feverish friday

today finds me feeling a little overheated. i know it's odd, what with the mercury refusing to go above 15 degrees the last few days, so i've boiled (!) it down to one of two things:
1. could it be that the awful flu that's been laying low all the rest of the family has got me at last?
2. could it be the use of superhuman strength needed to crochet this?

heavy crochet wip

well i have to say i prefer the second option, and have put my feverish ways into action to finish this popcorn stitch crochet cover for a 'dumpty' i stole from Mum. it's crocheted in Moda Vera "Beetle" used double throughout with a 7mm hook, making it very weighty but also lovely and crunchy! thanks go to the lovely dottie angel for inspiration and instructions on the making of this cover.

crocheted dumpty cover

crunchy popcorn stitches

it seems i have covered my laptop with fluff while feverishly crocheting and trawling blogs at the same time...

it's my party and i'll craft if i want to...

yesterday i was lucky enough to have a 'milestone' birthday, as Di puts it. over coffee and cake, i received some nice pressies from family who obviously know me quite well! when i got to the crafty books that Manz gave me, it was all i could do not to plonk the sewing machine on the table and start on a cute new project.

birthday goodies

after everyone left, i had a good browse and picked something to make. i remembered a little stash of Japanese craft scraps that Di had got me once, and realised they were perfect for Zakka Style. that's the beauty of this book, most things can be made from scraps and i intend to do some thrifty recycling for the rest. stay tuned for some "cute useful things" made from this book.

tiny hexagons

what better way could there be to while away a rainy birthday afternoon?

old favourite and a new talent

happy winter solstice to all lower hemisphere dwellers and i hope you can find a corner of cosiness today. i'm staying warm with my latest finished project, a long knit wrap jacket i've made a few times already and was so popular that Mum commissioned one and Manz also made one for herself. it's Burda Style magazine 12/2009 design #119 and each one i've seen looks different depending on the fabric. i used a wool blend boucle sweater knit from my stash (sweater knits are thin on the ground where i live, so hooray for a well fed stash!).

cosy boucle cardi

this lovely warm jacket will replace my old grey one which has been worn to death; i calculated that i must have worn it around 200 times since i made it two years ago! definitely an old favourite that needed replacing.

i would also like to take this opportunity to brag about one of my boys. i've shown his work on the blog before with this project, and he is also good at woodworking (possibly inherited from his grandad). he made this beautiful laminated bowl at school and being quite modest about his talent, was happy for me to have it.

levi's wooden bowl

i had no problems thinking about how to use it as i love all kinds of containers, baskets and bowls for all the stuff i collect. i have this on my bedside table as a receptacle for my ring collection to remind me to wear them more often.

a useful bowl

little red dress

i took a break from quilting last week to make a quick item for the wardrobe. i thought a tunic style dress was needed to wear over my skinny jeans as a nice layer on sunny winter days. i chose a pattern from knipmode June 2011 and a medium weight viscose blend jersey from the stash. i usually tend to make winter gear in drab black, grey or taupe tones, so this time i broke out of my comfort zone and went with red to brighten up the day. i've noticed a big trend with red this season, and it looks great with the usual neutrals; i would like to try it with some dark nude tones in spring and tap into one of the big trends for next season.

little red dress

the pleat detail is easy and effective, and really it's no different than making a t-shirt once you make them. what i love about knipmode patterns is that the recommended way of finishing neck/sleeves/hems/armholes is very similar to industry techniques, leaving you with a quality professional looking garment.

neckline detail

i've seen similar tunics to this in expensive boutiques with price tags of 3 figures, so i won't tell you how much this one cost me! just a fitting point to mention; in this case "betty" doesn't do this dress justice, on a real body it drapes beautifully and is very flattering.

all's quiet on the sewing front

well, it's all quiet on the dressmaking front while i sew like crazy to finish this monster quilt for my mum and dad's caravan in time for them to go on a well deserved holiday!

caravan quilt ufo

i've only been making this for two years now, but with the possibility of a move from the workshop, it's high time i got it finished and off to the quilter (thanks Auntie Joy). then normal sewing service can resume when i intend to make some snuggly jackets and coats to keep out the biting wind that seems to be coming straight from Antarctica at the moment.

i also got cracking on the Krista crochetalong, which has a new block every week. i'm about ten weeks behind, but on the weekend i got three more blocks done and i will catch up soon if i make one every day (night).

cal block 4

cal block 5

cal block 6

keep warm everyone, and hopefully Di gets her power back on soon so she get her knitting finished. we are thinking of you down here in Albany.

casual grey day

i think i've mentioned on this blog before, that i love grey marle in all its lovely greyness. when it comes to casual sportswear, its the perfect shade. as my sporty wardrobe progresses, i've noticed i need some new trackie pants for serious walking. i know they are cheap as chips to buy, but when i tried some on in the shops i really felt like all i needed was a matching top and a blue rinse and life would be over!

urban fleece trackies

i used some dark grey marle fleecy from my stash and a knipmode pattern, model #5 from October 2011 to make these. i really liked the rib trim around the lined pockets and the fashionable carrot shape of these pants and they were really quick to make.

stripey rib waistband

as usual i ran out of the plain grey ribbing, and there was none to be found in the shops, so i improvised with some striped rib knit from my stash for the waistband. i could have even used a plain jersey as there is wide elastic sandwiched between the layers, making them very comfy.

while i was in the mood to make "at home" gear, i started on a long boyfriend sweater out of some black and silver striped sweater knit. i know in the photo it looks like a prison top, but in reality the silver is much sparklier.

striped boyfriend sweater

i used model # 111 from burda magazine October 2011 and left off the hem band so it wouldn't draw attention to my hips. burda has made this as a dress, which would be cute and cosy on someone with a straighter figure and its another quick pattern to make. the only thing to remember is to use quite a stretchy sweater knit, as you have to stretch the cuffs and hem band onto the garment. of course you could use a rib trim instead which would give a cool sporty look, especially a contrast colour at neck, cuffs and hem.
right, i've still got grey thread on my overlocker, so don't be surprised if the next few garments are also grey; really i can be quite slack sometimes!

i feel a need for tweed

brrr its chilly, even though the sun is shining and the sky is blue, there is cold seeping up through the floor and into my woolly socks. on these days i feel a need for wool garments, the English show the way (well, on Poirot they do) by wearing country tweed jackets, hunting skirts and my personal favourite...deerstalkers!

tweed hunting skirt

i noticed that long skirts are back in fashion, and i know they are warm so i found some ancient burgundy tweed check just laying around at the workshop and chopped it up into this skirt from burda magazine September 2011, model #136. i graded it up at the necessary areas and shortened it a little, and it was super easy to sew because its just one piece! i had serious doubts about this but it fits perfectly and when i wore it with woolly tights and fur-lined boots i felt like an extra in Downton Abbey!

burgundy tweed check

another tweedy item that hopped off the needles recently is my long cable mitts that i knitted from Cleckheaton "Tartan" a beautiful soft wool that is in lovely retro colours. i used Patons Winter Warmers book 1310 for the pattern which is just a cabled rectangle, seamed into a tube leaving fingers free to knit or stir marshmallows into hot chocolate. aaahh, that's what chilly weather is for!

tweedy caramel mitts