Inspiration Realisation: 1

This is a segment that I've been thinking about for a long time. We are swamped by inspiration thanks to the wonderful powers of the internet: blogs, pinterest, instagram. With Pinterest particularly, I know that it can become very easy to hoard that inspiration, but never act on it. Who else here has several boards, with hundreds of pins, but you never seem to make anything?

I think we should change this: actually make what we said we wanted to.

I found this pin while I was looking for an idea for a friend who recently had her tonsils taken out, just a little something to cheer her up. I followed the link, which came out at an etsy store, but which wasn't selling any more. So I had a think This was a crochet project, but who's to say it couldn't be knitted?

So I gave it a try.

Mine I don't think is quite as cute, but you get the idea. I used a basic pattern for knitting mug hugs to do the base. In hindsight, I think it's possibly a bit too wide, but that's something to keep in mind for when I knit the pattern again. I knitted two tiny triangles, and my sister, bless her, crocheted a nice circle for the nose. I sewed all of these on, added two buttons for the eyes, and then I was done. It was fairly quick and simple, and it has an impact. She loved it, which is all that matters.

Nice to start actually making these projects that I saved!

The Great British Sewing Bee... An inspiration

Source

The Great British Sewing Bee is back on our screens!!! YAY FOR CRAFTY TV!!!!

I love watching the sewers every week, running around. I can't imagine how they cope with that sort of pressure - time constrained sewing?! Sounds like hell to me... I always like to take a break, eat a biscuit etc..

Of course, I've chosen my favourites already.

1) Neil. As a military child, of course I have to side with an army man. He uses military terminology (the word 'gopping' when describing the pattern he made his trousers from in week 1) and he is clearly a very skilled sewer. I found him instantly likable

2) Deborah. I love the way she dresses, and her personality is just so much like someone I'd want to be friends with. I love her. While at the moment her pieces have been a bit middling (apart from that beautiful dress from week 1) I really look forward to seeing more from her.

While I doubt I'll ever be good enough to try my hand at anything like the Sewing Bee, to me, it serves one, primary function of inspiring me to take up to my sewing machine and to attempt to sew myself  something that I could feasibly wear.

Now, I'm no beginner sewer, I've been sewing for eleven years. However, I am much more skilled at more, what I would deem 'simple' projects e.g. cushions and quilts. I always seem to get halfway through a pattern and then stop.

But not this time. I am determined. While digging through my stash, I found three uncompleted garments: a shirt that needs basic finishing (which I abandoned because I didn't have any bias binding), one skirt that was left with the pieces darted and tacked but never sewn (I was contemplating how to attach a zip), and another skirt that is basically just a gathered piece of fabric at this time...

I'm going to finish them.

Now that I have all of this time on my hands, and a huge stash of fabric, I thin it's high time that I did some selfish sewing. I'm always making gifts for other people: a quilt for the sister's birthday, a cushion for Mother's Day.... And that's just sewing! Admittedly, I have made myself cushions before, but I so very rarely knit something for myself - my Ravenclaw Scarf was quite an anomaly!!!

So I'm on a mission. To pay myself a little bit more attention. This year is going to be the year I actually make things for myself (I make this statement, because I actually have the time to do it... a novelty to any crafter, I'm sure!)

How about you? What do you think about this season's Great British Sewing Bee? Are you a 'selfish crafter'? I'd love to know.

Love, Rachel.

17

A Hat.

 

For Christmas, one of my friends expressly requested that I knitted her a green hat. With two pompoms. Daunted by this prospect, I used 9mm needles and basically knitted a rectangle with 4 rows of rib at each end, then sewed up the two sides. As far as I am aware, she is very happy with it.

 

I used 2 balls of wool for this, a green and a white, which I knitted together throughout to give the density of a chunky wool

 

Oh, and yeah - my sister made the pompoms because I am hopeless at them!!!

 

50 Things to Make

Hat Time!

It is once again time to think about the Big Knit, by Innocent Smoothies....

