~Baby Jumper tada~

I've been back at work and too busy to blog since 1st September, but thought I'd share this latest finished project. I do feel good when I actually complete a project. I liked the shoulders on this sweater pattern and wanted to knit it for my baby niece Evelyn. It's Sirdar 6013 for baby cashmere merino silk DK.

 

 

I chose to make it up in Sirdar Simply Recycled Cotton DK in shade 0022, a dark chalky pink with a marl appearance. I went for one shade rather than stripes.

 

 

Here's the finished jumper...



 

 

 

 

 

 I crocheted 2 flowers for embellishments (pattern from Nikki Trench crochet book) in cream cotton yarn...

 

I wasn't happy with the not-very-neatness of my picking up stitches round the neckline, hence the flowers to hide a wonky bit :)

My sewing up isn't great either - must practice more!

I also found these mittens for Evelyn; £1.50 at the Monsoon outlet...



 So, I had a lovely day over in Manchester yesterday catching up with my brother and his lovely family in their new home.  On the drive over I spotted a fab sewing shop nearby in Eccles and we had a walk there.

 Bambers is a family business over 2 floors, selling overlockers, machines, wool, fabric, patterns, haberdashery, and they also run sewing courses.  I feel very guilty because I quite impulsively bought a dressmaker's mannequin (hurrah!) for a very good price - cheaper than I'd researched on ebay and the web. So, hence I felt the need to get up at silly o'clock this morning to do a car boot sale.  Unfortunately I only made £35 today but it will add to my ebay sales of late and pay for this essential bit of kit, so my homemade clothes fit me better.

~I ♥ Vintage Knitting Needles~

Anyone else obsessively fond of colourful vintage knitting needles?
I have a lot of old knitting needles...mostly AERO metal ones from the 70s and 80s from my Nana and other family members.  I have also tried to get 'with it' and use bamboo needles - I like the look of them but I'm not a fan of actually using them.
How can you not like the gorgeous 1950s colours of these beauties...

 

I've seen loads at vintage fairs and on etsy for between £2 - £5 a pair, but mine are all charity shop finds - the kind of local treasure trove charity shops run by Nana's are the best, you know what I mean I'm sure  :)
10p to 50p a pair that's all...
I found some more today in my local shop for 10p a pair, which are currently soaking in fairy liquid.

I also found this vintage sizing tool at a vintage fair in York for 50p

There are modern variations of this for sale in most craft shops for a couple of pounds.
Have a lovely weekend x
It's raining here but the garden needs it!

~Baby Shower & Cardigan~

Today I went to a Baby Shower; my first one - I didn't know what to expect but it was lovely.  It was a vintage afternoon tea, with some added 'guess the baby' photo games and opening of gifts. and was hosted by some friends for their sister/daughter whose baby is due on 21st April.   I thought it was very much an American tradition we had adopted, but reading about it on the tinterweb, it appears that worldwide we have always had these kind of events in every culture, though they may evolve and change over time.  In the late 19th Century apparently Victorians held afternoon tea parties for expectant mothers - I didn't know that!
I made the Puerperium cardigan (newborn - 6 weeks) which is a free Ravelry pattern I read about last year on Country Rose blog here

I made the short sleeved version (as I ran out of time!) but you can do a long straight or tapered sleeve.  It's knitted top down in one piece with sleeves knitted last 'in the round' which I did on my preferred 2 bendy pins. I have to be honest and say I didn't enjoy it at first -  faffing about with stitch markers, but actually it'll be lots easier next time as you can see where to increase and don't really need the markers past a certain point.
It only took less than 3 25gram balls of Yorkshire-spun Erika Knight British Blue Wool in 'Milk' (appropriate eh?)
I bought mine from Wool & Buttons see here  £3.95 for 25g.  After washing and blocking you can see the lustre of the wool, it's really soft like mohair.

I've already started another version in pink and I'm much quicker this time round!

