finished her present.  I first made one out of a brocade fabric, using this tutorial but I wasn't paying that much attention (story of my life) and I put one piece of fabric down wrong side up inside of right side up - so thought 'sod it', I'll make it with the silver side out' but that's the woven side and it's fraying a lot - especially where I nicked the fabric with the iron I dropped last night, whoopsie. So I decided to keep that one and make another one as the gift.  Fabric from Hable Construction's relocation sale when they were closing their original store, and black ribbon reclaimed from a Jo Malone carrier bag!  The corner of the zip is a bit wonky as I should have cut the fabric a bit smaller, but I'm happy with it.  Top one is for the birthday girl, wonky silvery brocade one for me. 

 

School Daze

Actually I think I probably spent most of my school days paying attention, I was quite a good girl - apart from during Irish class in secondary school, when I used to go to sleep with my hand propping my head up as the dullest, dreariest book in the world was read at us, even though I was in the front row, three feet from the teacher... the tome in question was 'Peig', a miserable story - I mean an authentic account of social history - of a woman who lived on the Blasket islands, and the horrible hard live she led.  The first sentence reads something like:

Seanbhean is ea mise anois, agus tá cos amháin ins an uaigh agus an chos eile ar an bhruach

Which translates as 'It's an old woman that I am now, and I've one foot in the grave and the other one on the bank.'  Cheery stuff which continues on and on and on and on and on in that vein.  Ask anyone Irish who's in their late twenties to late forties (the curriculum didn't change much.)  It will bring about a pretty much universal response.  Crazed laughter at best, ranging to plate-chucking.

The most inspiring teacher I ever had was Dr Richard Johnson.  He taught English and literally made it come alive.  We studied Jane Austen texts for both Inter Cert (at sixteen) and Leaving Cert (eighteen).  It was Pride and Prejudice, and then Emma.  I still love them today.

S is for Secrets.  Read all about the Secret Lives of Dresses here...

S is also for Sampler.  Or in this case, two samplers.

 

An elderly friend of my mother in law gave me these some time ago, and in our house move, they got lost and were recently unearthed in the basement.  The damp basement.  After two and a half years.  They were showing some signs of age when we got them, particularly the colour bleeding which is understandable.  I would like to get them framed but I wonder if they need to be cleaned somehow, particularly to avoid further deterioration from the damp.  I think it's amazing that these pieces are almost 130 years old, and that Louisa was only eight when she did the first one.  The colours in the second one are fabulous, and so clear still.  The red has bled a lot though.  Does anyone know where I might get some advice on this?  Ruth - as you know all about textiles, I was wondering if you'd have any ideas? 

And here's the goodies I scored yesterday - Cath Kidston pink strawberries, white calico, heavy pink cotton, and kitchen themed oilcloth.  For about a tenner, which is pretty good.  I do get rather jealous when I see all the lovely US fabric websites and thrift shop finds because it all seems to be much cheaper for craft supplies over there.  I know it's a great exchange rate here at the moment but there's shipping and duty to pay - blah blah.  The calico is for little Christmas gift bags and some stencilled bags.  And all three in the picture will hopefully be combined for my August Tie One On apron! Wish me luck.

Any thoughts?

I made my first blocks!  Very simple Roman Stripe (I thought this was called Rail Fence, then read it has four stripes and Roman Stripe has three.

I don't think anyone is going to read this in the very near future, but if you do - what do you think?  Which one would you go for?  I've got to do some more squares, so there are some missing but this was just the trial run, on the bed.

I think I like the first one best, even though it's not very 'quilt like', if you know what I mean. I'm sure I should have paid more attention to colour values etc but hey, I'm just a beginner. BTW for some expert quilts, look at Rhubard Patch's flickr set - I've left so many comments on her beautiful works that she probably thinks I'm a stalker.

Any comments would be most welcome...

Who's afraid of the big bad quilt?

Me.

It's not even that big.  It's only intended for a baby's cot.  I've cut out some strips and I'm deciding what to do with them.  I know I'm being irrational - but if I don't start it, I can't mess it up, if you know what I mean.

So as a spur, I've arranged lunch with the baby's mum on Tuesday.  Do you think it will be done by then? Oh dear, what have I got myself into...