Busy Busy Busy!

Yah Christmas. I made a vow a long time ago to not let my children grow up in a materialistic, keep up with the jones, spend a fortune on toys/gifts only for them to be broken or forgotton about in five mins..type of household. So Our christmas tends to be mostly secondhand or homemade, you can imagine december is very very busy but thankfully the end is in sight! Im so looking forward to making something for me lol..heres some of my recent makes. Most of which are on my raverly page. With the fingersless mitts i have actually made 5 different pairs for teacher gifts. Humm soon ill have to make 7 when baby starts school!

Rag rug..with a difference!

Searching across the net i came across this idea for a rag rug..im thinking id love to collect the boys school uniforms thats too beyond repair to use.. i could be here sometime lol..also love the fact its sewn onto a towel..seens a lot faster too me! Too all my friends across the pond HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY!

http://creativehomemakers.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-max=2012-09-14T07:00:00-06:00&max-results=30

Our Wedding on a budget..£400!

Mr and i are allready married. Here in the uk you can renew your wedding vows its exactly the same ceremony..you can remarry the same person as many times as you like! Mr and i have talked about renewing   when we get to ten years married..thats next year and we whould have been together about 15 years in total. Nothing actually has come of these plans..until today i decided id book it all in secret as a romantic suprise for a wedding anniversary in febuarary. Today i have booked the regisatar office, the venue, bought a dress and flowers i have a budget of £400. Some people say thats mad..im going to try and prove you don't need all the trimmings and horse drawn carridges..essentially it is just 2 people in a room of friends and family declaring their love for each other.."stuff" shouldn't matter...i will look back on this when i feel my "bridezilla" moments..please note im not affliated at all with any sites just ideas i have found cheaply!

I plan to ave an afternoon tea party..so light buffet of sandwiches..jelly and ice cream and cake..with tea and coffee ..all using vintage plates as a major theme ..i have quite a few anyway! The cheapest caterer i found was £160..i recon i can do it for about £80. There is a bar there but they have to pay..we will provide a few bottles of champage as a toast.

2..venue booked £34 an hour as its friday and off season..this is fab as its our actuall original wedding day! its in a stunning stately victorian musuem heres a picture :D


3..Dress i wanted a new dress one i could wear again if i wanted but i didnt want to spend a fortune..i had something in mind..after weeks of searching online i came across this one from amazon..for a total of £20.50 with postage..cant wait for it to arrive hope it meets up to my expectations. And my flowers and flowers for the bridesmaid again £7.00 each..with mine i found a beautiful deep purple fake anenomies which ill add to this plain bunch and warp some vintage style lace around them.

4..jewlerry..i plan to use a set of pearls i was given as a christmas gift..but if you look round somewhere like primark or claires accessorries you can pick up some very preety faux ones for a few pounds.

5. Shoes..tbc..want to find a pair that cost around £8 will try EVERYTHING5POUNDS.com..bought stuff from them before and very impressed.

6. Invites! Free print offs this ones a nice site http://www.weddingchicks.com/freebies/invitation-suites/

TBC!!

Simple pleasures

Im trying to become more homestead living..im getting there slowly cutting down internet time (or at least social networking!) has made me much happier this week.

I stumbled across this pattern and im so totally in love with it..these are to be a gift for a lucky wee man im planning to make a knitted gnomes house to go with it , you can find the gnome pattern here for free http://plainandjoyfulliving.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/fun-knitting-gnome.html

Also made another dolly for a friends daughter for christmas shes by fiona mctague from the book knitted toys sadly im not great with doing faces! But i love her.

Also lastly i made bread again and its 100% better than first time i made it..a couple more trys and it should be perfect! Heres a wee pic of my eldest 2 boys..i felt so happy and blessed this weekend the mood must have reflected as they played beautfully together..have a great week all xx

mini hexagon blanket..one a day!

Saw this on facebook by crochet grannies i think, basically you commit to making one sqaure a day towards a blanket , heres my link to my raverly project its includes notes of whats happened in the week..although im think i might need more than 365 squares depending on size after 365 days lol http://www.ravelry.com/projects/noynoyavery/mini-hexagon-pattern

heres how it look so far..i think im also commited to about 5/6 other blankets lol..not all for me i hasten to add

wishing you many happy crafting adventures!

