Be Careful What You Wish For….

I have been a little naughty recently, haven’t made time for my blogging, so I thought I better get on with it.

When I first started knitting again, I was quite dejected as things weren’t selling quite how I imagined. I knew it couldn’t be my amazing knitting so there had to be some other other reason, so I sent my gorgeous grandson out on an undercover mission…

Off he went on the bus with his mum and before long someone enquired where she got his knitted hat and cardigan, the lady was hooked and that afternoon said she would like to order 3 cardigans with matching hats. I just so happened to be working on an outfit in the right size and posted a pic of it…..not only did she want it but lots of other people did too.
Now that was great, I was over the moon, my knitting was for a real purpose again instead of sitting here mocking me..the only problem was the hat. Never have I had such trouble with a pattern. It’s not the pattern that was complicated, but the maths involved in it, whatever I tried the numbers just didn’t work. I managed to make it work, with a little fiddling but I am not friendly with that pattern anymore and face the prospect of knitting many more!

Here is the offending outfit pretending to look all innocent

I’ve named it The “Ethan” set after the grandson of the lovely Maria from Made By Maz.

Well I showed my new customer Emma another pattern I had and she was happy to have one of these as part of her order, I’ve named this set “Alfie” after her cute little boy and she was nice enough to send me this pic of him wearing it.. It’s made in Stylecraft “Life Chunky” and is really soft and snuggly.

Doesn’t he look as snug as a bug in a rug?

Well Emma has ordered two more of these sets, and matching mitts for them all.Therein lay another problem, try as I might I couldn’t find a a pattern for mittens in chunky or Aran yarn and had to adjust an old double knit pattern I had. I was very pleased as the second attempt worked and so I now have a template for others.

In between all these sets, I’ve managed to squeeze in some more hats

Some scarves…

The scarves were made to order, I think these would make great Christmas gifts and they come in lots of different styles and colours. This customer had 3 and I have a funny feeling she’ll be back for more 😉

I also managed to sneak in a present I have made for Christmas for a lovely little man..

I also received my business cards

and my fantastic sister Marie of Baileyrosy made these amazing tags for me, they are so beautiful I don’t want to attach them to my outfits. What a talent she has, I love her to bits.

So like I say, be careful what you wish for, I’m rushed off my feet now, but I absolutely love it and I’m making some lovely new friends along the way and doing my bit to make the babies of Britain all warm and snuggly for the winter.

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting, you can visit my Etsy shop for some ready knitted items or if you would like I can add you to my waiting list. Just send me a message X

I have a confession to make

Well since my last blog I have been having difficulty thinking about what this one would be about. I enjoy my knitting but I’m sure that there are only so many times anyone who pops by can be entertained by the sight of yet another hat or knitted baby coat. So I’ve just plodded on with my knitting as usual, trying to think of inspiration for the next instalment of my blog.

Whilst I was plodding I managed to make this

 

Its a jacket in white (honest it’s white, the lighting makes it look a weird colour.)

With its matching bonnet, I had to thread 10 metres of lilac ribbon through, and then sew it all in place. 

The pic above shows it with its matching bonnet. I sewed on pretty lilac “pearl” beads around the hem of the jacket, the sleeve edges and the bonnet edge, and also added some white lace to the bonnet and edge of the coat. I added  matching ribbon ties to the bonnet and finished these with white rosebuds.

Still contemplating my topic, I also whipped up this ballerina type wrap in age 1-2 using the lovely Debbie Bliss Prima yarn, it really is a pleasure to knit with and the finished result is lovely. 

I wasn’t sure where to place the ribbon bow, but I think it looks ok where it is?

 

Still pondering, I knitted this snuggly winter set, which is suitable for aged 3-6 baby boys, using Robin Jelli-Been yarn

It has a lovely texture and the pattern is quite simple but I think it’s effective too

All this knitting and still no inspiration and so I forced myself to use up a bit of my spare yarn and made this pretty bonnet, which is in the same pattern as the first set I made

and here is the back

and then it hit me like a bolt of lightning (though not quite so painfully.)

 

When I started knitting again a few months ago, I had one ball of wool and 2 pairs of needles, of course I’ve had to add to my needle collection because of the different projects I have been working on. 

But my bureau which was once filled with cross stitching equipment has been invaded by yarn, the side of my sofa is  packed with yarn, I have tins filled with accessories including my newest addition which is a row counter I can wear around my neck and just click when I finish a row, sounds dull and boring but I love it! I have a box full of beads, another full of ribbons, containers brimming with buttons….you get the drift? My dining room now has a huge washing basket full of yarn for future projects and yesterday I had to go a buy another sort of tall thin wicker container to put in my hall to fit yet more yarn in. This morning I have been planning another trip to the fantastic Black Sheep Craft Barn and that’s when I realised the truth….

MY NAME IS KAREN AND I’M A KNITAHOLIC

There, I’ve said it now, it’s out there in the open and a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I just can’t help myself though, yarn and all its related goodies hold a strange and evil power over me. I can’t help myself when I’m near them and so I have to go to rehab….

Hubby is whisking me away to a hotel for the night, he’s decided to try and wine me and dine me on the proviso that I don’t take the knitting needles with me, wondering if I can sneak some in some there somewhere.

Just the thought of being without my beloved knitting is making me shake and sweat a little, but we’re not going till later, so I’m off to get my fix.

WIsh me luck and happy crafting!