I couldn't walk past...

Monday & Tuesday I was in the city doing a training course for work, with only a 45 minute lunch break I nipped out to clegs, they were having a remnant sale, after a quick look on the tables I found a piece of linen from Ireland - and now it's mine.  I also got some nice cotton striped fabric, some alpaca/wool/silk yarn which is so lovely (not sure what I'll do yet) and some Clover bamboo round knitting needles which were on sale.  All in all a great lunchtime shop.

I've started a hat/beanie with the round needles - perfect, no seam.  The black yarn is the same as I used for flip's mitts.

Right now I've been stung by the yarn bug, back to quilting one day...

more crochet & some cute buttons

I've been to two evenings at Stitch N Knit, which is part of Mulgrave Makers Market, last time we were taught by the lovely and patient Mary how to crochet finger-less mitts.  Mine are below, quick little project and fun to make.  A couple of new techniques were learned (foundation single crochet for starting work off instead of a chain + how to finish off nicely + how to decrease without any GAPS!), I wonder how long I'll retain those for...

and then of course I am asked, can I have some too mumma x 2.  The ones below are for bells, who also wanted a few flowers on hers, I did not choose the location of the flowers, I was under instruction.  For both mine & bells' mitts I used Cleckheaton Perfect Day 8ply Alpaca Wool.

Yesterday I went to Wondoflex to get some wool for flip's mitts and I couldn't go past these cute little wooden buttons, they are 1.5cm in diameter.  Of course I have no idea what to use them on, but they are now in my possession.

This is the wool I chose for flip, it was half price - nice.

I love the hint of grey, lovely wool to crochet with.

So now I'm done, I can move onto something else.  There were some lovely yarns I saw yesterday, some nice japanese sock yarn, but do I really want to knit socks - not sure.  Or should I get back to some quilting - probably.

rainbow granny square + pom pom

I'll admit straight up that the colours aren't me, they are miss bells (at the moment, she is 5).  Rainbow colours - she loves to draw rainbows, paint them, make necklaces with the repeating colours etc. etc. etc.  So I thought I'd attempt my very first granny square in her favourite colours.  I can see how people get a little addicted to making granny squares, I think I'd have to do it in natural colours though, I can't do bright BRIGHT!  I do have some linen yarn, it is quite thin though - it's the yarn I used to make my crochet shopping bag - they'd be quite small granny squares.

 we could just call it a mat for her rainbow pom pom...

bear x 2 :: crochet

My sister found this pattern for 'Bruno Bear' over here at Baghi , so cute I had to give it a go.  After a little crochet tuition from her - 2 bears have been completed.  Would you believe that I followed the same pattern and got two different sized heads.  Same ply wool, same size crochet hook.  Clearly I'm not much of a crocheter, but as it turns out anyone who knows my flip & bells knows there is significant head size difference :) so I'll just take it as - it was meant to be.

There is talk of both these bears going to school for show & tell this week.

100th post :: new quilt

a fraction over 2 years - that's how long it's taken to reach my 100th post.

This is my next project, I'm going to try and sell this one - not that I have a shop or anywhere to sell it, we'll see what happens when the time comes.  It's fabric from my stash and it's still a little way from being finished.  It has been basted with bamboo batting and a calico backing - ready for some love and hand quilting.

 some favourite linen

 a little liberty here

 & there...

 a snippet more below

 fabric that I've had for ages

 & some bicycles which were included in my very first quilt.

make a notebook

Yesterday whilst browsing my reader, I saw a tutorial from angry chicken and I thought, what a great idea for the kids. Although I didn't have card as thick as what she used, they still turned out.  I said to flip and bells do you want to make a book to draw in and they wanted to stick photos in them, so now one is for photo's and one is for drawing.  Who am I to argue...

 A little washi tape selected by each for each letter of their names.

calico & linen :: complete

Another baby complete, this one commenced on quite a blue day back in dec 10, so this one will always have particular memories for me.  I'm happy to have finished it and I'm happy with the end result.  It's quite plain and has fabrics that I love on it - linen, double gauze (not that you can see a great deal of it in the pic) and some liberty.  I like that some of the raw edges will fray with washing, I love the feel of it.  All the quilting was done with either linen coloured or off white linen thread.

There is a bit of pulling around quite a large section of close quilting, much like some of the work I did on my collages, I don't mind - let's say it adds character and I do love the feel it gives.