Knitting gorgeous, little hats! And all in aid of raising funds for Age UK!

I have already surpassed my total of *cough*four*cough* last year, and already have ten! And with about a month to go, I'm sure I can get a few more out as I cosy up in front of NCIS for the night! Perfect relaxation from school.

I am, however, in dire need for advice on what to put on my hats apart from pompoms - I hate them! and I can never make them small enough!
Do you have any ideas?

Camera Experiments: Knitting as a subject

 

I never quite realised how intriguing knitting was as a subject: texture, lines, colour....

 

And yes, I nearly forgot again, but didn't , so there we go.



14

A Scarf

 

Or rather, scarves...

 

This is an amazing type of wool, it's all loopy and creates this great ruffle effect. I can also pick it up quite cheaply, as I know a place where I can buy the balls for £2. Marvellous! I am a frugal present giver, as one of these is perfect for a gift, and I feel satisfied in giving them. They look so much more difficult than they are, and can be knotted in a night.

 

The blue one is my favourite, although, the pink one is ideal for a girly girl.

 

Do you have any cheap and easy crafts to use as gifts?

 

50 Things to make



7

Something Harry Potter

Thou eyes doth not deceive you: that is indeed a Knitted Snape Cushion.

Creepy, isn't it?! Ah well, 'twas knitted for my best friend's Birthday, so I hope she liked it. I finished it back in February and have been dying to share it ever since - I feel I do not do enough Potterness here any more, but oh well.

Pattern came from here, and was simplified down to only three colours by me. I don't think the work suffered much in doing so.

50 Things to make

6

Something Knitted
 



Knitted, completed and left in loving hands 'up North'.

A little Cafetière cover, knitted in pastel blue and green, on 4mm needles, from the book '20 to Make: Knitted Mug Hugs'. I love these books, as the projects are so simple and easy, and I'd recommend them for any beginners, and more advanced knitters for simple projects.

 

Amazon

The projects range in difficulties - from simple purl and knit stitched ones, to cables, fair isle, knitted motifs -they're all so lovely! And can be knitted in an afternoon. I particularly like the bunting one, which I may make for myself at some point. They'd also make great gifts, if attached to a specific mug also, so are a cheap option also, if you find a nice one in a second hand shop.

 

I would say though, that some doctoring may have to be done in order to get the 'Hugs' to fit the right sized mugs - five repeats were recommended, yet here it was only necessary to do three. They knit up in two ways - one starts with the button band and works horizontally,the other works from the bottom up and adds a button band. I would recommend the former for the first time, as you can cater the length to a specific size of mug by just missing out a few repeats.

I lie.....Two Knitted Things!

A Mug cosy which turned out to be far too big for most of the mugs that have ever existed, so is currently being modelled by a glass. Another example of where the patterns didn't work out quite to a suitable size

 

50 Things to Make

2

A doll.

 

 

Meet Flopsy, the Ravenclaw Bunny, my new Blog Mascot! She has blue and white striped tights, and a textured scarf!

 

I found the Pattern in one of the 'Let's Knit' magazines that I had lying around, and fell in love instantly. Wouldn't you? She's so cute! Knitted using Double Knitting wool and 6mm needles, she didn't take me as long as I expected (I was hoping to get her done before Easter, minimum). If anything, the longest it took me was to knit her final ear, as by that point she was fully assembled and my willpower had somewhat disappeared...

 

But I am very pleased with my creation,and she is my second item to strike off of my 50 resolutions, which are lagging somewhat, or at least in write ups... but then, I am swamped with work and revision already for my June exams - expect more over my summer holidays good blog people!

 

I am also in the process of setting up a second blog, with a Wordpress account instead, so that I can record my more cultural thoughts and collate them in one place... so things like ideas from my philosophy club, museum visits, my random historical explorations... please let me know if you would like the address, I'm still working on getting a rota of ideas for it.