~Vintage Knitting Book Giveaway & Birthday Time~

This weekend has seen me turn 44, which is a bit of a shock, but a nicer more symmetrical number than 43...

Laura bought me these lovely flowers.
Remember the Beginner's Crochet on 1st Feb at Me and Mrs Fisher in York? The lovely Hannah and Liz mentioned me and my blog on their Facebook page here.  So, I did also attend the Improver's Crochet the following week and I did manage to understand and complete the different projects, but I was very slow!  My colleague from work came along too (she was accomplished and speedy), and she made me this for my birthday.  Clever lady.  Just the shade of blue I like...

I am giving away this lovely booklet of vintage inspired knitting projects, by the talented Sarah Hatton.

http://www.knitrowan.com/designs-and-patterns/books/sarah-hatton-knits-vintage-inspired-projects

 There are some lovely garments and photographs...I like the brooch on the belt of the dress below...

If you would like to win this lovely pattern book, just leave me a comment and I will randomly draw a winner at 6pm Monday 24th February. Good luck x

~Knitted Cowl~

Just finished this cosy cowl scarf which I've really enjoyed knitting.  The lovely simple cable pattern was from this month's Prima magazine  (February issue page 128 - I got the magazine subscription as a Christmas present.)  The pattern uses 10mm needles and Debbie Bliss Paloma wool, but I knitted it on 6mm needles using some Louisa Harding Fleuris in 'Meteor' I had already.

As well as keeping my neck cosy...

if you remember I knitted this tea cosy in some of this wool last year!
Think I may need this scarf this week as it's getting colder. Keep warm  x

~Woolly Winter projects~

I haven't posted since before Christmas which is very remiss of me...I usually want to hunker down and hibernate from December til my birthday in February, but my SAD symptoms haven't been too bad this year - thanks in part to Holland & Barrett Max Strength 284mg St John's Wort  I really believe it's made a difference.  I'm also relaxing more and reading stuff on my new Kindle, a gadget I've resisted with a dismissive ' I like real books; but I've read loads - 5 'books' since Christmas and it must be good because I went to physically turn the page on more than a few occasions!
Small Boy is now a Young Man and was 12 yesterday, requesting a grown-up lemon tart in place of his usual chocolate cake. Laura also made him some choc chip cookies.

My brother and his partner have a baby on-the-way so I have a few sewing and knitting WIPs at the moment, and a cowl scarf for me that's nearly finished.
This is a hat I've knitted for myself, in some gorgeous Yorkshire wool with a faux fair isle effect...

It's West Yorkshire Spinners Bluefaced Leicester DK Prints in 'Owl'  £9.70 for 100g.
I bought mine from the lovely Needlecase in Tadcaster.  For those of you further afield, they have an online shop too.

image from www.wyspinners.com





~Another wristwarmer TaDa!~

I'm not sure why I'm obsessed with knitting wristwarmers? Maybe I have learnt (expensively) how I lose interest half-way through a jumper or cardigan? Anyway, I am still knitting here and there, whilst in my PJs on the sofa at night...  These wristwarmers were knitted for daughter Laura...

...and are from this book 'Learn to Knit Love to Knit' by Anna Wilkinson (click to go to Amazon books)

I borrowed this book from the library in the village - an affordable way to get access to lovely craft books.  The wool was a 'bargain basket' blue cotton DK yarn 100g ball for £1, and the pink is a luscious ball of  Yorkshire sock yarn (expensive and precious) that I bought last year.

Very easy peasy...essential when you need a simple project to do when watching Downton!

~Encore de Wristwarmers~

This trusted and loved pattern from   Churchmouse Yarns and Teas has made a reappearance, this time to make a birthday present for my best friend's birthday.  Modelled here by daughter L, with her glorious nails - I couldn't subject you to my hands which are those of a scullery maid from Downton Abbey...

Knitted in the round with wooden heart buttons from eBay

Small dog was desperately trying to get in on the action...

"Look how photogenic I am!"

Excuse my bedding flapping on the washing line behind...

