Monday 29 November 2010

Back In Blogland

The good old HP is back at home and the best news is it still has all my pictures and other stuff intact, needed a new fan or something, didn't really understand the guy in PC world, not technically minded, so just nodded, smiled, said thank you and legged it from the store to come home and stroke my 'pute!

So quick update, although I don't have pictures of everything to show you yet.

Some sparkly buns, I really love the specialness that glitter adds to cakes but the day I made these I also managed to make a sparkly curry and potatoes and naan, well, when there's a theme work with it I say;


Please turn head to left shoulder;


This was the view into my mega stash cupboard that once upon a time was half full, really tidy and well organised and is now, well, words fail me. I have managed to get some sorting done and have cleared a high shelf for storing the festive gifts from small hands and eyes.

I also sorted a pile of coordinated fabrics for my fabric buckets (as yet unmade) and placemats;


I mentioned before I made one and it was a little small, I have upscaled the pieces and have them all cut out but just haven't had time, this is the first one for you to admire. Front;


And back;


There are now a whole party of monkeys in my Folksy shop ready to be rehomed in time for Christmas;


I have made several custom order slouchy shoulder bags, here are two;




I went yesterday to the K&S in Harrogate, we got there early as we'd left plenty of time not knowing how far the snow had spread, it wasn't too bad here and the roads had been cleared etc. We had a great day and I have lots of buttons and some lovely things for gift making and a personal knitting project that I will share later in the week. It started snowing, alot, around 3pm so we revisited one or two stalls we wanted to go back and grab bargains from, went for a wee and set off to the car. It was hidden by about five inches of snow, horrid, cold, blowing horizontal snow. It was like being held hostage in a Christmas card!! We set off very slowly, the roads had not been gritted! It was very slow indeed, especially when there was a lorry stuck in Blubberhouses, it was very slidy and very scary, from skipton it was gritted and still slow but moving in a safe manner. It took us three hours to drive what had taken us 45 minutes earlier in the day! I found this vid of skipton to blubberhouses on youtube, it shows you what the road is like, it wasn't sunny, or light, or clear, you couldn't see the edge of the road or the car in front or the sky or the sheep!

Anyway, we made it in one piece with only one hairy moment which I'm not dwelling on today.

Off to find a blanket and some knitting!

Daisie xxx




Thursday 25 November 2010

I Said It So Well Last Year

I said it so well last year that I'm not going to say it again, nothing changes, it's still the same, we're just a year older but no wiser :)

Happy anniversary Simon, xxx

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Slow Down Time, Please

Another pictureless update;

The computer is still languishing in it's sick bed, oh come on already will you HP!!

I have completed five sets of festive bunting and posted two off already, I have lots of triangles left so am in need of making some more!

The manbag still has no buttons, I am just too fussy and cannot quite find the right ones.

The dinosaur has a body that is stuffed, a row of knitted plates on his back and is just awaiting some legs.

The hat/scarf combo is finished and ready to wrap.

The place mat pieces are all cut up and pieced ready to sew together when I get some time.

There is a Francesca Mummy made gift on the needles.

Elizabeth's measurements are in need of taking and I must get cracking with her Mummy made gift.

And, I saved the best until last, we have a wall, a proper hallway and everything. We have a shoe rack and coat pegs and am so happy with it I want to keep going out so I can open the front door and walk into it :))

Ceilings next Saturdy and K&S on sunday, a lovely weekend ahead, just have to get throught he week first!

Daisie xxx

Monday 8 November 2010

Triangles, Trianlges Everywhere!

Only a quick update as the computer has followed the example of the camera and has died a death on me, it's currently at the HP hospital and I am awaiting it's return to me soon! Elizabeth has very kindly allowed me to use her tiny wee acer (good job I don't have fat fingers is all I can say!) so I thought I'd drop in to let you know that the hat/scarf combo that wasn't on the list is nearly complete and Nathaniel's manbag is made (and looking rather brilliant) and just awaiting buttons, I have cut out about forty thousand festive traingles, have sewn some together, have ordered and taken delivery of the tape to make them into the ultimate in eco decorations. I made one placemat but it all came out a little bit smaller than I had planned so off to the greaseproof paper to draw up another pattern. Not bad progrees on the list front and we have taken up all the floorboards in the front room and replaced them with spangely new ones, I really was that excited I nearly weed, can't wait to be able to show you some pictures. Please remember when I say we I actually mean Simon!

Daisie xxx

Friday 5 November 2010

I Would Really Like.....

..... to make several gifts for Christmas this year as well as things for my beautiful, coming along nicely thank you, will be habitable by the end of December, handmade home.

I have lots of things planned in my head and wanted to just write them down for the record (I may make a list in the sidebar so you can see my progress and shout at me if it gets too slow).

For the house (you will soon realise Kirsty is not a patch on me)!

2 (if not more) quilted fabric buckets to sit beside the sofa for knitting and magazines and such stuff that usually clutters all surfaces in our house.

8 quilted table mats, I have taken inspiration from several posts about mug rugs, up scaled the whole idea and have a plan!

A table runner to match above.

A curtain to hide the bean bags and vaccuum behind in the cave under the stairs (which will be much more visible when the wall is knocked through and needs to be pretty).

For Christmas Gifts

1 knitted dinosaur (started but a long way to go for young master Sebastian).

1 man bag (for Nathaniel).

3 sets of bunting made with festive fabric.

1 funny hem skirt (Elizabeth's request, I'm going to measure her and do the Cal Patch thing and then get her to draw me the hem line she wants and do it in secret for a brilliant christmas suprise).

A mahoosive blanket/quilt affair for our bedroom, a gift to Simon and myself.

A fruit cake.

Several batches of mince pies but will leave til December.

A festive robbin.

3 fleecey bears.

1 green sock monkey.

I'm sure other things will pop into my head but I can't think of anything else I need to make at the moment......

So I just need to cram all of that around four children, school, nursery, seven hours peer support, playgroup, cooking etc.

Thank goodness I have someone to help with the house work;


Daisie xxx

Monday 1 November 2010

Boo!

I have never gone in for the Haloweenie thing, it just doesn't sit right with me. I feel like the Celtic new year celebration and some roman catholic saints celebration has all been mashed together and hijacked by big companies trying to make money. It has got bigger and bigger in recent years and I feel it's very much an American import. Haloween was never like this when I was a child.

Anyway, thanks to Disney and Club Penguin (social networking for small people) my girls have been a little obsessed this week so I gave in and we had a great afternoon carving pumpkins;


Elizabeth drew on the eyes, Nathaniel was in charge of noses and Francesca designed the mouths, I then got to work with a very sharp knife;




And we had delicious pumpkin and chilli soup for our tea;


We have saved all the seeds from the mush within and I would like to dry them out and make some pumpkin seed bread, any top tips on drying seeds?

We have had a busy half term holiday and progress on the house is amazing, we have a bit of the new floor down and it makes all the difference, we have walls and a newly cupboarded electric metre (phew). We still have a way to go but I have been looking at paint which means the end is in sight!

Today is the last day of the hols, all small people at home today, Simon at work so we are having a major clear out up stairs while he is not here to hear me shout at them help as I find it untrue that many hands make light work (think it must depend on the hands?!

Daisie xxx