More Scooters From Susie

Susie has been making some more scooters from my Vespa knitting pattern. She has made some little side stands so they will stand up nicely. Love them! Thank you for sharing.

Willow and Tissue Lanterns - A Rerun

 

You may remember that this time last year my son and I were making lanterns from willow and tissue, at West Devon Arts, and then later larger willow and tissue animal models to show at Tavistock Dickensian Evening. In the end the parade was cancelled because of stormy weather.  It was disappointing, so we are redoing the course. I will write about our large models later, as we are still at the building stage.

But here are our practice lanterns, to remind ourselves of the techniques. Mine is the willow pattern plate inspired one above. I decided to go fairly simple on the decorations. It is amazing what you can do with a blue sharpie. Not sure if it is finished, or I may add a bit more decoration.

 

My son has made a more interesting shape, and his lantern is above. I think the two colour tissue decoration is really effective.  

Chameleon

I am busy working on a new pattern, and have returned to sort of thing that I do most - quirky little creatures. Do you like Mr Chameleon? 

I think I am nearly there with the pattern, but this is just a peek, as I realised I have not been posting very much at the moment. 

I am still at the testing and photographing stage. Tricky with a chamelon, as I really should find somewhere very colourful to put him, so you have no idea he is even there!

Vespa Scooter

Every now and then someone makes one of my patterns, and does it so well, that I feature it here. Susie bought my Vespa knitting pattern back in June, and has made this lovely model for her brother-in-law to put in his workshed where he loves renovating vintage scooters! She says "The trouble is he's a Lambretta fanatic so not sure how well a Vespa will go down!" Well I am certain he will love it!

If you have used one of my patterns I would love to see what you have made. 

Woodland Walk Hot Water Bottle Cover

I've been working on this pattern for some weeks, but first got in a bit of a muddle with the sizing, and then somehow as usual life has got in the way. My other Hot Water Bottle Cover pattern - The Cottage Garden, is possibly a bit summery, so I thought I would try to design one with more of an autumnal feel. 

I love going on an woodland walk in autumn - golden, yellow and red leaves on the trees and ground, hunting for and trying to identify the many toadstools, and perhaps catching a glimpse of a fox or rabbit. So I have incorporated all these motifs into my cover.

Like my other bottle cover I hope this is a good introduction to fair isle knitting. Only the fox has three colours, but with all the other motifs you are working with just two strands of wool. It is also a nice small project, possibly a bit easier than embarking on a garment if you are new to the technique. You could alter the colours of wool used, or the order of the motifs. If you do this, or even if you don't, I would love to see your finished project.

There is some embroidery on each motif, and I particularly enjoyed this part of the project. Suddenly the whole cover seemed to come to life. Embroidering with wool on wool is quite forgiving, and I have some tutorials in Embroidery Corner on this blog, if you need help with any of the stitches. 

The pattern uses 4mm needles, and DK wool. I knitted the back in plain stripes, but you could knit the back with the same motifs as the front. This would only take a little more wool.

I enjoyed this design so much that I thinking of some ideas for a wintery cover design.  

The pattern will be available on Ravelry, Etsy and LoveKnitting as soon as I have uploaded it. 

 

 

A Change of Scene

I have been dithering about this post. This blog gives some insights into my life, perhaps a slightly edited version. But as I know I have some people who have followed me for quite a few years, I thought I would just let you know that I have moved house. You may have noticed that I have been posting much less recently, mainly because moving house is such hard work. 

If you have followed my gardening posts you will definitely notice a difference next year. The new house has a lovely garden, but I am going to be much less vegetable-based. There are some lovely shrubs and flowers, so I am going to have to learn about this sort of gardening. There is a small raised bed, but I may have to plant some of my vegetables in pots or between the flowers in the borders.

We are now in a hamlet on the edge of Dartmoor. I think it will suit us well, and I have already been welcomed with a glass of wine by my new neighbour. When I say the edge of Dartmoor, I really mean the edge of Dartmoor. I have to frequently weave my way between sheep or ponies. The photo above was taken through the front window, where the ponies like to gather, no zoom lens needed. 

Our dog is enjoying some different walks, and we are looking forward to exploring Dartmoor and the surrounding countryside, which I expect you will see reflected here.

 

From Tablecloth to Travel: A Handmade Top for Morocco

I have been sewing again with an old embroidered tablecloth. This one was not a family heirloom, but I must have bought it from a charity shop, I think. So long ago I can't remember where, and like lots of other pieces of fabric it has been tucked away in a box, awaiting its turn. 

 

For this project I have used my go-to pattern: the Ethel Ruffle Blouse, from Tiana's Closet. Once again I put seams down the centre front and back to give the top some symmetry. My favourite section is the back, and after all it is good to look stunning as you walk away. 

 

Again I had to use the last bits of my plain tablecloth for the bottom section, and have not put any gathers, as that is what my daughter prefered.

 

 

Same v-neck, and this time I made it without sleeves, and improvised some facing pieces to finish the armholes neatly. Below is a corner of the original tablecloth. 

The top is already in the post to my daughter, who is off on holiday to Morocco next week. I am hoping she may send me a photograph of herself wearing it, but that may not happen. 

And no, the fez perched on top of my dressmaking model isn't because of the Moroccan theme. It's lived there ever since a New Year’s Eve a few years back, when—after watching Squeeze on a Hootenanny—we thought it’d be hilarious to order a fez as our first act of the year. Possibly too much champagne was involved.