Vintage Vicki blogged about the emotional guidance scale earlier this week. It made me realise, apart from 'appreciation' (for life, family and health) on the positive upward spiral, all my current feelings and thoughts are on the downward spiral. Including some not very attractive attributes I have to say.   I hope this accounts for my bloggy absence without too much explanation, but as I keep being told (if I had a pound for each time I would be rich!)...."You will get there..."   

~Easy Knitted Teddy~

Using this pattern from Yorkshire-based knitting yarn company King Cole, my spare minutes this week have been spent making a teddy for a gift.

King Cole Pattern  9008
3 sizes of bear on 1 pattern

I've used some cream DK soft yarn to make Alba Bear; a 1st birthday present for a friend's grandaughter...

I made her a cute Cath Kidston neckerchief - mainly to hide my dodgy sewing when attaching the head! I stressed a fair bit before embroidering the face.  I didn't want to make Scary Angry Bear and be responsible for giving a child nightmares, so I split brown embroidery cotton into 3 strands and think the result is less harsh than using wool. 

You've got to feel sorry for Small Dog however, who is trying to launch himself vertically at

the kitchen dresser to get at the finished teddy.  He is in love and would like to keep Alba Bear all for himself.

~Easter Chicks~

I've been knitting these chicks for a few weeks now in preparation for Easter.

They're the one that hide a Creme Egg inside. A free pattern and tutorial for them can be found on Susan's blog Evie's Gran.
I've used leftovers of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino in various colours as well as yellow.  These ones are also sat on yummy Lindt mini-eggs too, and are for the small folk in our family.

I'm taking this clutch of chicks to work this week to hopefully sell to my lovely colleagues.

I especially love the little beige one desperately peeping over the  yellow chick 2nd from the right.
Come on Spring weather, where are you? With snow about here in Yorkshire again, I'm tempted to make them all a woolly scarf.

~Thrify Handknitted Pressies & Tea Cosy Pattern~

I thought I'd do a 'Ta Da' post for this titchy tea cosy I've knitted for my sister-in-law's birthday at the end of March. It fits snugly on it's teapot-for-one which I found on my vintage travels.  How come I always love (and want to keep) the things I knit for other people?!?
This project has been knitted from my wool stash of odds, ends and the never-even-started projects. Having done a bit of blog reading tonight,  I would wholeheartedly like to join Tina at Tea and Woolly Socks in her No More Buying Yarn Stash Busting Campaign.
So here's the tea cosy...

It's a made-up pattern; the main body is knitted in Louisa Harding Fleuris, colour Meteor - a 70% Bamboo 30% Wool yarn. Using your stash makes you choose colour combinations that maybe you wouldn't normally, if you get my meaning.  I think that it is a good thing. 

The pattern; I knit this in chunky wool on 6mm needles.

The main body basketweave pattern was done in 2 halves by casting on 40sts, or a multiple of 4 sts, 

Row 1 Cable 4 fwd to end

Row 2 Purl 

Row 3 K2, then Cable 4 back to last 2 sts, K2

Row 4 Purl

Then for shaping I just make it up as I go along. Usually it's K2 tog across the knit rows only, then draw remaining stitches up. The roses hide this bit anyway! The roses and leaves are from the tea cosy book I have posted about before, Really Wild Tea Cosies by Loani Prior.

~Knitting Book Giveaway~

As promised here is my first giveaway of 2013...
It's a lovely craft book called 'Vintage Knit Knacks' by Sue Culligan, and you can read more about it here

I was going to have a gardening giveaway, but as Spring has not sprung and the snow and cold snap are forecast again this week, what better than a bit of knitting by a toasty fire?
Along with basic knitting advice, there are patterns for 20 projects including socks, mittens, bottle cover, cafetiere cosy, bookmark, gadget case, to name a few.
To enter just leave me a comment below before 12 midnight on Friday 22nd February.
Good luck
x Sally

~Half-term catch-up~

It's half-term, which means time off work for me to catch up on stuff at home. 'Stuff' being household jobs like dripping taps, leaking radiators, overgrown garden needing putting to bed and an ironing pile the size of York Minster - you know the score. Plus household appliances going *kaput* all at the same time.

