Yarn bowl

A hand made beauty, to help me with my hand knitted beauty.

Teachers gifts

A little idea

I have been so busy doing other things, that I have had no time to do any blogging, plenty of time to look at other blogs ( love Little Cotton Rabbits and Attic 24 ) lots of time on mumsnet!!!, doing embroidery and lots of knitting, but no time for blogging. So at last I am making time to tell you what I have been doing, although writing this will take me days!!!!!!!

After making the little Ladybird brooch, I wanted to do some more small embroidery, so I thought that I would run with the brooch idea.

So I just put some calico in my ring frame, and used a pencil to draw on the rectangle.

Then drew lines that would form the wheat. I then decided that it was to big and cut it down!!!!(planning!!!)
I selected some lovely wheatie colours with a little green at the bottom, and blue at the top, and just started at the top and went with it. (who needs planning)
All done with a single stranded cotton.
Then trying to remember where the lines are I used 'trailing' to embroider in the main stem of the wheat.
Then three bullion knots formed the grain, and to make them show up a little better, just a little stitch of the terracotta behind.
To turn it into a brooch I had to finish the edge some how, and decided to use two rows of trailing, which enabled me to cut it out with out any other edging.

Finished.

Just wish that my ring frame had not broken half way though, as this meant that I had to take the calico out of the frame to fix it, and as there was stitching on the fabric its impossible to get the lines straight again, but I had a little search on the inter web and found the perfect thing!!!! More when I have pictures.

Cakescakescakes

I have done nothing else this week but knit cakes, and enjoyed every minute, the pattern came from cakescakescakes on Esty. Wonderfully simple and quick, and used up some of the stash (added to it as well!!!!!!!)

Have managed to frame up some calico for my next embroidery project, I just need to be able to get the idea that's in my head on to the fabric.

Busy Summer Break

So long time no blog, but have been busy doing stuff, to start with a lovely holiday on The Isle of Wight, lots of buckets and spades, castles, painting pottery, trips on boats to see the needles up close.

Then a little Knitting, first time lacy knitting,

Then P.W. goes all War and Peace for two weeks, rubbing shoulders in Waitrose with people dressed up in full army gear, and parking next to armoured cars in the car park.

Then a little cross stitch.

Then recycled the kids in the new plastic and tin box.

Then Fred wants to learn to knit.

Still working on my cardigan, now working on first sleeve.

Break up the boring knitting with exciting knitting, tart pattern from cakescakescakes on etsy

Had a little time left for lawn laying, and large planter filling.

And at the end of all that, sat down a spent five minutes thinking about next embroidery project, which as you see is still in the ideas stage, and i still have some more cakes to knit.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Adding Insects

I have at last sewn down the flower and leaves of the stump work. The kit shows the flower on a little piece of ground, i was worried that i would not be able to finish the bottoms neatly, but it went a lot better then i thought and was able to finish of the bottom edge with buttonhole stitch to match the sides, and no hunk of ground needed to cover it up! I am so pleased that i used the silk, it makes it look so much better. I decided to add a butterfly, and having looked at the colours i had in my thread box, i could not resist the blue, so roughly copied a common blue butterfly. I firstly split stitched the darker lines in, and then using long and short, filled in the other areas.

The butterfly was finished of with a bullion knot and a couple of the smallest french knot i could manage!

Having enjoyed making the butterfly, i wondered whether i could add anything else, and as i have just treated myself to a set of clip on magnifiers, in an attempt to see as i did before the cataracts something small was in order, and what better than a ladybird, worked in four colour. black, two shades of red and a little light gray. But having worked him, I decided not to work one on the picture, and to turn this sample bug into a brooch!!!

Knitting seasons over!!!!!

Knitting season is over, I think that I am all knitted out for the moment, as you see from the photos, the little bear is bear no more! She is modeling a fine set of cream and pink Pj's in cotton 4ply, and with the help of Alister the duck, is also showing of her dressing gown.

She also has a lovely hat with pom pom and a little pair of slippers, great fun to make. There is also, on the pattern, even more clothes to make, but the first thing that India did when i gave her the bear was to take the clothes off!, so no more yet!

Long live Embroidery

Here is the stumpwork all ready for me to get started on again, I have not used the fabric that the kit come with, it is a mid blue colour, and the fabric quality is poor. I found in the cupboard a lovely ivory silk, and i have sewn it on to some calico as a backing. I know it will take me ages to get the leaves and flower sewn down as they do need to placed just right. As yet i am still undecided about what else will go in the picture, i may have a little play on another piece of fabric and use what works.