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

Happy Easter Everyone!

With very best wishes for everyone this Easter. x K

Funny doll

This is a wee doll I made for the Children's Liturgy at church at the beginning of December.
I had committed to do it and I did as much as I could although circumstances changed big time between me saying I would do it and the due date.
I handed it in in bits and the lady organising it had to sew it all together before the 15th when they were doing their Nativity play.
I think this guy looks like he would be a good Innkeeper.
Yes, his hair and beard ARE supposed to be that bushy!
This is a dodgy mobile phone pic of it taken at the last minute.
I used Patons Diploma Gold DK which is a wool-synthetic blend, as it had to be washable. 2 balls Cherry, 2 balls White, 1 ball Cocoa and 1 ball Soft Caramel.
Apparently it was very well received and I'm on the list to help again next year, which is a kind of a compliment I'm sure. x K

Not late for Christmas '09, just organized for Christmas '10.

Here's another Christmas holiday make, this time it's for my new five-year-old niece who joined the family in December.

It's a stocking of about 28cm tall and 22cm across the foot.
It's not pieced, it's just fancy pre-printed faux patchwork cotton fabric I got at the SECC Hobbycrafts in 2007. The boot shape for you to cut round is printed on the cloth, and there are still three more boots of different designs left on my fabric piece.

The lining fabrics are gold on green, one having decorative smudges and the other "merry christmas", all lower case.
The wadding is a re-purposed padded pillow protector, and I machine quilted it with straight stitches along the grid pattern of the design.

The hanger is a little strip of spare fabric with musical notes on it which was an off-cut from my main piece. That little hanger was a devil to turn the right way out, even with sock knitting needles to help!

The recipient wasn't exactly enthusiastic, but I was showing her it on New Year's Day, maybe next Christmas when it's stuffed with goodies it will come into its own! As she joined the family in mid-December I didn't have the chance to finish it in time for the big day.

I hand-stitched the red bias binding round the top. It wasn't exactly quick but it has given it a good finish.

There will be more patchwork and quilting in my coming posts this week, but don't worry if you're all Christmassed-out, there won't be any more Christmas projects for a while yet. x K

Christmas Quilt

Back home in Glasgow to find the snow still here!
Long gone in Dumfries and Galloway, although they did do a great line in ice and black ice down there.

Took advantage of the Christmas holidays to do some sewing. I made this quilt from William Morris Christmas Cat fabric purchased at John Lewis in Glasgow.
I'm not a cat person, I'm not a pet of any description person, but these guys looked very festive and because I am crap, sorry, inexperienced, at sewing I thought the linear pattern would help my sewing and especially my quilting. (Plus, it was on special offer.)

I'm quite pleased with it overall and it doesn't bother me at all that it wasn't finished for Christmas Day- we've been getting the good of it over the Festive period, and will continue to do so for many years ahead.

Pic one is on the red armchair made famous by the Siesta Blanket .

Pic two is a close-up of the cat pattern and the buttons added to the centre for decorative reasons, and to help tame the wadding.

Pic three is of the complementary backing fabric.


Pic four is a little detail shot of the edgings and quilting. I added the black binding to cover my raw edges, then I added the gold ribbon to dress up the edges and frame the cats.

It wasn't all easy peasy, but we can admire it and snuggle up under it for years to come.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone.
Best wishes to you all.

Look how we brought in the new year, it was cool, a first for me!
Ok, so I only looked at the moon, but in much better detail than I'd ever seen it before.

You'll see from yesterday's post that it was a very moonsy night.
J persevered a bit longer and saw some stars and planets but the fact that the moon was so terrifically bright was working against him there.
What a way to bring in the bells!
Some neighbours were on the beach having a bonfire and we thought of joining them at one point but we got so carried away star-gazing the time went by.

With very best wishes for 2010. x K

Night falls on a decade

Just in case you're wondering, THIS IS THE MOON!!!

Couldn't resist getting the tripod out and taking a picture of the moon over Balcary Bay and Hestan Island. It's casting such a magnificent glow over the water and wet sand. It's so bright you could knit a couple of rows by it.
A neighbour lady called it a blue moon because it's the second full moon in a month.

I'm including a shaky hand-held picture so you can believe me it is the moon.

Can it really be ten years since we geared up to celebrate the dawn of a new millenium?

This decade has seen a lot of tears, but I don't want to dwell on that, I'm just going to linger on the thought that this decade brought me my beloved Jonathan, and for that I will be eternally grateful. And by that I mean, eternally. x K

Spoiled again this year!

There is a very uplifting tinge to Christmas this year because of a new addition to the wider family. A beautiful five-year-old has joined my in-laws' family, who as well as being someone to knit for, has also really enhanced Christmas. It really IS Christmas when there are little ones about, and I grab any excuse to release my thinly-veiled inner child. What fun.