I am now also on a mission to make as many gifts as possible for Christmas, in the name of much-needed thrift, but also in the name of being grateful for all that we do have. We do not need big and unnecessary material spending - just time and a smidgin of love.
So, do you remember this pile of wool bought at a local car boot sale?...

Well, I taught myself to knit in the round using 2 sets of flexible needles in the Summer.  It was fiddly at first, but just remember  to use 1 set at a time - one is your working set and one is your sleeping set.  Detailed and excellent instruction to be found in this book by Loani Pryor...
Once again I am knitting wristwarmers; but these little beauties require no sewing up.

1 working set, 1 sleeping set - half the stitches on each set

A finished pair of these lovely wristwarmers finished

off with some vintage buttons...

The pattern for these wristwarmers is a lovely one found via Julie at Little Cotton Rabbits here
See you soon, keep warm x

~Finished projects & Knitting Book Giveaway~

The good thing about time off in the Summer is the opportunity to catch up on the myriad of unfinished sewing and craft projects.  I called into Me and Mrs Fisher for tea and yummy lemon drizzle cake last Friday, and was talking with one of the owners, Hannah, about how I feel I've lost my motivation and crafty mojo lately. It's all about time, priorities and opportunity... I have to say my first week off hasn't see me go far at all, but it means I have rediscovered my sewing machine (under the piles of stuff awaiting eBay listing, ironing and paperwork...)  So many projects I have got started - half- made dress, odd wristwarmers (all unfinished), hexagon patchwork, tea cosies as well as my dresser to finish painting...
Anyhow, I completed this name bunting for a friend to give as a Christening gift....

...using some Cath Kidston stone paisley, Ikea Rosali dot and Laura Ashley fabric.
I also repurposed a piece of hexagonal patchwork that I'd once used on a chair, to make this cushion which would be lovely in a caravan or VW Camper...

Then finally, my favourite thing...I bought this Liberty fabric ages ago; I absolutely love it and decided to have a go at a Summer top.  I used New Look pattern 6895, which features 6 tops with gathered necklines, bias binding trim, ruffles and fabric flowers (eeek!)  I am getting a bit braver and re-learning the proper way to do things.  I also used a vintage button and the  'Made with Love' ribbon, bought from Me and Mrs Fisher as a label...

Here's the finished article...I love it!

And for a crafty-mojo celebratory giveaway, I have this lovely book....
Knitting Classic Style by Veronik Avery
which has 35 patterns inspired by vintage fashion, with some lovely photographs.
All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment below by Sunday 12th August 12 midday, and for an extra entry,  please cut and paste my message -     Knitting Book Giveaway at Lavender Attic at http://lavenderattic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/finished-projects-knitting-book-giveaway.html - Please let me know you have tweeted about my giveaway.
Many thanks and good luck!

~It's Nearly Over For Another Year!~

Well, it's nearly New Year and all over again for another year!  Time to think ahead to 2012 and the joys and challenges it will bring. I need to really have a concerted effort to get back into my cycling and circuit training (cheap exercise, no need for expensive gym membership) as I've not exercised for a few weeks now due to my back  - and also not wanting to venture out of hibernation. 
We've had a busy family Christmas, very enjoyable with lovely get-togethers, food and drink; but now I need to *step away* from the Fox's biscuits, Christmas cake, cheese, Prosecco and sloe gin and consider my expanding waistline.
We've had more shopping in York, with time for China Rose Petal tea at Betty's...


Little Betty's in Stonegate, York

I've had a clearout of my wardrobe and drawers (destined for the Sue Ryder shop) and done a little bit -very minimal amount-  of sales shopping as I am not a big fan of malls/shopping centres and the bad-tempered crush that they bring.
Crafting wise, I am still knitting wristwarmers...the ones for my brother's partner were only finished late on Boxing Day prior to her visiting on the 27th.  How rubbish am I?
My current project is these lovely ones...


