Twelve Things: October's Cardigan

On the announcement of a little person joining the family, it was the perfect opportunity to get my knitting needles out and make a tiny item of clothing. I bought Rowan's Just Baby book, which has some gorgeous, modern patterns, and I was particularly enamoured by the cardigan on the front cover. Perhaps a bit advanced for my current skills, I loved the yarn colour so picked a moss stitch cardi and got started. Over the next couple of months I worked through the different pieces of the garment and by October I was near completion with an age deadline to meet too - these babies do grow fast! Even though it's a small piece of clothing, I've learned a lot about putting the pieces together and the importance of taking time in making up the garment. After all the effort, I was so pleased with how the cardigan turned out with the four, cute buttons and rolled up sleeves…plus little Penny looks great in it too.

Looking back: in January I started to learn to swing.

In February we learned how to make pasta.

In March I sewed some curtains.

In April I planted herbs.

In May I started running.

In June I learnt to knit Fair Isle.

In July I planned a party.

In August I experimented with chocolate.

In September I started a new job.

Twelve Things: June's Knit

When we moved to Brixton and I found out there was a knit shop in nearby Herne Hill, I was more than a little bit excited. Sharp Works also run workshops and a few months ago I signed up to the Fair Isle class to learn how to do stranded colour work. I've tried knitting with colour before, but the class was great for learning new tips - how to catch the strands at the back which can get loose and easily caught, or the continental or British way of holding the yarn (yup, there are different ways!) Now I've got the basics, I'm keen to give a Fair Isle jumper a go sometime and these two above, under the snaps of my practice swatch, are some beautiful examples that I'd like to have a try and emulating. Stranding colour work is simpler knitting in the round so I've signed up to that class now...

Looking back: in January I started to learn to swing.

In February we learned how to make pasta.

In March I sewed some curtains.

In April I planted herbs.

In May I started running.

Images: 1 Polienne 2 Muita Ihania

Twelve Things: March's Sewing

In my mission to keep trying new things each month of this year, March's activity was a sewing project. Our little flat is on the ground floor and has fantastic big original sash windows, so the only downside is people wandering and peering in as we're watching TV in our dressing gowns on a Saturday morning! The sheets of tracing paper did a temporary job, but getting re-inspired by this year's series of The Great British Sewing Bee, I thought I'd make us some "net" curtains. With a new sewing machine (thanks Mum for the newest hand-me-down), some inexpensive muslin and curtain cord from good ol' Wilkos, I was ready to go.

1.   measure up your windows

2.   add extra for the hems +2cm for the side seams, +4cm from the top and bottom seams plus any extra you might want for gather (we chose ours to have only a little gather)

3.   doing the side seams first, fold over twice by 1cm, press with a hot iron and pin, then sew along each edge. repeat with the top and bottom, this time fold over by 2cm twice

4.   finally thread through the curtain wire, add the eyes (attach hooks to the windows if they're not already there) and hang up your lovely, simple "net curtains"

Looking back: in January I started to learn to swing.

In February we learned how to make pasta.

Baby Blanket

When I was growing up, my bed always had a hand crocheted blanket on it that my Nanna Eileen made and they are still used to this day. I certainly inherited her love of wool crafts and a while back I started making a crochet blanket of my own. When we found out there would be a new little person in the family I thought a traditional crochet blanket would be perfect for a cot or pram. Crochet squares are one of the best ways to start learning to crochet. Once I'd laid out the squares selecting the more ladylike colours, I found this tutorial on how to join them together. There are a number of techniques to do it, but this one continues the pattern of the squares and does so subtly. After a border around the edges of all the joined squares, the baby blanket was complete! 

A week later Penelope arrived, and I gave her the blanket when we went to meet her at 8 days old. Hopefully it'll keep her warm over the cold months, and when she gets older she might want to wrap her dolls up in it to keep them toasty!

PS. This is my 500th post since I started this blog in June 2009!!

Slice of Knowing

I'm going to be a first year teaching assistant again this year. Part of the application was to create an image, my interpretation of what I'd bring to the role. I suppose I'm the Spoon of Instruction!

