Summer crafting

Sun, sun, sun! It's everywhere!

I LOVE a bit of sunshine, especially when I've got nothing else to do but relax in my little garden and eat ice cream......and not forgetting a bit of alfresco crafting. As you will have seen from a previous post, I have been busy altering some old clothes into new, summer friendly outfits.


Here is a picture of my finished skirt............I'm actually quite proud of this :)

The finished article

As modelled by me

As well as being on a 'mend and make do' mission, I've also been creating some new knitting patterns. I really enjoy making up my own patterns. They can take a while to work out and I sometimes have to make adjustments (as I change my mind about the finished item) but find the whole activity really fulfilling. There's nothing quite like receiving compliments on an item you've designed and created yourself.

Here is a little something I've been working on....................

A work in progress......... cable knit cushion

Have any of you ever designed and created your own crafty creations? I'd love to hear about them and/or see some pics :)



Lots of love,

KnittyNora xx

As time goes by..........

And so......another month has gone by since my last post. Unfortunately this is because of poor health rather my being too busy to post :(

Another trip to the specialist resulted with me spending another week in hospital...... I think I may need to start another blog for just my hospital visits! :) Thankfully, it seems that they may be closer to solving my health issues since the new team I've seen seem to know what's wrong......somewhat of a relief!

With feeling poorly much of the time I haven't had much energy for making. I have, however, done my very best to fit in some making when I can. This has mainly taken the shape of some baby bits and bobs for my friends who have recently had their first child. He is so sweet. I really love making things for other people.


Here is a little snap of one of the items:

Super cute little baby hat

With the weather changing here and there I've been making the most of sunny days by sitting in the garden and getting some help from my husband to plant some seeds and new plants. He is great at carrying pots and compost and I have the patience to sit and watch the plants grow....perfect combo :)
(I posted some pics of my plants in my last post....)

Unfortunately, some very naughty slugs and snails have decided that my little plants are so tasty they have decided to eat most of them :(

Anyone got any tips for keeping my veggies safe??!!



Speaking of projects....

Here's what I did with an old pair of cord trousers that were too big......

Cutting off the legs.........

Opening and restitching the seams around the bottom area

As you can see, I've chopped them up and made a low waisted skirt. Perfect for any season and great with a chunky belt. Just need to finish the hem :)

Not much to do now......

and so........off I go to pin the hem of my new skirt.....

hope you're all enjoying the sunshine :)

KnittyNora xx



P.s. The hat was made using a pattern from Debbie Bliss's 'The knitter's year'. The pattern is called 'Striped baby hat'.

Sunny Sunday - crafting in the great outdoors.

Let me set the scene for you.............

The sun is shining, the husband is out walking up mountains and I'm home alone with my crafting goodies.

Sounds good....?! :)

As some of you will be aware, I have been rather poorly recently and so my ability to go out chasing my husband up mountains is zero. Rather than dwell on my lack of energy for the outdoor activities I love so much I've decided to make the most of today and my brighter mood by doing the following:

1. Writing an update to my much neglected blog
2. Get back to some knitting and finish a top I started a while back
3. Sit in the garden with a glass of cloudy lemonade
4. Eat dinner in the garden

Well......why not combine the lot?! 

Great plan, KnittyNora! :)

And so, I'm off to sit in my garden, finish that knitted top and drink cloudy lemonade. When the husband gets back I'm sure he could rustle up something on the BBQ....... sounds like a great day!

Speaking of my garden.........



.....here is a little pic of my 'developing' wild flower patch in the corner of my garden - my little contribution to encourage wildlife to come and visit my garden.

We've since added some wild and fragrant flower seeds to the patch and just waiting for them to grow

 

....and some pics of my brand new veggie grow bags :)

New veggie grow bags

Tomatoes just starting to pop their heads out

Carrots

I'll be heading south later in the week for another investigative operation.....wish me luck! 

Wishing you all the very sunniest of Sundays,

KnittyNora xxxx



 Some happy stuff:

I recently entered and came first in a competition run  by the lovely folks at 33Hearts (http://www.etsy.com/shop/33hearts) 

Here is just one of the lovely items I won

Please pop over and say hi to them. They are very friendly and make some very cute items :)

A birthday, some new toys and a little inspiration.

Goodness me, it's been over two weeks since my last post.......... Ooops!

