Welcome to my blog. I live, knit, crochet, spin and craft near the Northumbrian Coast (but not too near – the waves won't be splashing my yarn!).There's a story in every stitch, every grain of sand, every blade of grass. I thought I'd blog about it…
I’ve mentioned that I love making baby clothes (they are small and therefore quick to do, and of course very cute). I think this is the first crocheted item I’ve featured on the blog. It’s also my go-to baby girl gift. I think I’ve made it three times now: for my great niece, my friend’s granddaughter and my hairdresser’s little girl.
Having said that, I have run into some problems with it – I think there may be an error in the pattern and the sleeves are on the long side . Happy with the way it turns out though. It’s a discontinued DMC pattern, worked in DMC Natura cotton, so it’s not too heavy for the summer.
It has a really pretty scalloped edge – such a nice finish.
I was really happy with these buttons too. I bought them from Alison at Button Bothy in Poolewe, Wester Ross in North West Scotland. We always call in to her studio when we stay in that area on holiday. She makes button jewellery and stocks a huge range of buttons as well as cards and gifts. i always stock up on buttons when I’m there. Isn’t it satisfying when you find the perfect button for a garment?
Do you have a go-to pattern ? I’d love to hear about it.
I love it when you find the perfect item to knit for someone. I just have to knit something when anyone I know has a baby, so when my friends had a little girl I found this Sirdar pattern (since discontinued). I simply had to make it as they have a little black terrier.
I had to change the colours a bit – on the original pattern, the dogs were white with a black eye and collar. I did the dogs black of course, but that would mean there was something missing – I had to find a way of doing the eyes and I settled on using shiny black beads.
I figured that sewing beads on a baby garment wasn’t terribly safe, so I decided to knit them into the design. Threading beads with small holes on to double knitting weight yarn is not easy, but I found a solution. I painted the yarn end with clear nail varnish and rolled it between finger and thumb to make a sharp point. When it was dry, it was quite easy to thread on the required number of beads.
I knitted a bead into the front of the stitches that would have been the eyes on the chart.
Overall the cardigan came out well. It was one of my early attempts at colour work and the pattern section came out a little bit tighter than I would have liked. The little shoes were less successful- there was no way a baby could keep these on!
Have you ever found the perfect item to knit for someone? I’d love to hear about it.
I’ve been playing my ukulele rather than knitting for the last few days. The group I belong to had a couple of performances this weekend so I thought I’d better do some practice.
The first one was last night at the Book Club Christmas Party. We had a bit of an informal recital (most of the ukulele group are in the book club). We have a great (and tried and tested) format for the party which we’ve been doing since we started, some years ago. It’s a good alternative to going out somewhere for an over-priced turkey dinner, and let’s face it, if you have a lot of Christmas parties to go to you can get a bit sick of eating the same thing. We have a really lovely Indian restaurant nearby. so we order a banquet selection to take away and go to the house of one of the club members to eat it. She always has beautiful festive decorations and serves mulled wine and mince pies. We always pay for her meal to thank her for being such a wonderful hostess. It works really well (especially thanks to our lovely hostess). We always have an activity too. In the past there have been murder mystery games (which involved a lot of dressing as the characters.
We had two activities this year. We’d all supplied baby photos and had to guess who they all were. The other game is a bit more complicated. Everyone had to buy the most ugly, tasteless, horrible thing they could find, value under £5, from a charity shop, then gift wrap it and bring it to the party. These were all placed in the middle of the table and we each threw a dice in turn. Anyone throwing a six opens one of the gifts. As the dice continues to be thrown in turn, anyone throwing another six after they already opened a gift must swap with another person’s gift. This continues until all the presents are opened. We then had two more quick fire rounds of the dice, where those throwing odd numbers had to swap. We then vote for the worst gift and a small prize is awarded to the winner. It’s hilarious!
Gig number two this afternoon was entertaining residents at a local care home. It was a great success and they were a very appreciative audience, enthusiastically clapping and singing along. Such a nice thing to be able to do.
Do you go to any unusual Christmas parties? Do tell us about them.
The Knit and Natter Ladies have been busy again this week
We had another lively session at this afternoon’s Knit and Natter Group at Alnwick Medical Group. In the last week alone, our members have made another big batch of charity knits: hats, bonnets, tops and bootees.
You don’t need to be able to knit to contribute to the charity knits. Most of these hats were made on a knitting loom .
making a hat on a knitting loom
You may have used this sort of technique before . I know I did as a child, when it was known as French knitting or bobbin knitting . We used a cotton reel with nails stuck in the top or a purpose-made wooden figure with four metal loops stuck in the top – I think it was called a Knitting Nancy. They produced a thin knitted cord, but the modern looms like the one in the picture produce a wider tube. When the tube gets long enough, one end is gathered closed to make the hat.
The bigger the loom, the wider the tube and the bigger the hat…..and they are very quick and fun to make. Group members have made tiny ones for babies and large ones for homeless adults.
Today took us to the The Old Stables Tea Room, just outside Alnwick (on the roundabout just up from the Lion Bridge on the B6352). This lovely little cafe is situated in part of the stable block of a big old house.