I'll show them when they're finished.
All that wishes is to say Happy New Year to you all and see you soon on the other side in 2012! I'm going to have a think as well about resolutions - I want to make some changes this year and am determined to be determined!

~Thrifty weekend & joining a knitting circle~

I've really tried to cut down on my food shopping bill - which is hard with a hungry OH and 2 growing children-  but I do try to take on board all the fab advice from frugal and thrifty blogs.  I'm not brand-loyal or supermarket-loyal; for a big stock-up shop I just go where's convenient at any one time, or as I see special offers.  However, for the last month I've had Sainsbury's vouchers for £8 off a £40 shop each week.  I've used the voucher every Saturday and have concentrated on spending as near to £40 as possible, on some fresh items, staples such as tins of beans and tomatoes and also Christmas food & wine that has been on offer. I've used the local Sainsbury's in Tadcaster, which is only small but costs me less in petrol.
On the Christmas pressie front, I've used my Boots Advantage card points to pay for aftershave to give as a present. I'm still on with my knitting too...if I know you and you're female, then you're either getting a homemade teacosy...



Another Christmas Pud cosy made from leftover wool, machine sewn felt holly leaves and felted holly berries.
On a vintage thrifted teapot.

 ... or wristwarmers (I've made a few pairs now).  Also this weekend in the supermarket frozen raspberries were 3 packs for £5, 1.2kg in weight. With a 1kg bag of jam sugar and 300ml of port, I've made lovely festive jam, by the method I've blogged about before,  in the microwave - quick and easy.    It made 6 and a half small jars which will be presents too.

I also resisted the temptation to shop, albeit at a Vintage Fair in Leeds.  Even though I love this particular fair I stopped myself by thinking about the cost of petrol, frosty roads, needless spending on stuff etc. 
Instead I did something good for the soul and went along to a knitting circle whilst I was in Tadcaster, at Needlecase . I'd chanced across this lovely wool and craft shop last month...

Needlecase is run by Jean and Judith, who are mother and daughter, and are passionate about knitting and needlework.  They also offer crochet and knitting workshops see here.

 Lots of lovely yarns and patterns, plus haberdashery, kits and craft supplies, and some ready knitted items to buy...

I had a lovely chat, cake and cup of tea and did a fair bit of knitting (only went wrong once because I was nattering) and will definitely go again.

Needlecase Limited,
22 Kirkgate, Tadcaster LS24 9AD
01937 830 422 
Open 9.30 - 3.30.  Closed Wed and Sun.

~I ♥ Blankets~

I love blankets. I don't particularly like the word throw, which sounds too modern, much preferring the cosy snugness of blanket.
I'd like to share 3 of my current favourite blankets with you...
The first one is a granny squares blanket which is very old and was actually crocheted by my Nana B.

 I love the black background and it's made in good quality wool. It's definitely destined for a caravan sofa and I will treasure it forever.

The second is a recent thrifty find in a York charity shop. 

Labelled 'Pet Cover 50p' (hurrah!) it's a small cream Witney blanket in excellent condition.

That was a good find,  that came after a hopeless hour in Selby at the charity shops where I found nothing - and saw a (slightly bobbly and faded) jersey Designers at Debenhams dress priced at £15. Honestly.  But then, that particular charity shop has had a recent revamp and now has laminate flooring!

Lastly, I received a package from Steph at Curlew Country, who now sells vintage treasures via her blog.  This blog, I have to say,  is one of my absolute favourites, having read it now for over 3 years. I spotted a gorgeous crochet blanket, and it arrived safely- wrapped in brown paper and baker's twine.  I love the colours, especially the geranium red and the hot pink.  At the minute it's making the sofa in the conservatory look very festive.



Now my granny squares blanket quota has been met, I am happy to stick with the knitting (under a blanket, of course!) and for the moment ignore my crochet fear!