handmade christmas: a scarf diary for Ben

I decided to make Ben a scarf for Christmas (another bit of secret present making). He had mentioned before that he liked the knitted diary loop scarf I made for myself a few years ago so I decided to make one for him.



I picked out some colours that I thought he'd like and swapped colour for every day of knitting until the scarf was complete. It added up to about a month and a half of knitting in total, with some days missed due to the lack of opportunity for covert knitting.



It turned out really well. I was happy with the colour choices and Ben was really pleased when he opened it on Christmas day. Perfect for keeping cosy on winter walks.

And here he is modelling it this weekend on a trip to Rye.



Happy face.

handmade christmas: catnip sardines

As well as making presents for friends and family this Christmas I also made some presents for the furry friends in their lives.

Christmas for cats!



To make them I started by cutting out some felt sardine shapes from a paper template I made. I then sewed some little fabric pouches to hold some catnip that I bought online (highest potency apparently).

After that I embroidered on some markings and sewed on some felt eyes to give them a bit of character.



Finally I sewed around the edges, put the catnip pouches in the middle of each fish (for maximum protection from sharp claws and teeth) and added toy stuffing around the edge.

And voilà! A shoal of sardines.

And just look at these little fellas enjoying themselves...



Clockwise from top left: Tiffin, Eddie, Louis, Pixel, Harry & Holly. 

Sweet ones! They were a total hit I think. So much so that a few of them are fish no more.

I'm taking this as a good sign of appreciation.

handmade christmas: knitting needle cases

I was quite organised this year and decided to make a few Christmas presents for friends and family. I'm going to share them here over the next week or so, now that I don't have to keep them hush hush anymore.

It's been a while since I attempted any sewing projects as I often end up slightly disappointed with the results (big ambitions plus a lack of patience is my downfall) however I really wanted to make some knitting needle/crochet hook cases for both my mum and Ben's mum so I gave it another whirl.

I'd made something similar for Yumi once before too so I didn't think it was an overly ambitious project. And they turned out pretty nicely indeed!



I bought some lovely patterned fat quarters (I could get addicted to browsing in fabric shops) and used some vintage buttons that I had knocking around and managed to make these two needle rolls over the course of a quiet weekend.



My mum didn't realise hers was handmade when she opened it on Christmas day so I think that's a sign of sewing improvement!

Maybe I'll try and get on my sewing machine a bit more this year.

treat

I arrived home yesterday to find this really sweet plant awaiting me from Lyndsey. Such a lovely surprise (thank you!)

I'm currently helping Lyndsey out with an exciting new venture of hers - which I'll share more about soon.

Right now, I need to do some packing. End of the Road tomorrow!

bicycle

Yumi sent me this tiny little bicycle stamp from Japan - so sweet! What a treat!

I've been having some bike troubles lately - some rotter stole my basket! - but today I got back behind the handlebars and cycled to work for the first time in an age. I had to keep stopping on the way to oil my chain but I got there in the end (semi-smooth riding).

 Here's to getting a new basket in the post soon!

so-so sewing

For Yumi's birthday I made her a knitting needle roll to carry her needles and accessories on her travels around the world.

I found the floral fabric in a charity shop (an old ironing board cover) and used this tutorial as a guide. It turned out much better than expected! Maybe my sewing skills are improving.

de nouvelles choses

• A housewarming present for some friends.
• Almost half a jumper.
• Holiday time!!!

I'm off to France on Friday for a long weekend away.  Unfortunately we're not cycling there as first planned, but there are some bikes awaiting us so hopefully we'll be able to go for a quick pedal.

Bring on the camembert!

treats and treasures

Treasures from the Sunday market: a thimble shelf, embroidery & free cookie cutter.
Treats from Malta: A miniature tea set from Dan.
PERFECT!

the little things

Presents, pick-me-ups and perfectly timed baking.

guess who?

I forgot to mention this at the time (due to gift-giving secrecy) but my memory was refreshed at the weekend when we played a couple of games. It's a personalised version of Guess Who? I made for Derek at Christmas.

Fun to make, fun to play (and ever so slightly creepy)!

when all else fails...

...spend some time with kittens.

thank you

Wonderful gifts from wonderful people (and many more besides).

hello alan

Kindly created & donated by Tyler.
I am most pleased.

red & yellow & pink & green

Colourful bits & pieces:
• New lunchboxes!
• Birthday card.
• Egg laying hen card from the Museum of Childhood
• A lovely handmade postcard map (very much appreciated!!)

my week

Here are some bits & pieces to report from my week:


On Saturday my friend eleanor hosted a clothes swap party where we each took along some unwanted items of clothing and then had a rummage in the BIG pile that accumulated for some new bits. As you can see I came home with a few lovely pieces. I especially like the green/blue top & conveniently matching belt.

On Monday I sat down to watch a film and managed to cobble together this little fella:


The pattern is courtesy of Annalisa and as you can see my attempt doesn't look all that much like her example. I think he'll do though (and Derek mentioned that he reminds him of a certain someone mentioned in my previous post).

I went home to visit my family this week and my mum gave me this wonderful picnic basket:


I especially like the lining!

Oh, and last Friday I went round to Yumi's house for a mobile making evening. We had cookies & tea & smoothies and I even had a quick bounce on her TRAMPOLINE! so much fun.
I didn't get around to making a full mobile in the end but I did make a selection of origami birds & this paper ship:




Next week we are going to make sock puppets!!! I can hardly wait.
x

mothers day

i've just made my mum a mothers day card to accompany the presents i've already prepared for her ---> the two brooches and this framed picture:



i also popped some handmade vouchers inside the card for her to "cash in" whenever she pleases. these include having tea made for her tea all day & having a homemade lunch of her choice, amongst others. it made me feel quite like a child when i was making them, but that is ok i feel. better to feel young than old. (maybe)

i'm off out for an italian tonight which will be most delightful. though as i have given up cheese for lent (i thought it would be a good personal challenge) i think it is going to be quite a mission to find something on the menu i can eat. italian food is so yummy and full of cheese. i'll do my best to avoid it though.

in other news, i registered with this bookcrossing website today. i heard about it aaaaaaaages and have been meaning to have a peek for a while now. it is such a lovely idea, leaving books around for other people to pick up and read. one of my friends found one once on a train and i think that is where i got wind of it. so i've now decided to take part and have released my first book into the wild.
well, actually it wasn't so much my book as it was derek's, but we've both read it and i have told him that i am not giving it back (this is a much better idea). i would, of course, have let one of my own books loose but i recently gave a bundle to charity so don't have any to hand that i am willing to part with at the moment.
so hopefully my book will be found soon and i'll be able to find out what other people think of it. a great thing about the site is that you can see how many books are currently 'loose' in the local area, and where exactly they are. apparently there are 5 (now 6!) lurking in my town at the moment so maybe i should go out on a book hunt. i think it would be oh so exciting to find one!

x

a busy week for the postman

i received yet more goodies in the post this morning - a belated birthday package from eleanor:

how very delightful! the little horse button is so terribly cute - i will have to find something extra special to sew it onto. and such a nice vintage card (i like the yellow bird). and no it wasn't my 7th birthday, heh, it was just a super nice card.

and that wasn't all...



^ just look at those pink knitted slippers! - so nice. i popped them on my feet as soon as i opened the post (hence i am still wearing my pyjama bottoms in the picture) i think they were bought from a shop in brighton - i am going to enjoy having a good poke around the lanes when i go down there next week.

x