Although they serve a lovely selection of yummy cakes and light lunches, we opted for our habitual cheese scones.
We were offered these slightly warmed and they arrived just warm enough to feel fresh from the oven, but not so hot as to melt the butter – perfect!. They were served with a very generous pot of butter, soft enough to spread easily (don’t you just hate trying to spread hard straight-from-the-fridge butter?) . The scones excellent: soft and very light with a little bit of cheese baked on the top. We accompanied them with a pot of tea for mum and hot chocolate (choice of milk or dark chocolate) for me, served with a big swirl of cream.
The cafe has a friendly team of staff and also includes a small shop area with a selection of cards and gifts. It’s usually quite full, especially in the summer holiday season and even today most of the empty tables were reserved when we arrived. It’s probably work booking in advance at busy times
As we were leaving, afternoon tea was being served to one table, complete with dainty sandwiches and cakes . It looked lovely – something to think about for another time.
I have some of my late grandmother’s knitting needles
I’ve been thinking about my late grandmother (Nan) quite a bit recently. I was sorting out my knitting needles the other week (which is a whole new post in itself) and in amongst them are a good many that belonged to her.
I mentioned in my post Another Kind of Yarn that I was busy editing my friend’s book. I came across these lines she’d written in her third book (working title:When All Else Fails)
Even stitches,
Don’t pull too tight,
Take pride in what you are doing
One of the characters is stitching and as he works he thinks back and fondly remembers the wise words of the woman who taught him. That got me thinking about Nan, who taught me to knit and crochet. I remember my mother showing me how to knit too, and how to sew, but Nan was the great knitter of the family.
She always had knitting on the go and my brother, my cousins and I had jumpers and cardigans in every colour of the rainbow. With the leftover yarn she’d knit garter stitch squares and make them up into colourful blankets, which were used at my grandparents caravan, by the river at Corbridge.
Nan taught me how to crochet when I was about 8 years old and I picked it up pretty quickly, though she was always telling me that the way I held the hook was all wrong! I’m pretty sure that she taught my cousins too and they still crochet. She also used to make the most exquisite tatted lace, which was used to edge handkerchiefs.
I love that I still have some of her knitting needles (and crochet hooks too). When I use them it’s reminds me of Nan and what she taught me. It’s great to be part of that wonderful tradition of skills being passed down the generations.
Who taught you to knit/crochet/sew? Have you inherited any of their equipment? Please follow the blog and share your stories.
Having tried and run out of time last Christmas, C and I made a concerted effort to book on to Christmas wreath-making workshop for this year and when we heard about one at The Running Fox, Shilbottle it seemed to fit what we were after. I’ve just got back with my competed door wreath after a lovely evening with C.
We were given prosecco with a dash of sloe gin on arrival and my glass was topped up throughout the evening, Then we were brought a platter of Christmas pie ( turkey, stuffing and vegetables in pastry)Bacon and brie quiche and pigs in blankets.
The guys from MBC Arts, our workshop tutors for the evening, distributed materials and tools ready for us to begin
Frames and moss ready to start
We got to work watching each step demonstrated and then doing it ourselves before moving on to see the next stage. First of all we attached handfuls of sphagnum moss to a wreath frame, winding craft wire round the frame to keep it packed securely in place.
The moss is wired onto the frame, keeping it quite densely packed. The moss is very absorbent and will hold water to keep the wreath foliage fresh
We were brought boughs of blue spruce and cypressus and we cut sprigs, sharpening the cut ends of each with an oblique cut, then pushing them into the mossy base, all lying in the same direction, at an angle, overlapping along the, frame (forming a sort of swirl pattern), then securing them further by winding more craft wire around. the ring, We used smaller sprigs to fill in any small gaps until the front of the frame was totally covered
Sprigs of foliage are added until the mossy base is covered.Foliage in place
Stage one complete, we had a short break and were served more festive treats – sweet ones this time: Cornflake cake Christmas puddings, gingerbread spice cake, cheesecake and mince pies.
Sweet treats
After the break we were given items to decorate our wreaths: dried apple, orange and chilli, cinnamon sticks, pine cones and lengths of ribbon. Although all materials were provided in the cost, we’d brought a few items of our own to add: some pheasant feathers and small gold baubles. We were shown how to secure each item on to a length of florists wire, then push each through the moss and bend back any ends coming through at the back, to secure. We finished off with a wire hanging loop attached to the frame.
You can see C’s work at the top of the post. Here’s mine below
My wreath
I may tweak it a bit now it’s home, but I’m quite pleased with the overall result. We had such a lovely night: the refreshments were delicious and plentiful, The tutors from MBC Arts were very helpful and gave lots of encouragement and the cafe staff looked after us extremely well. With all materials and refreshments included, the price was a very reasonable £35 each. We had some wonderful Mother/Daughter bonding time. Maybe again next year?
How the weather has changed since I posted this time last week in the same place. The rain has stopped and the temperature has dropped. While K walked the dog I put my knitting on a picnic table while I took photos – It was freezing, so I was soon back in the car to get on with my knitting before my fingers got numb.
