Pattern

Tall Needle case

I thought you all might be interested in this pattern. I know its a needle case again but I love them.

Easter

Easter was great this year , Dylan and Carly were here and we worked on wedding plans. I am unable to eat much chocolate so the kids gave me the below pin and a puzzle book. Wayne gave me some new earrings.

Brooch to wear to Quilting 

Scarf

I have finished the lace scarf. I know the photos are not the best but its hard to take a photo of the full thing its a bit long. I am very happy with it , it was very easy once the repeat was mesmerised. Thanks to the yahoo group Knitting-delights for the great pattern. The scarf was made out of one ball of sock yarn. All I need now is for the weather to get a bit cooler and then I can wear it. I am not planning on selling this. 

Knitting

On Saturday we went to the Whyalla to do some shopping. Carly and our son Dylan are getting married early next year. She has asked me to make the table decorations, she would like hand made silk flowers. We could not get the fabric here in Port Augusta we don't have a fabric store only a small quilting shop. We found the colours she wanted now all I have to do is make them. I made three while they were here to make sure I was on the right track, she was very happy and took them home to show her mother. I brought some sock yarn two balls for $5 to knit Wayne some more socks and some full priced blue shown above I wanted to try out a patterns from my yahoo groups knitting delights. I am happy with how the scarf is going after trying out several patterns and unravelling it again. Carly was very happy with the make up bags and I thought she would only want a few but she loved them all, she put her hand bag make up into one of the tri corner ones right away. Its nice to make gear for people who show  appreciation .......

Bag Links

Boxy Bag

Make up bag

Boxy bag 2

Above are some of the tuts I used to help me make Carly's bags, I found them very helpful.

The Boxy ones are the best I think , great size and easy to make once you have made one to practise.

  

Make Up Bags

I have spent two mornings sewing.

 Carly my soon to be daughter in law and our youngest son Dylan are visiting over Easter.When we were at there house for Christmas, she saw a make up bag that was $18 dollars and was going to buy it. I told her I would make her one. Out of $5 worth of fabric I made three bags and have some left for something else. I hope she likes them . one is plastic lined to make it water  proof. 

Plastic lined boxy bag 

tri-corner bags made for fun

large zip top bag

Large zip top bag open

New Books

I ordered a book called 101 Double Ended Hook Stitches from Annie Attic.

A girlfriend was putting in an order to fox needle work catalogue so I asked her to get it form me at the same time. I was having trouble deciding if I wanted this one or Learn to do Tunisian Crochet.When she delivered the book to me she had brought me both books but would not take payment for them both. I have had a bit of a go at the Tunisian stitches in the book on the right.

 I will have to get a double ended hook with a cord between the two hooks. I have a long crochet hook with a hook both ends so I can have a go t the stitches but after searching on the net I think a longer hook would be useful.  

Free Beading pattern

Medallion Purse

I have been playing with Bead tool 4 again here is a revised patterns enjoy!

Too much Knitting

I have spent the last day with aching shoulders and arms. I think I have to have a rest from all this knitting to order. I will try and be strong and say no. I am planning on not knitting and going back to my beading which is my favourite pass time. I also have to get the mystery knitting  pattern ready for the spinners and weavers retreat. I don't know what it will be yet but when I work that out I will then have to split the pattern up into days. every day the ladies will get a clue with a few rows of knitting but no photos so they have no idea what they are making. The first year they found it quite hard because when you knit you have a photo so you know what the instructions are telling you. I have worked out the workshops and that has been posted . I have restricted the amount of classes this year because last year we had to many and not one person finished and had to complete it at home.

Group hard at work on rug hooking 2010

Jay our dog

Jay singing

I was missing Peanut badly today and looked at some videos I had of her and found this video of Jay our only dog now. He loves the Antiques road show the English version.If you listen in the back ground you can hear Peanut singing too. Jay has loved this music since he was a very small puppy.

Baby Football Guernsey

The first baby football guernsey looked a bit small to me and Janie had given me heaps of yarn. so once I finished the small one I then made the one on the left because baby's do grow fast and we are only in autumn winter starts on the 1st of June. The below photo is of both the jumpers together. I have a quilting meeting to night so I will take them, Janie the grand mother will be there, I just hope she is happy with them and doesn't mind my mistake. I will re knit if she thinks it will be a problem.

Rural Round up

The Quilting guild I am a member of has been selected to host a quilting get together called The Rural Round up. Guilds from around south Australia will be invited to attend next march. We have lots of work do. I am sort of glad I will not be the president next year because this is my third year and you can only stand for three consecutive years. we are making gifts for all who attend which is why we have started already. Yesterday was our first sewing day.   finished needle holders

Finished scissor Keep

 Julie making a round needle case.

 Heather (left ) and Fran (right) making scissor Keeps.

The round needle case ready of someone to sew 

Sharon make quite a few scissor keeps and Pat turned them right side out for her

At the end of the day we had made something like 30 needle case and 13  scissor keeps. we need about 200 things in all.We will have sewing days every other month for the rest of the year.

