Brides Choice

Well I have made loads of different designs and settled on 3 final ones that I have sent to the Bride to be and she has chosen. So now I need to make 80 place labels. I can tell you that it is a traditional design, simple and elegant and won't be too fiddly. However she liked another as well so I am trying to incorporate that into the table name/number card.

Meanwhile I am back to knitting and have found a fab little book that has knitted Sports dolls so I am busy making 2 karate dolls for my 2 karate boys. Its all a bit small and fiddly and as I have just started a new job it is going slowly.

The book is called Knitting for Gold by Sue Mc Bride.

 I love the weight lifter

I have abandoned my knitted and crocheted jumper for the moment as it was proving to be a very difficult crochet pattern. Even my crochet teacher struggled with it as it was written in a strange way but I have found a new website called www.crochet me.com and bought a really lovely and simple pattern for another top that is knitted and crocheted so I may give that a go if I can use the same wool.

My crafting efforts have slowed this month but I have started a new part time job and with the dogs and the family (not to mention a dog paw covered house) I am finding it harder to find the time but I will persevere.

We are halfway through March already so I need to start thinking about a craft for April.

Any ideas??

New Toys

I can't reveal the place setting designs to you before I have shown the bride to be but I can show you my new toys :o)

I got some stamps and inks

Buttons

Fabric flowers

Brightly coloured hemp string

 And I am very excited about my new paper punch...look what it does....

How cute is that!!

Now every spare scrap of paper will be punched with butterflies

And today my friend Sheena showed me how to emboss. She stamped a shape in clear embossing pigment ink onto paper then poured powder on it like you would glitter. After she had poured the powder back into the pot she heated it with a little heating tool like a hair dryer but more heat less air and then the shape was embossed-genius!

I think I'm going to like this month :o)

Paper crafting for March

Quick update. I am making the place settings for my brothers wedding and have had the brief from my soon to be sister in law. They are getting married at an organic farm and are going for a very rustic, homemade look. I have given them my lovely crocheted heart bunting and am experimenting with a few ideas. I will reveal more when I have made them all, as after all, the bride should see them first!!

Wool

I promised pictures of the wool I have bought for the knitted and crocheted jumper so here it is

Sorry the picture is sideways but I can't work out how to change it! (let me know if you do)

Its a really beautiful steely blue colour which I had to photograph in natural light and the sun was shining this morning even if it was a bit chilly

I won't be able to start it tonight though as the only 3mm needles I have are kids ones so are too short plus I promised a friend that Monday nights would be Gym nights so I am very reluctantly off to the temple of pain to start my running programme again after a break of about a year....wish me luck

blocking and finishing

I have made loads of hearts this week so have got to the point of assembly but first I had to block the hearts to make them flatter as the corners were tending to curl.

I pinned them out on a towel then sprayed them all with water and left them to dry over night

Next I needed to decorate the hearts sewing on the buttons and ribbons I showed you last week.

After this I started a new chain stich to connect them all Chain 25 Double crochet (dc) into the picot at the top of the hearts then chain 15 until the next heart. I have 16 hearts so this took a while.

Once done I did a 2nd row of dc then changed colours for the 3rd and 4th rows

Here are a few pictures of the decorations

The finished item

 

Now of course arises the question of where to put it....

So what next?

I am due to start paper crafting in March but I've not chosen a project yet so I thought I would find a project that is both knitting and crochet so I turned to volume 1 of the fabulous book 'A stitch in time' 

I recieved Vol 2 for Christmas and blogged about it I now have Vol 1 :o)

And I have found this pattern

A moss stitch knitted jumper with crochet trimmings
I have bought the wool a dk cotton - I will post pictures tomorrow when I have natural light but its blue.
Here is the photo from the book

Its on 3mm needles so I reckon it'll take quite a lot of swearing to make....

Happy Crafting
Sharon

Buttons and beads

I love haberdashery shops they are my favourite places in the world and I love love love buttons, beads and ribbons so these are the few treasures I bought to decorate the hearts

 

So I guess I had better got on and make a few more

But first here is Noah and George with Noah's new teddy blanket

 He looks happy with it :o)

New books

Bought this today, just couldn't resist

 

the kids just loved it and have already placed their orders

I also got this

 

Which has loads of great ideas for tarting up your clothes and making things for the house. I particularly like the ideas for reusing ties and will be stealing some old ties out of my husbands wardrobe 

(he's a scientist, he'll just set fire to a tie!)

But this month is all about Crochet and I still have 2 classes to do so the book will go on the shelf for the next couple of weeks.