Wednesday 23 November 2011

WIP Wednesday no3


So its that time of the week to let you know how the knit/crochet has been going...

Ive been concentrating on my little crochet robins, and they are coming along really well.


Unfortunately the fun crochet section seems to go really quickly and all the fiddly embellishments and sewing seem to be slow going, but they are reproducing well and so far i have completed 6!!

I just need to get the ribbons attatched, so they become hanging decorations and then they will be available to buy on Folksy.
I have a feeling that next weeks post may be pretty similar as i have become quite obsessed with making these little birdies.............

Monday 21 November 2011

Days Out...

So i had 2 days out last week and an extra day off work - well it was my BIRTHDAY :)...

Firstly me and hubby went for a trip up to London. I wanted to go to Camden market as its been a long while since i last went, and i love the place and have been going since i was a teenager (so thats been a little while now!)

I love the bustle, the atmosphere, colour, smells and eclectic mix of people. We spent a few hours walking around the stalls and stopped for a chinese.. We managed to get a few more chrissy presents (not many left to buy now!) a hat each to keep snuggly warm in winter and i got another pair of gloves, and yes i know, you fellow crafters will but tutting as i could have knitted myself some!






Next we ventured to the centre of town, to check out the christmas lights around oxford/regent streets.






Not as impressive as they used to be (am i showing my age again!) but still bright n sparkly. I couldnt pass by without stepping into Libertys, i think Hubby was a bit stunned at the prices, but i had to check out the haberdashery department, but all i could afford to do was just stroke a few of the Rowan yarns!!





I also HAD to pop into Zaras as its my fave clothes shop and we dont have one in our local town, and i had to treat myself to a t-shirt of course! We also couldnt resist stepping into Hamleys. Its a bit of mad world in there, its a total theatre and hits all your senses, but great fun!  We carried on to piccadily and ended up in Leicester square where we ended the night in a cosy Italian restaurant...

My second trip out was to a local craft fair near Guildford. Neither of us had been before so didnt know what to expect. We enjoyed it, but could have been to alot better, and quite frankly i think it was a bit costly to get in for the size of it! Dont think its exactly going to encourage every-day-people to be a part of the craft world, putting a high price tag on it just make it for the elite, which i dont agree with. After the show, we went on to Godalming, which ive never visited before. We had a trawl round all of the charity shops, and ended up in a lovely little art shop, which was a right little treasure trove of craft goodies.......

Tuesday 15 November 2011

WIP wednesday - but actually on tuesday!!

So i've cheated and actually written this on tuesday, but that's because its my Birthday on Weds, and i'll be having a nice day out in London! :)

So this week i have been continuing with the 'crochet birdies' and the pink one is finally complete!

The sewing seemed to take forever this time, so the novelty has obviously worn off quickly lol...

Never-the-less i'm enjoying doing them, so ive got another one on the go already, and this time ive decided to do Robins for Christmas (even tho i dont normally have anything to do with the C' word!) i did think they would be kinda cute!  I just need to get some black thread to complete the eyes and brown ribbon for the tails!!

Thats all ive managed so far as i have been at work every day, but check in again soon as im having 2 days out this week, so it'll be fun, fun, fun....

Wednesday 9 November 2011

work in progress wednesday -WIPW

Had a trip to Oxted on-route to visiting my mother-in-law, and took a look in the factory shop. Not sure if it was wise, but i came out with a big smile on my face and a big bagful of yarn. They had lots of different fancy yarns, with 5 balls in each bag for a bargain price, so really how could i resist!!

So today is wednesday and my day off from work, so its my craft day.

With so much yarn to choose from, there was a whole host of ideas to get going on, but i was good and continued with one of my projects that i have started, and i wanted to complete my pink birdies...
                      
I havent managed to complete them yet, this is still a "work in progress", mainly because i need to purchase some large sewing needles as this yarn is too thick to fit through the eyes of the needles i have.


I had some luck at my local charity store today, as i spotted a wooden box just being put out on the shelf. It is beautiful and has 3 tiers which open out. This is going to be my little sewing box to keep the little bits in......


Blue birds completed - new birds in progress

So my 'bluebird' decoration has been completed and i'm very pleased with the outcome, and proud of my accomplishment, as i've been learning crochet techniques along the way. I had crocheted 'small circles' before when making flowers but i needed to make a much larger version.

Then i needed the technique to do a small traingle for the beak, and thanks to 'youtube' vids i was able to pretty easily.


Then out came the traditional knitting dolly, so i could knit the cord for them to hang on.


Lastly, my sewing skills were put to the test! For those of you who know me this is not an area i excel in nor enjoy, but i managed fairly easily, tho i guess it helps that the stitches cant be seen in the texture of the yarn. I found various ribbons to use for the tail and embroidered around wooden donut beads for the eyes. For the finishing touch i added bells at the bottom.

I have now been inspired to continue making more of these, as it was something different for me and a learning process, so i will try another colourway and im even thinking some robins for xmas decorations could be fun!!