As many of you may already know, I have been rather poorly over the last few months and still have to juggle the good days (when pain is low) and the bad days (when all I can do is sleep). Since I'm unable to work at the moment I have been making the most of my time by reading craft blogs and seeking out inspiration from other makers and some beautiful new books I have recently acquired.


Yesterday was my birthday - happy birthday me!

I'm absolutely rubbish at asking for things so this year my husband got me to save weblinks to anything I liked in a special folder on the computer so that he knew what to get and could help friends and family decide what to get me too - GREAT idea! I don't feel awkward for asking and I know that people will be able to get me something that means a lot to me - in my case that's knitting books!

This year I also added a sewing machine to the list and a fantastic sewing book that I came across thanks to Kollabora (I LOVE that site). I didn't want anything too fancy since I am basically a beginner.

My tick list consisted of these main points:

• Cheap
• Suitable for a beginner - easy to use!
• Fairly lightweight so that I can move it on my own. 
• Basic range of stitches covered.

Thanks to my husband and Beldray, we found just that.......................

As a little treat on my birthday my husband took me to a fabric shop so that I could find some delicious fabric for my first official make on the new sewing machine. I found some beautiful material on sale - £5 a metre!

To start though, I thought I'd start with some fabric my husband's great aunt (Auntie Pat) gave me to play with.........so that I could practice my stitches and measuring skills :)

Pinning my seams

Beautiful floral fabric from Auntie Pat

Neat little side seam

Here is a link to the skirt I'm going to make:


http://www.kollabora.com/community/sewing/projects/one-hour-skirt

I'm so glad to have my hobby to keep me company whilst I'm at home. I'd love to hear if any of you have a new projects on the go.....??


I'll be back soon with some updates on the skirt :)

Love and best,
KnittyNora xx

Cushion or strapless top?........you decide

Here's a little something that I started on recently. It's a pattern I've created myself and therefore leaves lots of room for alteration and experimentation - my favourite!

A few cheeky snaps:

Simple cable detail

Hmmmmm.....what should it be?

Well.......it began as a cushion but I have to admit that I am very tempted to turn this little number into a strapless top for moi too :) Although.....could be both! A perfect excuse to go out shopping for more yarn.

Old skool sexy back sweater

I'm pleased to report that my old skool sweater (above and previous post) was featured on the Kollabora Facebook page. I was so pleased when I found my little top highlighted on their page......I was just a little bit proud and very excited. If you haven't discovered Kollabora yet.................do it!

Kollabora website: http://kollabora.com/

My featured item: https://www.facebook.com/kollabora

Please let me know what you think my latest creation should be...........

KnittyNora xxx

Putting the pieces together...........

I'm pleased to say that since picking up my knitting needles again I have been able to finish a project I started before going into hospital.

Here is a picture of the pattern.....................

and........here is the finished article!

Low cut, crossover back detail

Simple neckline. Perfect little number for wearing with jeans or a pretty summer skirt

As you can see, I have altered the pattern so that the top is sleeveless. I wanted to make something suitable for the summer months which can also be transformed into a cosy autumnal number with the addition of a long sleeve t-shirt underneath.

What do you think?

KnittyNora xxx

Hello again, lovely followers :)

Well, it's been a while! As some of you may have gathered from my Facebook page, I've been rather poorly for the past few months. After many a stay in hospital and a small operation, I am currently recovering at home. Unfortunately, this means that I have more than neglected my blog, Facebook page and crafting in general. Thanks to some very lovely friends, however, I have been able to read about other people's crafty journeys through the medium of beautiful crafting magazines.


When I've had the energy, it's been lovely to have a look at what everyone is making and have been introduced to the delights of Craftseller magazine. With pages full of tips for setting up your own craft business, beautiful (and free!) patterns and lovely stories from those readers who have taken the plunge and started their own crafty business it's sure to cheer up your day. If you haven't come across this magazine before you can find the website here: http://www.craft-seller.com/



Yesterday my husband took me for a short drive to get some fresh air and to enjoy the sunshine. Here are a couple of pics of what we saw.............

Beautiful sunny view at low tide

Spring lambs that were ever so friendly

Leaping rabbit!

And a much calmer relative of his :)

For now I am relaxing to some music from a couple of my favourite artists; Pentangle, Fairport Convention and Joni Mitchell, and enjoying a couple of new knitting books I have been gifted recently. I look forward to  making again soon, I hope!


Best wishes to all of my lovely readers and followers. I hope that you've all had a taste of the recent sunshine. It really does cheer you up and makes you feel like spring is (nearly) here :)

KnittyNora xx