Pretties!

Sludgey muted pretties!
I spotted a mini garden quiltalong ages ago, and said I was interested, then promptly forgot about it.

Then I received an email a couple of days ago asking if I still wanted to take part, paid my monies (which seemed quite hefty) - and today this little pile of loveliness arrived! Now I can see why it cost more than I had expected - the photo is very dark, I will take better in daylight tomorrow.

12 fat quarters from Moda's Evening Mist collection - not everyone's cuppa I would imagine as it's generally quite sombre, but I really like it.This kit takes me out of my comfort zone - I don't usually follow patterns or use kits, and some of the material is not what I would ever choose - and I think that's a good thing, it's so easy to get stuck in a rut.

Each month comes with a rather expensive button feature - this month's is a little wooden flower - and this month's block is lovely, a garden wheelbarrow with a bird perching on it. I like.

I am going to start this tomorrow, I can't seem to function properly today - too much time in the sun maybe. Whatever, I am a bit drowsy and lethargic.

In a minute I am going to cast on for tempest (Ravelry link) - not totally convinced stripes are a good think on my dumpy little bod but we will see - I am telling myself that if I wear it with gusto and glee it will be fine!

Black (of course)and this, which again is a crappy photo - it's a nice mix of pinks and greys - I have two skeins of it and quite honestly don't know what else to knit with it (and don't want to part with it).

Sooo.... that's it!

Finally

a post. Work, needless to say, simply got in the way.

I started teaching again on Monday, with the most explosively violent couple of days I have ever known, and I have been teaching PRU kids for quite a while now. The worst day by far - ever in my career - was Wednesday, utterly shocking and upsetting violence on a scale that left quite a few of us shaken. I left the staff meeting early to have a good cry in private, and had a hell of a struggle to get in the next day. But I di, so that's the first week done.

And there is some good quality work in their new books, as a teacher I needed to remind myself of that so spent a long time marking every book and making sure they were all up to date.

But enough of my shitty working life.

Knitting - very very little done this last week, but the second sleeve is almost done, and then it's seaming time tomorrow. I also want to make some pockets to sew on, a jacket - cum - cardi is no good without pockets in my opinion.

Still loving the pattern and the wool.

Not sure what I have lined up next, I might have a change of scene and use some of the Rowan Lenpur Linen I have, or the large amount of bamboo thats lurking upstairs. In black, of course . .. although I also have a cardi's worth of Rowan Cotton Tape, and was eyeing up a young woman's long loose cardi on the bus yesterday, I really liked it.

Sewing has also come to a grinding halt since the weekend - so much for A Craft a Day for the Month of May!

I did manage to get the front of my quilt all joined, so plan on sandwiching the whole thing together tomorrow, ready for the fun bit. I LOVE the colours in this, they make me happy.

I love this quilt: and the sewing shop in town has most of the grey fabric in stock - I am planning on making myself a summer skirt from the grey roses print, not cheap but very striking.

I love this photo.

As probably most of the world knows, our election became increasingly bizarre, and now we have a coalition government with a smarmy smug elitist prat and a self contradicting twit in charge of the country. As Gorgon le Brown has now gone (and his goodbye speeches had to be the most honest, light hearted ones he has ever delivered - and he looked like a man who had just shed 10 years with relief - hopefully Labour will now elect someone with a bit more people-power. It's pretty likely there will be another election in the next year or so, so it will be all change again.

Hey ho.

Much more to come, hopefully tomorrow - I plan on a day at home, sleeping, knitting, sewing, tidying up (a few weeks back at work and my house looks like the IRA have been in. Twice.), and more sleeping.

Happy weekend!

It's a shame

how quickly work once again takes over. My weekend plus the Bank Holiday has almost gone, with very little to show for it. I have, however, just applied for one of several jobs I have earmarked, as I seriously think work will finish me off (either mentally, physically or both) if I don't get out very soon.
Let's just say that 'supported return' isn't quite what I expected it would be (and believe me I had no delusions of it being joyous) - increased workload, however, wasn't quite what I had expected! Maybe I was just naive, I don't know.

Anyway.

A Craft a Day for the Month of May
That was my (maybe foolish?) intention. But as always time tends to run away, especially when you plan on doing some carefree craftiness! But I grabbed a few minutes to take some piccies, and I have managed to do more than I had thought. Seeing it as photos is good, it reassures me that at least some of my time each day has been spent on the things that bring me great pleasure.

May 1st

Two bags, fronts and bagsm, ready to line, interface, straps and fastenings and pockets, hopefully finished in time for the next craft fair - I especially like the purple and green one.

