A Wii cloth

I've never really understood how people can spend hours making cloths just to get them manky on dishes and grimy kitchens.

Face-cloths and shower puffs I can just about handle.

So, to practise my crochet I've made a little cloth to mop my fevered brow when using the Wii Fit Plus. I'm trying to improve my fitness, and using the Wii is one of the ways I'm doing it. Also watching the food and using the bike, taking a Pilates course, walking more etc. Wii Fit Plus on Nintendo page

I've now got a Gold Fit Piggy because I've been exercising on the Wii for more than forty hours. (A Fit Piggy is an on-screen piggy bank of your accumulated exercise minutes, every time you finish say, thirty minutes of Step on the Wii, it tallies up your thirty minutes.)

It's made from King Cole Bamboo Cotton Ravelry link which I had left over from a headscarf from last year. It's proving very useful because I do *glow* a little when I put the Riser on the Wii Balance Board and do a good session. If I dab myself it stops my glasses falling off when I try to do the yoga poses!

It washes like a ribbon in the machine, dries very quickly and has helped improve my crochet as well as my fitness. I have trimmed down a bit and am determined to continue getting healthier. x K

Thank-you

Thanks for all your lovely comments about "Green Shoots" on here, on Facebook, on Ravelry and by e-mail. You are very kind. x K

Green Shoots

I am delighted to present a shawl I improvised myself from the beautiful Bitter Bug colour Bamboo and Merino sock yarn from Old Maiden Aunt which I got in the yarn preview club which ran last winter to give a taster of the different shades and sock-yarn bases available for this year's collection.

I knew this yarn could make a lovely shawl after having used it last year for a well-loved project .

I like it even more than the yarn I used last year because the colour is even more up-my-street, I adore this type of green and the variation in the hand-painted yarn gives it a multi-faceted look.

The little "Bitter Bug" was a charm which came as one of the extra goodies with the yarn preview club. I used him as a stitch marker while I was making the shawl and he looked so good with it I had to incorporate him into the shawl itself.

This project means a lot to me because it marks a bit of a renaissance of my interest in things crafty and after a rough few months it marks the first times in ages I've felt inspired and enthusiastic about *anything*, hence the name "Green Shoots".

It starts with stocking stitch then moves into a chevron stitch and was a delight to work with, in this top-notch yarn.

I'll be working with this yarn again, no doubt, and may have another go at this "pattern" too.

Green Shoots, aaah! x K

Cheeky Pandas

Behold a mini-quilt made to the nine-patch pattern.
I'd had the panda fabric for a while, and held onto it until I could make good use of the small quantity I had.
Our new six year-old niece is getting great use of it for playing with dollies and soft-toys.
Quilted on the diagonal using my (then) new walking-foot attachment.
It seems that JANOME accessories can be used on ELNA sewing machines, in fact for some models the JANOME fittings are now the only option.
Musical note backing fabric and silky bias binding from Mandors if my memory serves me well. x K

Sneak Preview

Here is a sneak preview of a recently finished object I am absolutely delighted with.

Patchwork Project Bag

I've got a bit of catching up to do here to update you on some recent crafty makes.

Here's a patchwork project bag I made this spring.

The block itself is nothing new but I followed a diagram in February's Patchwork and Quilting Magazine and then improvised the bag design round the patchwork block.
I had made the "Shoo-Fly" block before but without the central contrast section.
Because I am inexperienced in patchwork I find some blocks fiddly, so I upped the size to make it less of a fouter.
It is wadded and quilted with a zig-zag stitch over the seams on my Elna.
I added a lining and handles in the marbly green fabric. If for any reason I feel the quilted side is too "loud" I can easily use it inside-out.

Overall I am very pleased with it and it makes a good knitting project or magazine bag.
Fabrics were fat quarters from the Galloway Gem Shop, King St, Castle Douglas.

Tempting new patterns

While we've been out discovering the historical sites of Galloway like the Chambered Cairn at Cairn Holy, the folks at Knitty have been cooking up a new issue called First Fall so we can get more goodies per year.
Some of the patterns are lovely, and a lacy scarf named Lamina is calling my name really loudly. Very pretty indeed. x K

Beautiful prize

Look at this beautiful prize I have won!
It's an Ishbel shawlette, in Malabrigo Sock yarn, Tinzano red.
I was knitted by Paula, A Celtic Stitcher , who made it as a prize for those who donated to her Race for Life fund-raiser.

I am absolutely thrilled with it- the yarn is luscious, the stitching is immaculate, and the pattern is a modern classic.

Here's a link to the page where P outlines the project and has some lovely photos. Linky














Real-life friend Paula has produced some beautiful knitting, as well as raising funds for a great cause. Thank-you very much for both :-D
If you see anyone swanning about wearing an RFL Ishbel neck-kerchief style, thinking she's the Queen of Sheba- that'll be me!!!
Aren't I the lucky one? x K