The body of the poncho cape has grown and I’m really enjoying putting the different blue tones together. I’ve just joined in the turquoise colour you can see on the left – it is an oddment left over from the Valdres Sweater. The number of stitches is increasing rapidly, so I’m about to change to circular needles. You can see how this needle is absolutely crammed.
Last week’s breakers have washed up loads of kelp, The sea is a lot calmer now and it’s so good to have sunshine and blue sky. Coquet Island was clearly visible this week now the rain and fog have gone. The island is an important nesting site for the Roseate Tern – one of our rarest breeding seabirds. Other species breed there too, notably the Puffin.
Even though it was only about 2pm, the sun was very low in the sky, but then it is December. It made the Aln Estuary look beautiful.
I can’t believe that exactly a year ago our daughter bought and moved into her first house! It’s not far away so we still see a lot of her (she misses the dog!), but she has her own space. After a year she’s had time to get everything exactly the way she wants it: the house is looking lovely. I’m really proud of her!
C’s new living room, shortly after she moved in, complete with knitted accessories.
In the run up to the move, C had been collecting items for the house. She’d seen some lovely knitted pouffe/footstools and was wondering if it would be possible to make one. I thought the biggest issue would be the filling, but C had an old vinyl covered pouffe in her room filled with polystyrene beads. This would make a perfect base, almost firm enough to sit on or rest a tray on. We topped it up with more polystyrene beads from an old beanbag cushion.
I knew we’d need a load of super chunky yarn and C wanted grey to go with her furniture. Quite by chance we found some very reasonably priced yarn in B&M and bought the lot – I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to get any more if we ran out!
I had a look at loads of patterns on Ravelry but the most crucial thing was getting something the right size to cover the existing inner pouffe. It would be knitted in garter stitch, with the cast on edge long enough to reach from the top centre round to the bottom centre of base. Using the recommended 10mm needles and multiplying the tension square dimensions up from the from rows/stitches given on the ball band, my initial attempt was going to be too baggy. I hadn’t factored in how stretchy the finished knitting would be, so I made shorter test strips, casting on fewer stitches – it sounds time consuming but the yarn was so thick it didn’t take long to work out the right number.
I continued to work straight in garter stitch until I had a rectangle long enough to fit all the way round the “equator” of the pouffe. To finish, I sewed the cast on edge and the cast off edge together to make a tube, then ran a length of yarn through one of the free edges, gathering and pulling it tight to close that end and sewing it to secure. The cover was then put on the base, ensuring the gathers were even, forming a rosette at the centre of the base. The other free edge was drawn up and secured in the same way. at the top centre.
I think it looks rather like a cactus!
There was a small amount of yarn left so I suggested a matching cushion – Caitlin wanted two so we found some similar yarn – this Robin Super Chunky.
I worked some squares incorporating a simple cable pattern to fit some cushion pads I already had. C thought she ought to do her bit, so she knitted the cushion backs in garter stitch using the new yarn.
Super chunky garter stitch cushions under construction.
With everyone helping, the move went really well. We spent a weekend assembling flat-pack furniture and our garage gradually emptied of boxes – enough for K to find his fishing tackle anyway.
C was happy with the way our work turned out. Since then, the knitted cushions have been joined by some teal and white satin ones which add a contrasting texture and a pop of colour. It’s looking good! C loves her new home.
Have you ever made home accessories for a daughter or son? I’d love to hear about them so please let me know by adding a comment or a link to a blogpost.
What a lovely evening! So proud of my fellow choir members (we are all past and present Newcastle City Council staff). Despite scheduling problems, limited rehearsal time and various coughs and croaks (we were passing round the throat lozenges like they were sweets) we totally rocked the Yorkshire version of “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night (to the tune of (“On Ilkley Moor”). It looked like The Lord Mayor, who’d requested that particular carol really enjoyed it.
Full details of the event and more of the excellent official photos from the Newcastle City Council’s City Life News can be found here
The evening began in the Civic Centre with some wonderful Christmas music from Tyneside A Capella. (you can hear their voices on the official link above). It was lovely to see an old friend, who is part of that group. We took part in the short carol service (and sang our special request). Our Norwegian guests sang some Norwegian carols too. Several of the ladies, including Bergen’s Mayor, were wearing beautiful traditional costume.
Photo courtesy of Newcastle City Council
After the service we all went outside. We sang another carol. Both mayors addressed the crowd and after countdown, the lights went on – and it looked lovely!
We went back inside for refreshments and more entertainment from the two choirs. Tyneside A Capella performed some amazing versions of pop classics. We got to sing “Lulla Lully Lullay” (new for us this Christmas – I absolutely love it) and our reindeer herding song, “Ole le loila” – we learnt this a few years back and it’s great fun to sing. I can’t see a reindeer now without feeling the urge to sing this!) One of these days I’ll learn how to add audio to the blog and you can actually hear us!
It’s a lovely event to be part of and it really signals the start of the Christmas season.
Photo courtesy of Newcastle City CouncilNewcastle City Council Choir
Are you involved in any special Christmas events where you live or work?
Stitches by the Sea 