May 2nd

I am really pleased with these - these are the first two strips for my quiltalong with jelly rolls / charm packs over on Ravelry. I have talked about quilting, have many (expensive) books, and mountains of material, but have never got any further than making bags. But now I have not one but TWO on the go, and this one is lovely - the colours are fab! I would never ever have picked mint green with a vibrant lime, but because the pinks are the same throughout it works. Those Moda folk know their stuff.

and late last night, with Dog Soldiers in the background I cut out a summer skirt for me:

but I need some black interfacing.

May 3rd (ie today)

Very little - I potted up some plants this morning before it decided to hoy it down, and not much else, my day has gone on work stuff, and trying to get a new job stuff.

But I have squeeeezed in a bit more knitting on the lovely jacket / cardi / hoody -

I love this, it's good soothing knitting, and is growing quickly. I am aiming to finish the left front tonight, and the right front tomorrow night. With a bit of luck and a strong wind behind me I should get at least one sleeve done by the weekend, so should have the whole thing finished by the end of next weekend.

I don't usually do much colour, but I think this should look good with all black.

I still love the wool, sod's law that it's discontinued.

I hope you have had a pleasant bank holiday and didn't get drenched!

Hang onto your hats -

I have photos!

This beauty is the first jelly roll I have ever bought!

Not cheap (this was about £22.50 plus postage, which seems about average) but it is stunning, It is Plume, by Moda, and is destined to become a quilt for the first quiltalong on the UK Quilters group I recently started over on Ravelry.http://www.ravelry.com/groups/uk-quilters

We are a very mixed bag (oo er madam) of experienced and innocent faced new quilters, and people are very enthusiastic which is great! Do come and have a nosy.

I love the shapes and colours, I am dying to have a nosy but don't want to spoil it. I am not madly keen on some of the patterns (I also have a charm pack and half a metre of the fabulous pink feather print) or the browns and mint greens, so might leave those out, but having had a nosy at other Plume quilts they really look gorgeous. Go on, google Plume by Moda, have a look! Pink swans! Keys hanging from trees! Pink feathers! More exclamation marks!

I have also finished about half of what I plan on taking to the craft fair on Saturday. That gives me tonight, tomorrow, and some of Friday to get finished with sewing, stamp the bags (just in case I actually sell anything), price everything up, make a sign or two and pack it all into a suitcase with wheels.

It's colourful, I am currently finishing off some stuffed birdies in linen, and some bags - no idea what I think I will finish in so little time!

Do come and have a look if you are in Leeds on Saturday, it is being well promoted (I saw a man with it advertised on a huge sign on his bike in town this afternoon):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/leeds/2010/apr/05/granary-wharfe-pannier-market

I really like the changes to blogger, this is so much easier to use - and I can link things at last. Large photos, links, faster (particularly uploading photos) - much better.

Stitching up a storm.

More of a gentle breeze really.
I rummaged upstairs in the Cupboard of Doom to find a missing pack of Kaffe Fassett garish fabric, bought last year with the ambitious intention of making a quilt - never got further than the many bags I was making, and the material vanished.

In said rummage, I also dug out 4 half made bags, an armful of material that caught my eye, and huge bag of Laura Ashley yumminess - in shades of teal and duck egg, neither of which I ever want in my home. Hmmm...

BUT I did also manage to finally put together, and take a photo of, the two main colourways that I plan to turn into quilts of some description.

Sunglasses at the ready, the first will make your eyes bleed - it matches absolutely NOTHING in my home.

I love the cabbage material more than any other - a couple of the greens have now been removed, I just love the greens and pinks together, they make me happy.

I think if it is bound and bordered with pink it should be nice, I would either drape it over a the chair or hang it on the wall. (Throws on the settee just don't seem to work, I bought two lovely ones to try and disguise its shabbiness but they just end up looking really messy).

This is the other colourway, which would tone with the living room perfectly, but which doesn't excite me much!



I am toying with a silk pink heart in the middle of each block to tie it together, but am also tempted to applique a tree with a bird on a nest ... why oh why I don't go for a simple option I don't know.

Eve bought something utterly impractical purely because it was pretty? How's this for a pretty and useless tea towel -


Thank you Laura Ashley sale, with your dastardly ways.
Also from Ms Ashley's emporium, but bought on different trips, plus the heavy velvet from Ebay, the cushion cover mission (again to try and detract from the shabby settee - although I have a hunch they might make it look even worse).


They are about to be cut out and I will make a start on them - I haven't done any sewing at all for a week, which is a concern as I am waaaay behind with my million bags mission for Knit Camp. Bugger.

Knitting? I am plodding on with the most boring cardigan in the world, dull dull dull to knit. Hopefully better when it is finished! Plus some colourwork mitts that I m loving so far, piccies to come. Plus quite a bit of spinning and plying, including some gorgeous roving in pinks and electric blue / turquiose from Becca, who is kind and generous and downright lovely.

And for no other reason that it is such a lovely photo - this is from etsy, and sorry etsy seller I don't remember who you were.



Enjoy the rest of the Easter break!