Weekly(ish) Update

Dear Friends,

 Sadly my updates will be intermittent for a while due to my poor laptop breaking so I will be updating when I get the chance to use other people’s computers.

I’m glad to be updating with good news, my sewing machine is finally back and running like a dream. I’m being extra careful with it now and making sure I change the needles for different types of fabric and I couldn’t be happier, I’m looking forward to whipping up a bunch of sewn goods for Maggie Makes Stuff.

I have a wedding coming up in a few days and I have just finished knitting a clutch bag for the big day. The yarn is very thick, and has a beautiful sheen to it. I always feel like a genius when I do cable work as it looks so complex when it’s finished. I lined it with green fabric to match my bridesmaid dress and I’m very please with the finished results.

You may remember just before my sewing machine broke I had made a re-usable sandwich wrap from oil cloth fabric. Well I was so excited when I got the sewing machine back that I whipped up this re-usable snack back to match. I think a few people might be getting matching lunch sets for Christmas.

As you can tell I have been busy with my beloved machine since I got it back and since the weather is turning I have been thinking of making a few hand warmers for Maggie Makes Stuff, they will be filled with wheat, you just pop them in the microwave for a minuet and Bing! Toasty warm hands. I'm planning to do them in sets of two so you can have one in each glove/pocket.

Well I hope I can get back to updating regularly soon. If you do miss me (lol) then follow me on twitter as my phone is working just fine J

Weekly Update

Greetings Friends,

Well this week has flown by. I went to visit some lady friends form university last weekend and had a great time catching up over fine food and cocktails. On the journey I managed to get a few hexipuffs made which brings the total up to 33!

I also picked up some sock yarn from an amazing crafty shop is Salisbury, it has so much fabric and yarn, it was awesome. I’m pleased to have more colours going into the hexipuff collection I think the next colour purchase needs to be some orange or yellow colours.

Well the sewing machine it still at the manufacturers getting fixed, I spoke to them on Tuesday and they said they are waiting for a new motor to put in it, sigh! I haven’t heard anything since Tuesday so I’m hoping some progress has been made. If the machine is not fixable I might request a refund and get a less complicated machine as it is easier to fix and maintain a simpler machine. Sob, I just miss having it so much. When I get it back I just won’t know what to do with myself as I’ve been without it for so long.

So the weather seems to be turning for the worse here so it’s time to think about this years winter hat. I seem to be leaning towards a cloche design, this is the short list so far is:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/slouchy-hat-with-picot-edge a slouchy hat with a lovely picot edge

This very cute cloche with crocheted cable http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/boutique-ribbed-cable-cloche---crochet-version

This very classy cloche with botany inspired detail http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/regina-2

I think I will also keep looking and maybe think about designing my own pattern as I would like to incorporate buttons into the design.

And with thinking about winter hats the Christmas make list creeps into the back of my mind…oh the horror!

Update

Greetings Friends,

Apologies for the not so weekly, weekly updates. I have had a series of busy weekends. Last weekend I was collecting my Granny form the airport. She is the amazing woman who planted the seed of crafts and nourished it with bits of fabric and scraps of wool to make the craft nut you know today. She is Awesome, she has super human bargain hunting skills, she presented me with a bag of 7 balls of sock yarn that she got from a charity shop (thrift store) that she paid 35p a ball for! The charity shops in Scotland are an untapped resource! I was so excited about showing her my crocheted jacket and she loved it so much I’ve had to lend her the book for the pattern. Anyway… I tried to explain hexipuffing to her over the phone and failed and managed to show her when she came to visit, I tried to teach my mum to hexipuff but I can’t say it was very successful.

I also went to Thorpe Park at the weekend. It’s the first theme park I’ve ever been to and it was amazing. I got a sore throat from screaming on all of the rides and ate far too much sugar.

Well back to the crafty stuff.

Hexipuffing current total is 24! I’m stepping it up a bit now as I have many weekends away and it’s an easy project to pick up and take with me and knit on the train/bus. Thanks to Granny’s kind gift I have loads more sock yarn to play with as well. Which reminds me, I have promised many pairs of socks to beloved, best get started soon.

It was my mum’s birthday this week. She has had many of my hand made projects inflicted upon her and it’s hard to think what I can make for her now. This year I made her a keyring:

Which I am quite pleased with and I gave her one of these awesome Tea Wallets. I got the idea from Craftster but I used it to keep handbag essential in like plasters and paracetamol etc. I think it will come in very handy.

It’s also my friend Ellie’s birthday at the end of the month and I’m going to visit her this weekend. I’m so excited as it’s going to be a little reunion of a few university friends. I made Ellie a crocheted clutch from the left over merino yarn from my jacket. I reinforced it with thick felt so it would be more stiff and lined it with pretty fabric. I didn’t write the pattern but if I make it again I’ll make sure I do J

I’ve added a new album to Maggie Makes Stuff called Gifts and Comissions where I can showcase things that I have made. Take a look, you might like it J

With being so busy my Ravellenic project is a bit further behind than I would like it to be. But thankfully this giant knitting does work up quickly. Now that my friends and family know that I am stash busting all of the horrible synthetic novelty yarn people have been donating more so that they can get it out of their lives. I feel this rug is becoming a community interests projects.

I’m so glad that I could make this post today, it almost didn’t happen. I accidentally spilt water on my laptop and now the keyboard won’t work. I was so worried that I’d have to go begging to the bank to get money to get a new one but thankfully I have been able to plug in a USB keyboard and it works perfectly. I just have to put up with this and save for Lappy 2.0