Swiss Dolls

Yesterday was my 23rd birthday. The evening before I had a delicious meal with lots of my favourite people (not all!) and then I had a quiet "actual" day.  I popped and saw my grandparents in the morning and following my earring making, my Nanna had found me these gorgeous buttons that her sister, my great-aunt Joan, had bought on one of her walking holidays in Switzerland years ago. I'm going to keep these!

A few months ago I got chatting to a woman in a shop, who happened to share my birthday only she was born 10 years before me, and she said to me: spend your birthday with the one person who's special to you... and that's what I did.

Maud Handmade

I've been meaning to make a collection of jewellery from some old buttons for many years (a couple of years ago I tipped them all out onto the floor and preceded to match them up!!) Now I have got around to making the buttons into earrings and I've set up a new blog dedicated to my makings. This batch of earrings will be on sale this weekend at The Little Deer pop up shop in Shoreditch, London, but for the time being head over to maud.

Cee Gee

My friend Christina is heading on an expedition this summer with Raleigh International to Costa Rica to provide communities in extreme poverty with basic amenities. Being the creative girl that she is, Christina has designed a beautiful collection of jewellery inspired by Costa Rica's jungle bridges and volcano to raise money for the trip. To make a purchase of her limited edition jewellery, visit her online shop here or simply to make a donation, here! What an experience she's going to have - good luck XtinaG! 

Images by Christina

Design Love Fest

Ooh! I have just stumbled upon (not via the site!) Design Love Fest, a brilliant craft blog. The photography is fab and this craft project to make a camera strap is something I want to give a go! A very colourful place, I'll definitely be following!

Image from Design Love Fest

Hand Bound

Work work work work work work! We have a portfolio submission on Friday, and therefore I have started dreaming architecture, sections, people, walls... standard pre-deadline sleep pattern! Another part is our environmental report so yesterday Helen and I printed and hand-bound our book, and we're really pleased how it has turned out. Of course when the going gets tough, the tough eat a raspberry tartlet from Patisserie Valerie!

Soft House

Cosy architecture. Buildings you can hug. These are Pillows by Poppy and I wish I could turn up to studio having created something like this and be taken seriously. I wish!

Images from Pillows by Poppy via rockstar diaries

Funky Fez

For our studio study trip, last week we flew to Fez in Morocco. We've been studying the courtyard house typology and went to see it first hand. Fez has a dense urban fabric: it's like a labyrinth and many times we got lost, had no idea which direction we were going in and had to dive out of the way of the donkeys and carts flying down the narrow streets. Being in the medina is like stepping back in time - the historic architecture, being car free, the markets for shopping and the crafts people working on the street. It's the latter that intrigued me the most. There are silk weavers using the street as their workshop, men banging copper into shape in the square. 

Seeing Fez was an intriguing cultural experience, whether I could live there myself is doubtful - being back in the hustle and bustle of London was oddly calming!

Smashing Quilts

Mrs Welch, my cousin's lovely wife, has started making some amazing quilts! She's now branching into hot water bottle covers and I am a massive fan. Check it all out at Smashing Quilts!

Image from Smashing Quilts

Colour Wheel

I've crocheted eight squares out of a possible 225 that I'd like to make a good sized blanket. I'd need to do... it's going to take me longer than planned, but hey I can bust out my hook on the train. The other day I misplaced said hook so proceeded to untangle my wool collection, and here we have the colour coded result!

Slow Wood

More handmade furniture - I really want to get my hand saw out and get making!

Images from slowwood via bloesem

Hand Made

I love the bursts of colour in an otherwise simple and natural interior. It's Ashley Helvey's Seattle apartment at Design*Sponge and the furniture is handmade.

Tonight we're having Fisherman's Pie for dinner! And soon I'll be time to make some of this...

Images from Design*Sponge via Lena Corwin

Many Hands

Whether it's seeing where people live, or where they work, I like having a gander at these blogs which give a sneak peek into the lives of others:
The Makers; House of Commons; Freunde von Freunden; The Selby

Images from The Makers