Cosy

Cute as a button! A lovely simple pattern 'Miss Maggie Rabbit' from Alicia at Posie gets cozy. A boy in rocket pyjamas for the little man and a peasant girl for little miss. I have loved making these and am planning to expand their wardrobe with cardigans and hoodies all in Alicia's shop.

Have a happy weekend! I will be knitting teensy clothes, 

Sarah x

Spinning out of control

It's true I am but not in the way you think, its my new obsession. I got my spinning wheel for my birthday at the end of March and I have been spinning ever since. I also treated myself to a drum carder from Classic carders which was a very big treat luckily I had some birthday money to spend.

I am really enjoying spinning and I have so many fibres to try from wensleydale to merino to milk protein. I have loads of coloured merino from when i used to use it for wet felting to make bags, so I have been using it to practise. I also managed to buy some raw fleeces to make some lovely natural yarn I have a wensleydale all curly and very long, a brown alpaca, a white alpaca to dye, a hebridean, and a Shetland. Being raw I have to prepare them first washing and carding. So I have lots of work to do before I can spin them.

My first yarns are 'interesting lumpy' but i am getting better the more I practise.

Makes

My very first Mollie Makes Make!

Love Wild things dresses

Loving knitting at the moment sorry its keeping me away from blogging:-)

Quick as a flash

I can't believe it's February already, January has been and gone in a flash, it always does. As soon as Christmas is over its my little boy's birthday. We had a Lego theme this year and we had some little friends over and had a tea party.

lego pinata

I had an exciting couple of days last week. I went on a spinning course with a lovely lady from near Cambridge. I was the only student and we spun in her little cottage in the country. We had homemade soup and bread warmed in the Rayburn for lunch and visited her flock of rare breed sheep. It was a wonderful two days especially because we got to see the sheep in the snow,it was picture perfect and silly me forgot to take my camera.

Spinning itself looks a lot easier than it really is, she likened it to rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time. I think I got the idea by the end of the second day and I managed to make three small balls of wool. I used fleece from many different sheep- Kerry hill, Manx, Leicester long wool, Wensleydale as well as angora goat and alpaca. The Alpaca was my favourite as it comes in a longer length (staple) and has a beautiful lustre.
I came home with three small balls of wool and promptly knitted a head band to tame my curly locks and keep my ears warm and, a woolly sheep toy.

I have been bitten by the bug and have asked for a spinning wheel for my birthday... I wondered if the birthday fairy will bring one? I have given him loads of warning as its not until the end of March.

sheep pattern on my ravelry  page from Julia @ handknittedthings. Anyone got any idea how to get a ravelry button on my blog? Everytime I do it nothing seems to happen, then I go back to amend it by editing and its blank????

Merry christmas

I have been so busy over the last few weeks that I haven't had a chance to post all my Christmas activities. So I thought I would pop by to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. The chalkboard is one of my advent swap gifts from Julie at tales from toadstool house.

The tree was up quite early in December but it took a few days to get around to decorating it.

 Some more gifts from Julie.

I went to an evening course in a local village pub to make a door wreath and table decoration.

A few handmade gifts were finished off.

Last minutes stockings were made last night for the baby and my sister's new born who is now 12 days old.

Some teacher's presents were made- stem ginger cookies from "The great British book of baking" and decorated with crocheted holly sprigs from Attic 24. I hadn't time to take a picture of them as soon as I had sew the last few leaves at breakfast we had to scoot out of the door to school to deliver them... very close to the wire as always.

A last minute hat was finished for a friend's daughter as a surprise Christmas present. ( free pattern from Ravelry)

I won a giveaway at hand knitted things which now takes pride of place by the fireplace- until I find a more permanent home.

What seems like millions of presents have been wrapped.

Mince pies have been made from the mincemeat I made in November....and devoured with lashings of cream.


I think we are just about ready for the big day. I wish I could have made more handmade presents this year, but time seems to slip away too quickly with two little kiddlywinks to look after. Maybe next year...

Happy Christmas to everyone...
And a Happy New Year.

Advent fun!

I entered in my first advent giveaway this year and I was lucky enough to get Julie from A tale from toadstool house as my swap partner. I forgot to take pictures of the swaps I sent to julie so you will have to visit her to see them. I recieved a huge box wrapped in red spotty Paper and inside 12 wrapped gifts one to open every other day in advent. We felt 24 presents was too many and to be honest it's hard to think of that many presents to give.

This was day 1 a gorgeous advent calendar incorporating all of my favourite things toadstools, owls and snow, it's so cute. And Julie made the cute little robin inspired by something she saw in country living.

Day 2 was a lovely red scarf which I have forgotten to photograph but I have already worn it loads especially in the recent snow.

Day 3 was a lovely candle in a tin tea cup, also super cute.

Day 4 was a Christmas tree pencil topper and some cath kidston pencils.

Thank you Julie I am really enjoying opening these presents.

Good Thoughts

It's a short one tonight, just to let you know Chipper Nelly is sharing a wonderful giveaway on her blog.

 I am not a very religious person but can you all pray and send good thoughts to a very sick little boy I know, who needs help tonight to get him through.

xxx