leap year

For Mothers Day my Mum asked me to make her a bag that she can keep all of the dog walking bits and bobs in; treats, poop bags, lead, etc...so she can just grab it and go. I asked Dad to email me a picture of Gromit, and from this...

I made this...

I hope she likes it. I also hope that she doesn't happen to read my blog before then! Whoops! POB, DON'T SHOW MUM!!!

In other news, I've finished the hat I was knitting and I just need to decided what colour flower it is going to have to hide my dodgy knitting(!). I'll post a picture tomorrow - will get J to take one of me wearing it. People at work think I have far too much time on my hands to be making all these things. Possibly true, but I generally will do anything to get out of ironing! HeHe!!!

Don't forget my Blogaversary prize draw. You have until the 7th of March to leave a comment HERE! I'm thinking or emailing the OED people to get the word blogaversary added into the next addition! OOOO! They have a word of the day! I'm subscribing!

(is that even a real word???) WOW! I can hardly believe I've had enough stuff to ramble on about for a whole year. I started this blog as a way of letting off a bit of creative steam and showing Jackie what I've been making without having to clog up her inbox with hundreds of photographs! Hehe!

I'll tell you a little bit about myself (for those who don't know me in RL): I'm a 30 year old who has always been into making stuff (just ask my mum!). Drawing was a firm favourite as a youngster and things involving glitter and papier mache. As a grown up crafter - hand made cards kept me out of trouble for quite a while, but right now I'm into sewing with a little knitting on the side. I can't sit and do nothing, a spare 10 minutes can easily be used to cut out some felt shapes or knit a few rows of a scarf! I enjoy our garden, I like cycling in the summer and spending time with my lovely husband and our two naughty cats. I'm a happy-kind-of-gal and I like our life (except for ironing!). Does that sound a bit cheesy? Ah, well......I like cheese too!

I've enjoyed the last year, I really have and plan on rambling on for a long while yet! To celebrate me waffling on, here is a picture of me eating a waffle....

...and also I'm going to have a prize draw. All you have to do to be entered is leave a comment and I will draw a name out of the hat on the 7th of March! The lucky winner will receive some of my hand made goodies. That gives you plenty of time to think of something to say! :)

I will leave you with this photograph of my first hat (in progress). Just a few more rows and I start to decrease...increasing is the next project! Bye for now!

(sorry for the bad light - I promise to start taking better photographs!)

Here is that batch of bibs I said I'd make! They'll be winging their way over to Franny's house ready for little Alice to spit her milk all over! YUM! The mushroom one is my favourite.

Just after I'd photographed the bibs and was about to turn on my PC to post about them we heard a squawking from down stairs. This usually means one of the cats has brought us a present that he wants us to deal with. We went down stairs expecting the worst and saw 3 sausages on the floor wrapped in a little tissue paper. I picked them up and they were still a little frozen (and a little muddy!). Naughty William has stolen someones tea. Who would have thought this cute little furry boy could steal from the neighbours. I'm shocked!

So far today has been good. We got up, went into Bham, had breakfast and bought some books. I got Craft magazine and couldn't resist the Tea Cozies book. Waterstones seem to have a much better selection of knitting books than they do of sewing books. I've already decided on my first tea related project!

I now feel the need to go and make some crazy monsters and possibly a batch of bibs to post to Franny! See you later! *wave*

I can't believe it's Wednesday already and I've had nothing to say! I've not done an awful lot since Saturday craft-wise. I finished the raspberry coloured scarf and have almost finished a green one.

Sunday we went to see J's family for a very lovely roast dinner (!!!!!!) and a little trip to Great Chalfield Manor (a National Trust property) to see the snowdrops for a charity day.

The house (from outside) and the gardens were lovely considering it was only just spring, I can imagine them being even nicer in the summer. Here are a few more pics.

Back of the house.

Shadows - a tree, B, me, J

A nice tree photo!