I also feel very spoiled with my beautiful gift from DH, which was membership to the Old Maiden Aunt yarn preview club this winter. There were three instalments (Oct, Nov, Dec) and we got a foretaste of some of next season's colours on a variety of sock-yarn bases, as well as some extras and members' goodies thrown in. It was great fun, and the best bit is if I love any of the colours (which I do!) I can buy them in the normal way next season. Thanks DH for a marvelous gift. Old Maiden Aunt Webstore

Before I give the details of the goodies I mustn't forget how generous my in-laws were too. As well as giving us a joint household gift, I was also given a wee special voucher for the Outback Yarns section of the Gem Shop in Castle Douglas, a small but well stocked yarn department about the size of your broom cupboard. I must've been not too naughty this year.

Ok, these are the details of the yarns lying loose on the frost, in the third picture.
The range is the forthcoming "I made you this mixtape".

Back l-r
(Orangey) "Put on the Day" in Superwash Merino 4-ply
(Purply) "Derelict Daughter" in Merino-Cashmere-Nylon 4-ply
(Turquoisey) "Seen the Ocean" in Merino-Cashmere-Nylon 4-ply
(Greeny) "Bitter Bug" in Merino-Bamboo 4-ply
(Browny) "Midnight Owl" in Superwash Merino 4-ply
(Weirdy) "Strange Rock'n'Rollers" in Merino-Bamboo 4-ply

Hope Santa was as good to you all as he was to me. x K

Christmas Greetings

Happy Christmas everyone!
Here's to a peaceful one.
Lots of love, K x

Happy Saint Andrew's Day!

I haven't blogged in ages, there's a good reason for that, but in the meantime I would like to wish everyone a very Happy St. Andrew's Day.
God Bless Scotland, and God Bless You! x K

My end of the bargain

Here's what I made for my swap buddy for the Veiled Knitters' Exchange.
I can show you this now, knowing it has been well-received.

When looking for something to knit it was very important to read the questionnaire to find out what my recipient, yarndoggie, would like rather than knitting something I wanted, so I tried my best to make pattern, colour and yarn choices which suited her needs.

I made this Fallen Leaf Scarflette which was designed to be worn as a neck scarf, although yarndoggie may choose to wear it as a Chapel Veil. The pattern's by Cotton and Cloud.

It's made from the discontinued Rowan DK Soft and not Kidsilk Haze, which is the yarn called for. I do have some KSH but yarndoggie did not want a yarn which would shed, so I thought the DK Soft would be nice to keep the slight fuzziness while addressing yarndoggie's concern.

I can really see one of these in the future for myself because I really enjoyed making it and the result was very satisfying. 'Twas a little tricky reading the pattern from my screen as I had no access to a printer, but it was very much a fun knit which presented very few problems.

Yarndoggie says she is a girly girl so I added some beautiful Old Maiden Aunt sock yarn in Fraoch to appeal to her love of all girly colours Linky and to let her see the talents of Scottish based independent dyer, my friend Old Maiden Aunt . Must get some of this beautiful colourway for me me me! I was silly and forgot to photograph the yarn before sending it, but hopefully these links will keep you going.

I also threw in a wee tartan dishtowel, just for fun. x K

The rest of the goodies!

Here are the rest of the goodies from my parcel from America.
You can see that Dawn picked up on my love of blue!
In the foreground there is some Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in shade Midnight, which is the same yarn my two hats were made of.
Then there's some Cascade Yarns Fixation, which has 98.3% (yes really) cotton and 1.7 % elastane to give it that stretch for ribs etc.
They are fab because they are not yarns I could get hold of all that easily here, but my favourite is some local yarn which wenchciara bought at the State Fair. It's 100% lightweight wool (4ply-ish?)
from Sandy's Sheep Shop in Walkerton Indiana. The colour is a heathery shade called Lake Blue and has 44o yds in the cake- I can see a shawlette in my future.

Veiled Knitters Exchange on Ravelry

First blog post in a month! This work thing fairly gets in the way of hobby-time, doesn't it?
Well, the first post back after my break is about a pleasant subject- an international exchange on the Veiled Knitters Group on Ravelry .

I'm not a veiled knitter as such, but I do have a penchant for head-scarves, kerchiefs and all sorts of head coverings so I fit in there.

Here are some pictures of parts of my generous gift from wenchciara in Indianapolis.
What I can't show you at the moment are the yarn goodies she sent ie. some Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, Cascade Fixation and some beautiful artisan yarn from the State Fair. I forgot to bring them away with me to photograph. :-(

I can show you my two heid bunnets, worn as intended (as snoods) and as slouchy berets.
I love them! One is Lacy Starfish Snood by berrymama and the other is a simple hat with very nice tailored looking decreases on the crown.

I have posted my offering off to America (to a third party) and I hope it doesn't take too long to arrive so I can show you my handiwork. In the meantime here it is all wrapped up in Scottishy paper. x K