End of the year

I made it! The end of the year. This week I've made a needle case and a pincushion for my Granddaughter.(We won't exchange presents with them until new year so I could leave them til the last minute.

I also did a pyrography box for my sister-in-law.

This was to go with the letter rack I'd done for my brother-in-law but I hadn't posted  until I'd given it to them

Next week I will be able to post the things I've done for the children.

Christmas is coming

 Just a fun one this week, Christmas hairdo

Late again, but a good excuse as we had the excitement of welcoming a new grandson just in time for Christmas.

Cupcakes and Christmas Trees

I had knitted a friend a cupcake hat and it unfortunately got lost, so I promised her a new one and here it is before being posted off. I wasn't sure about the beads at first but they were the only ones I could get in a hurry that would fit on the yarn. Now it is done I like them.

Also this week my Son-in-law let me loose on is lathe and I had my first ever go at woodturning. I'm relly chuffed with the result and I think I'm hooked.

He and my husband showed me how to operate the lathe and use the chisels and then just left me to it. The next thing I knew nearly 2 hours had gone and they were coming to get me for lunch.

Another crafting session with the grandchildren this afternoon produced trees of a different style..

Knit and Crochet

My newest Grandbaby is due next week! So I've got these done just in time.
Firstly a little cardi

And secondly a crochet blanket

which took much longer than it should have.
Here is where it was a couple of Sunday's ago when I got back from a few days away

and here is where it was the next evening

after I discovered the extra stitch which had crept in in the last row of the border :-(
I got my husband to pull it out.

Yet more pyrography

Oops, late again. Yes, still at it. Tried some on cork mats this week as well

Also had a Sunday afternoon craft session with the grandchildren

Hopefully something different next week, if I don't make any more mistakes!

Pyrography decorations

Late posting as I was away at the weekend, but last week I did some new decorations for my son-in-law's stall.

And yet more coasters

Another set of coasters this week

And also two more holly scarves, but they are exatly the same as the first two, and much work on the projects that must remain secret until the end of the year.

More of the same

Another couple of sets of coasters this week.

Other things have been achieved, but they can't be posted until after Christmas.

Holly Scarves

More Christmas preparations. I found this pattern and thought it would make great Christmas gifts. Two done so far.

Here is a link to the Ravelry pattern page. It's a nice quick and easy pattern. I can do one in about a day.  I think I might do one for me as well.

Be prepared

Time to start Christmas crafting.

Firstly I've done a new text to hang under the Amazing Grace.  This time I've used pyrography.

And secondly I've made my Christmas cards.

Last year I didn't get organised an landed up buying them instead so this year I'm prepared - as long as I don't put them somewhere safe and lose them.

Embroidery Sampler

Oops, forgot to post again yesterday.

This week I finished an embroidery sampler I was working on.

About 9 years ago we did this sampler design as a workshop project at the embroidery group I belong to.  This year they redid it for new members and I thought I would like to do it again and see how differently it would come out as I worked it again.  I deliberately didn't look at the first one at all as I worked on the second, although of course I knew what colours I had used and chose a different pallette. 

This is the one from 9 years ago.

It is interesting to see the areas where I have worked in a completely different way, and also to see some areas where I have made exactly the same choice of stitch.  Also, the different colour pallette gives a completely different look.

Also working this I have found that I really like stem stitch used as a filling stitch.  The bottom flower on the new sampler is done with this technique and I really like how it has come out.

More of the same

Oops, forgot to post yesterday. More pyrography this week, and more to do, but some can't be posted until after Christmas.

The tree was just a practice as the disc has a crack in it, shame as it came out well.

New Pyrography

This week I've gone back to pyrography, making sets of coasters for my son-in-law's Christmas stall.

Hopefully there are many more to follow. Very pleased with how they've turned out so far.

Summer socks

A bit late in the season I know, but this week I've finished some socks for my husband. He loves his hand-knitted socks but, being wool, he finds them too hot in the summer, so I've knitted these in a bamboo yarn so they are cooler.  And yay! they fit, no problems with stretching round the heel.

Also it was his birthday this week. Sadly my cakemaking skills are not up to my daughter's, but there we are.

The planets came ready-printed on rice paper, but at least I can cut a reasonable circle.

And I was quite chuffed with my bread for Sunday tea too.

Might have to go and eat another roll - after all it is always best fresh.

Decorative mending

This week I used some embroidery as a mending technique.  My daughter had managed to rip her leather jacket and it has sat in the craft room for ages whilst I decided what to do for it.  I saw a link on pinterest and and thought I might as well go for it as the jacket was unwearable as it was.  Here is the actual mend

I then added some embroidery to make it look more deliberate. I've since discovered that visible mending is a thing and I'm wondering if I should have left it at the mend, but it is done now.

I just wish I had taken a photo of the rip before I did the mend as it was pretty spectacular.

Also this week I finished a little doodle stitch that I did as I had no other embroidery on the go.

Pebble Art

This week I finally got round to trying something I've been meaning to do for some while - pebble and seaglass art.

I'm not too happy with my painted background, but I was afraid the clear glass wouldn't show up.
To be fair, with my past experience with painting I could have seen this coming.  I think I'll stick to plain canvasses in the future. I think I'' try some more though.

Bicycle socks

Well, last week I didn't manage to post anything at all.  On the plus side all meals at camp went out on time and were well received.

This week I managed to finish a pair of socks for my No1 Son-in-law.  I started them some years ago, but the initial concept became redundant when he was made redundant from his job.  It has taken me a long time to decide what to do instead, but he has recently taken up cycling so the replacement idea was born.

Mind you, next time I think Swiss Darning is a good idea tie my hands behind my back and take away my darning needle!  I originally did the bikes in colourwork but the floats wouldn't give enough to stretch round the heel when putting the sock on, so Swiss darning it was. Did I mention I hate Swiss darning?

And for the record the colourwork motif before it was frogged.

Hopefully the next pair will break the cycle of frogging socks.

Banoffee Pie

This week hasn't been conducive to crafting, (although I have managed the leg of a sock) ans I'm away cooking for 29 people on a Scripture Union Camp. Today was banquet day, three course dinner with full roast for the main course. So my offering this week is Banoffee Pie.

The alternative dessert for the dairy-free people didn't go quite as planned. Tt turns out that if you dip balloons in melted chocolate to make chocolate bowls they are liable to explode and fling melted chocolate all over the kitchen.

And the ones that didn't explode wouldn't peel off of the balloon. So they wound up with chocolate shards instead of chocolate bowls.

Exhibition Piece

Oops forgot to post yesterday - very busy week! The next couple of weeks aren't looking good either.
I did manage to (finally) finish my piece for The Isle of Wight Embroiderers exhibition. I had to really, it had to be handed in on Saturday.

I had intended to do flowers in the gaps between the animals but that didn't happen, and perhaps less is more. I am pleased with it though.
(Funny, if it sits in the bag in the craft room it doesn't magically get done. Where are the elves?)

One of the busy things this week was my sister's 50th birthday masquerade party, which entailed much baking.

And, as usual, No1 daughter came up trumps with the birthday cake.