Cardigan

The friend I knitted the cardigan for came to collect it on Monday. Well we had a bit of a problem her measurement  for his arm length was totally wrong. his arms were not 21 inches long from the underarm , they were 18 inches. I had to re knit the sleeves from the under arm luckily I had used a top down pattern because it was easy to re knit. I made the sleeve smaller around as well as in length.

They are picking it up next week. I spent the last two days re knitting it looks much better now I thought the sleeve was very long before. 

Baby Football Guernsey

I had said I was not knitting to order again but January a friend at quilting asked If I could knit a jumper for her soon to be born Grand child. Well I forgot all about it. I had said to her that you can buy great stuff for baby's. (Hint , Hint)

Yesterday she arrived at Quilting with the yarn to knit the jumper. Well it turns out she wanted a football guernsey for one of our state football clubs. The baby is already a member of the club and she wanted a jumper that the bub could wear to the matches. I am not really into football so had to look up how the colours went on the front and what is used for the back and sleeves. Luckily she had included  a baby wonder suit in the port power. I looked in my books but all my baby jumpers were made form baby yarn not 8ply, I searched and found a great pattern on Ravelry  for a jumper knitted in the round to the under arm. so far its working fine but I have not started the V strip yet, that is going to be fun!

Wall hanging

The wall hanging centre panel is now complete all I need to make now are all the flowers for the spray down the side and across the bottom. I am loving how it looks so far. I have not shown any of the ladies from my quilting group I want to surprise them with the finished product. 

Wall hanging

 Wall Hanging 

I am making this for the exhibition we are having here in Port Augusta , the first weekend in June.

  

 I have found it easier to  join each hexagon in strip from as above 

Then join the strips to form the full flower as in the left photo. I tried to take a photo up close to show the strips. When I have made hexagon quilts in the past I have made each flower from the centre out to the edge but because these are so small only 1/2 inch I was always starting and stopping.  

Here is part of the main panel made.Once I  include the single flower I have two more rows to add.

Below is what the finished wall hanging is supposed to look like when I have it all finished

I am using different colours. all I have done so far is the centre panel and I have all the flower hexagons cut out and tacked onto there papers ready to make the side spray. I am looking for wood grain fabric for the boarders I want to make it look like a picture frame. 

Crocodile Stitch

Crocodile Stitch shawl

I have completed a few more rows of this shawl while at Ashley's and Nicole's moving house for them.

I was not able to help much soI sat in my folding chair supervising and crocheting. 

I think I will be able to teach this stitch at the retreat. All you have to know how to do is trebles or Double crochet  depending what country you are from.In Australia we call a dc a treble and a dc is a single crochet it can get confusing if you a new to American pattern because all Australian patterns use terms from England.I think it is worth finishing even if I don't need it and was only doing it to learn a new stitch.

Another free pattern

Needle case two

This free pattern is made using 11s delica beads 

I hope it is more to everyone's liking. I am sorry that the needle case 

using 8s was not as well received. I will try to remember not to post patterns using this size bead.

Patterns

Just a reminder check my free patterns in the 2011 patterns page . I am posting patterns there all the time 

I don't want anyone to miss one of my free patterns. I love make up patterns but can't say how long I will be posting patterns. After looking at etsy I should be selling my patterns but because I found great free patterns and tuts when I first started beading I want to give a bit back. Enjoy.

Cardigan

Top Down Cardigan 

I was asked by a good friend if I could knit her husband a cardigan. I don't like knitting to order because I feel I have to get it done fast and hate being pressured but I don't seem to be able to say " no I can't possible do that for you I am sorry ." what I do say is " yes I would be happy to do that for you." one day I my get it right but then I would feel bad..

 Roz gave me the wool on the Wednesday before we went to Cowell for our fishing trip. I wanted something to keep me busy while we were there because I knew Wayne would be fishing everyday and I would be left home because its imposable  for me to get into the boat any more. He needed the break because he spends every day looking after me and the house. I know I am very lucky to have him be so caring.

 The pattern I used was in a book called button up your top down. by Deb Gemmell

http://www.cabinfever.ca/knittersbook2.html

I brought this book last year at the knitting retreat I attend in the Adelaide hills.

Roz's husband is a big man so I needed to add to the pattern. She wanted the cardigan to be more like a coat which I think it dose.   

 Here is the finished cardigan. I can't seem to find buttons for it so I will have to put something like a clear one on for the moment until we go to Adelaide again because the craft shop near here doesn't have anything near big enough. 

Roz said she would pay me of knitting this for her but that's hard because I don't know what to charge and she is a friend, I know her husband in unwell and feeling the cold. Its not winter until June 1st here so he really needed it. I may just give it to her. After all I was not really doing anything else and I have lots of time to waste. 

April Free pattern

 

For this months free patterns you need size 8 beads and a small wooden needle case

I hope you have fun with this months pattern I have made lots of these and given them to friends for birthdays.

April Free Pattern