Half Treble Anyone?

Oh I love You Tube, and generous people who pop up their video tutorials on there, and other sites.

So thanks to the KnitWitch I can now do a Half Treble (UK) or a Half Double Crochet (US). And by learning that I've now forgotten the other stictch that I learnt the other day!!!

I'm attempting to make the lovely wrist warmers, first spotted on Attic 24's site. I'm using a merino aran, that I accidently bid on on ebay (clicking before reading! I was after cashmerino!) Still it's a very nice blue. I'm doing 1 colour, as oppossed to multi, but I am a beginner. I'm definitely going to do the edging. And so far, so good. I was crocheting away watching a film on TV, that I already have on DVD!

Made 09

Made 09 is Brighton's Design and Craft Fair. You can see some pictures here.

I got to talk to Linda Miller about her embroideries, which in person, are fantastic. There's such charm to them.

She was very nice and self deprecating and really informative about he work. She has been doing it for 20 years, no wonder it looks so good! I would love to go on one of her courses. That would be something to save up for. I did watch her on TV this week, and she demonstrated her technique. She also told me that she has a book coming out next September. I think I will buy that!

I also met and bought a print and postcard from Quietly Eccentrics, or Lindsey Gardiner.

She was a really nice lady, the print and photo are at a shop being mounted and framed. They are for my son's bedroom. I'm trying to add some more art into it. A bit of a gallery if you like!

I also liked the stall run by Seed, supporting emerging artists and designers. I bought myself a very small work of art, threads in acrylic by Sarah Thomas, it's a smaller version of the photo below!

There were some lovely knitwear designers as well. Very tempting. I particularly lied Woodchild, who had great blankets and also Elsy and Vine, more gorgeous knitwear!

Happy Hooker

Last weekend I attended a 2 hour beginner's crochet class with Jan Eaton. She is actually retired and living close to me! So we were very lucky to have her run this class, as she normally does not do this anymore. Her friend works at the museum, where the workshop was, so I think that is what swung it! Anyway, Jan is a really really nice lady, full of life, very funny and incredible patient and friendly. 2 hours would never belong enough to get into much crochet, but she taught us how to chain stitch, slip stitch and do a treble stitch, and we all got started on some granny squares.

I have to say I'm now doing them every night, using up old wool that I have from a knitted blanket I made a while ago. I'm using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, I know this is cheeky, but if anyone has any (even just a bit of it, enough for a round, I'd be ever so grateful!) As with all things woolen, it starts getting expensive very quickly. My colour scheme is purple, pinks, green, blue, I'm not 100% happy with those colours, and think I need a few more to help blend the whole thing together. I'm probably going to add in some orange, rusty red, and a lime green, to give it some zest! So I'm putting my crochet hook on hold, until I pick up some more colours, that I can work in. I did however pick up an Erica Knight book up from the library, for some inspiration!

Retail Happiness

Firstly, sorry for being away so long. Been so so busy. Had my in-laws stay for 9 days. Now, about 9 or so days later, I've recovered!

Had 2 traumas on the sewing front, 1 may be recoverable, 1 i don't think so. I made the Tate Skirt from sew hip, and it was a disaster, their fault, with wrongly sized pattern pieces and so on. So I could rip it apart for the 4th time, or just leave it in the not quite right pile (which seems to be growing with my Heather Ross stuff I made!!!) From now on I'm either going to buy a pattern from the major pattern makers or just shop in a normal shop!!! Having said that Boden have SOLD OUT of the lovely spot skirt I wanted!!!! Curses. Sold out in EVERY size.

The other skirt, that may be salvageable, is my attempt at making my own pattern, based on a skirt in the toast catalogue! My husband's grandma is giving me all her old craft books, and one of them is a great pattern manual, from the 1970s, but is so comprehensive, it's fabulous!!! So using that and the Reader's Digest book of Sewing, I constructed my pattern. (I use IKEA kid's paper, that comes on a roll. Really handy for drafting patterns on!) It's nearly there, I've just got to get the side zip in, that will go in on a curve, between my waist and hip, and hopefully look smooth! I'm using an invisible zip for a neater finish.

Went to Gap today as they are running a 30% off week. I needed new jeans, but I guess I was having a fat day, as all the styles that I tried on, did nothing for me. So I left it! Skirts just seem more flattering, right now.

But what has been a success was my trip to Bert's Homestore, in Brighton. Just me, no children. So I could actually look at EVERYTHING they sell. It is such a great shop for kitchen and homeware. Really nice makes (actually they sell my friend's tinwear, Elite Boxes, which is nice as well).

As my husband always moans that my salad is not dry enough, I have bought a salad spinner. In, a lovely red colour, plus it's also a measuring jug, so therefore excellent value for money. Obviously I'm either 6 months too late or 6 months early with this, as we ate salad non stop throughout the summer months, and we eat it a bit less through winter!

I also bough a jelly mould, as they have to look special. So jelly will be made this week, for sure! My local veggie shop sells vegetarian jelly mixes. Also, I do need a larger mixing bowl. They had a pink plastic one, that looked cool, or some of those traditional ceramic ones (brown and cream ones). I will be going back in a few months to pick one up!

I have also been looking for some bits and bobs for our hallway table, letter holder, place for keys etc. And I happened to go into the Futon Company. See what you can do WITHOUT children with you, amazing! And bizarrely they had just the thing. I bought a nice bamboo letter holder, and also this little lidless box, with a slim drawer underneath it, to store your pens. Just the thing to pop a notepad in by the phone, and a place to leave my keys when I come home! I have to say these new purchases for my table, now make my table look like it needs an upgrade (which it does, it was bought years ago, for our old maisonette, where we had virtually no hallway, so we needed the smallest table for it! Now we have a large hallway, and a tiny table which needs replacing asap!)
So all in all, I had a good day, where I bought some improvements to my home. Small steps, sure, but happy ones all the same.