 

Currently, Flopsy is wearing a Jedi costume from my sister's 'build-a-bear-workshop' collection. This pleases me more than you can possibly imagine.

 

50 Things to Make



Knitting in Potter: Goblet of Fire

Instalment Number 4! Created on a slightly more pressed-for-times basis than the previous ones....

 

Knitting in this film was a bit sparse. Now, if sewing was my aim,I would be able to give you a plethora of examples - the Yule Ball! I mean, The Yule Ball!!! It was gorgeous...

However, I have managed to find a few...

 

Hermione has a very pretty pink fair isle... shame that it's a  turtle neck really...

Ron likes stripes.

Neville and a Cardigan! The foundations have been laid!

The uniforms,are pretty much the same as in the third film.

 

Ginny Weasley... and a very colourful hat (she must take after her mother)

These here have a combination of two elements: the Quidditch world cup supporters scarves,and the Weasley Twins geometric cardigans...

 

The hats! Look at the Hats! (they have returned....)



 

My favourite, this time, is a quote. By one of the Weasley Twins. Again. Sorry. Is my obsession showing? It is Knitting related! 0:23

 



Knitting in Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban

There was a Distinct style change to this film. By this, I am implying the wider use of knitwear - it's Everywhere!

 

There's a myriad from Hermione and Ron throughout (somehow Harry avoids it...)

I love this part of the film....

Same as in The Leaky Cauldron

 

Mr Weasley's Red scarf, and Mrs Weasley's Cardigans... again....

 

And we have a new school Uniform! I like it a lot... the thinner stripes actually make it look more school-ish - The Quidditch Jumpers, however, are still the same.

A change from the grey to black, and only with thin stripes at the cuffs and the hem.

 

Lupin's Cardigans...

 

Ron's patch knitted blanket.
 

 

Proudly, Neville's first fairisle...
 

A sign of many great things to come....

 

But my Favourite (quite possibly as I'm biased) are The Weasley Twin's hats. Or it may just be that I love the Weasley Twins. Either way, they're nice hats.

Craft Review: Week 37: Sunday 2nd - Saturday 8th September

I went back to school this week.

But, it's a new school, and this time, I'm studying A-Levels - they're a lot of work.

Things are going to get a bit more sparse around here - There's only so much one can cope with when they return from school at 6pm, 11 hours after they left...

 

So, before anyone asks: Physics, Maths, History and Art. So, I'm not being completely hopeless, I do Art every single day.... Every Single Day!!!

The flip side of this is being the only girl in a class of 5 boys in Physics... I'll let you know how that gets on.... It would be better if they even tried to talk to me....

 

Anywho,back to where we were.

 

On Monday, before my return, I completed the other petals for mum's poppy. That's all; I still need to stitch them and create the middle, but I have the petals.

 

Also, on Tuesday, when I got home, I finished knitting a scarf for one of my cousins for either her birthday/Christmas Present.... (Photo unavailable, as mother has squirrelled it away!)

 

And then we have Art, where, at the moment, we are just drawing/painting/recording ANYTHING that we want AT ALL!!!!

It's just so wonderful.

 

 

 

Knitting in Potter : The Chamber of Secrets

Part 2. If you missed Part 1, see here.

 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a very school related film. It focuses mainly on their exploits during term time,and very little out of hours is seen. The Hogwarts uniform is prominent,as is the Quidditch kit - seen a record 3times in this film!- There are However,a few pieces before term starts.

 

The cable Jumpers return, Ron's in the car,and Harry's red one makes a second appearance. Hermione has a sky blue jumper, with a fair isle neckline - hints of things to come - and of course Mrs Weasley. Her Cardigan definitely looks like a stash buster....
 

You know the scene I mean...with the Diary? Talking to Riddle? Ah, never mind...

In Diagon Alley at the beginning? No, no... just me....

 

But my best reference to knitting in this film, has to be Mrs Weasley's enchanted knitting needles. Aren't they cool! And the knitting on them is quite pretty as well!