YAY! My latest purchase from eBay arrived today! These lovely Japanese craft books. I've been after the Mom and girl one for a while and found a nice seller that has LOADS of lovely books to choose from. The top one is making things from small pieces of left over fabric (or something similar), second is school bags and crafts and then the mom and girl which also has some lovely patterns for house things (the reason for wanting it). I'll try and take some photos of the pretty things inside. Luckily they all have pictorial instructions otherwise I'd be scuppered on how to make everything!

JJ: I found this link to the profile of Nao Kakita so you can have a look at her other crocheted stuff. x

Awww. I had a lovely Friday. I got up with J as he had to go to work, made a batch of super-sized ginger chewies from this book that I got a few years ago from J's big sis. They turned out really well. I took half of them to Fran and Pete's and kept the rest for us to scoff! Here is one with my mug of tea...!

I finished the giraffe room tidy as well. Although when I got there it was a bit too long to hang on the side of the cot, luckily I'd taken my eyelet thing-a-ma-bob and put some on the top so that it can hang on the back of Alice's door instead. The top and bottom pockets have Velcro in the middle to stop them gaping open and making the poor giraffe look like he's been sliced up in a magic show, the middle section is divided into two pockets.

Here is the lovely little lady I went to see (as well as her mum and dad of course! ;) - that's me holding her!

I popped out to Dunelm with Pete and accidentally bought 10 more balls of the nice chunky wool as they had different colours to the one in Brum. Pete has bagsy'd green (it looks better in RL) for his Christmas scarf...with pompoms!

OH! I've had to upgrade my blog! In almost a year I've managed to use up my storage space, that must be with my recent photo-fest. On the 25th of Feb I've been blogging for a year and quite enjoyed it. It's nice to be able to share all the things I've been making with friends and family when we live so far away from everyone.

I hope you are all feeling loved today! I am, but then I'm a smug married person, so I'm told! I got a lovely surprise this morning of these flowers and chocs...

...they are currently making my craft room smell lovely! J managed to wangle the day off work so we could hang out, we went into town for a nice lunch and had a trip to the library (How romantic!). I found a few knitting books with sock instructions that I'm going to try before I buy the sock book. There wasn't really a large knitting selection, it was a little on the disappointing side :(

I had a busy morning. I got up bright and early to make a cake to take to Fran and Pete's tomorrow, along with some leek and potato soup. Then started on marmalade making. From this....

To this...

...then we went to lunch so I just have to clean my jars and boil up the lovely orangey mixture with lots of sugar. I'm going to add a bit of whisky to a few of the jars as a bit of an experiment, never done it before but other people I know have and it's quite nice...I'll let you know the outcome. I'm only making 2 batches this year as we've still got 10 of last years even though I always seem to be giving it away - I don't really like my marmalade but I'm told its nice. I prefer my sweet orange and ginger marmalade! YUM!

ALMOST finished the giraffe hanging tidy, just have Velcro to add to stop the big pockets gaping open and making the poor giraffe look like it's been chopped up, and the top fastening bits so it can be attached to the side of the cot. It'll be finished before I get there Franny! Don't worry! Hehe! :)

Oh, and here is the blanket again WITH blanket stitch! I really like it, I might start making one for myself. I'm sure if I start now it'll be finished for winter 2010!

I like getting post, it's a treat. Usually I only get bills, cr*p or things I've ordered but hardly ever a nice little surprise. Today I got this little brochure in the post from Lou and family...

...they'd been for a family day out to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and there was an exhibition on, titled 'Made. Contemporary Craft and Design' and a few of the things there reminded them of my creations. I do have to say I am very envious of the ones by Donna Wilson! Thanks guys! You've put a great big smile on my face *grin*! Here are a few more pics that made them think of me. All lovely stuff!

I started a new scarf today. No idea who it is going to be for but I'm making it anyway! I think it's after finally getting the baby blanket done that I thought I'd do something nice and easy, a moral booster. It's done using a 16 row repeating garter stitch stripe in some of the nice, cheap, chunky wool I bought in Dunelm the other week. I quite like it but I already have 6 scarves hanging up in the hallway ;)