Sams Blanket

Friends nephews "lovey" had fallen apart..disaster! I was sent a sample in the post, there wasn't a pattern i could find anywhere so i had to try and recreate it somehow, all the basket weve blankets id seen where odd number stitch pattern repeats and/or the back was the same as the front, this one was even number repeats (inside the boarder) and the back was plainish knit (different to the back)

3.75mm needles
100g pattons fab dk yarn (i used a whole ball leaving about 10 yards!)

This blanket once pressed or killed (steamed) is 50 x 70 aprox, of course you dont have to press it , this was just how it was in the sample i was sent, unpressed its about 43 x 57cm
If you want to make it bigger just add an extra 8 stitches and knit to required length.

Cast on 86 stitches.
Knit in garter stitch for 6 rows.
Then...
Row 1, K7 *p4,k4* to last 7 stitches k7
Row 2, knit
Repeat rows 1-2  Two more times (6 rows in total)
Row 3, K7,K4,P4* to end K7
Row 4, Knit
Repeat rows  Two more times (6 rows in total)
Continue with repeating rows as set pattern to approx 1.5 inches below desired length, finishing on the Rows 1-2 repeats
Garter stitch 6 rows and cast off in garter stitch. Press .

@Copyright Laura Avery 2012..i give permission for you to sell from this pattern but please do not pass it off as your own, many thanks!

Im not hiding honest!

Sorry ive been in hiding ! Basically wee man is superglued to me like a limpet, but he seems to have calmed down  a bit in the past week thankfully! Ive even managed some craft time! But mostly we are having the house re furbished so furnture and clutter is all over the place , the attics being turned into a bedroom with en suite shower room, and our old bedroom is being turned into a smaller bedroom with corridor so the 2 lower bedrooms can bth access the current bathroom which is currently off our bedroom so our sons have to wlk through our bedroom to use the bathroom..you can imagine the mess! Ive repainted our living room i love it and all it cost ws £13 for a tin of paint!
Two firsts for us this week..keon middle son aged 4 has finally allowed the hair dresser to cut his hair he now sports a very grown up big boy hair cut ready for starting big school in september im so proud yet also sad having looked through an old post about baby wearing him, im wondering where the time has gone? The other first was i took luke and the other 2 lads to the childs matinee all by myself (i know im crazy) They behaved perfectly and i didnt realise that babys where quite common, im going to make it a monthly treat, anyway ttfn see you soon and have a great holiday!

fat quarter trousers .

So i had a fab fat quarter but the print was too big to make into a nappy and it got me wondering what i could make with it instead..trousers! They are designed for now as it used up almost the whole width of the fat quarter so he wont have a great deal of time in them but i feel so satisfied lol.

Knitty knickers!

Currently working on 2 soaker patterns made using 4ply sock yarns , seems to be lots about but not that many using sock yarns, or are knitted flat and seamed, i prefer mine top down and in the round! The first is a knitted pair adapted from a pre war pattern, after much configuring to get the right gauge using modern yarn sizes and needles, i think I'm there! Sizes Then where made bigger with a tighter leg cuff so that they lasted longer rather than the fitted look that only lasts a few months or so until baby grows, plus i do love vintage looks. The second is a crochet pair which hopefully will be one of those plug in calculator tut type patterns, Are you interested in them? Both haven't been tested especially not other sizes so come as virgin patterns. Excited to be offering them to you later on next month.

tarn rug..again!

having accumulated another stash of grotty t shirts..i decided to make another tarn rug, for those who don't know, tarn is t shirts cut into fabric! You can also use tights (pantyhose) , jeans , called jarn..anything really. I prefer the spiral method of cutting , something quiet cathartic about snipping it up to be honest, at the moment I've run out of stuff to add, but I've done another 3 rounds more after this picture, I'm hoping to have one big enough for the new attic room.

The great declutter..

Decided to ditch things in favour of a more natural approach..heres all that i currently have bar makeup which i dont have vast amounts of anyway. All i want to keep is olive oil, apple cider vinager, bicarb of soda, coconut oil, a rock deoderant, rock salt, honey and toothpaste and bar soap!

so bye bye to stick deoderants, all liquid soaps, face masks etc ..need to use this lot up first

all ready gone..one bottle of shampoo.

Low cost gardening?!

Anyone noticed just how dear gardening is becoming? It's mad! I went into my local shop and saw the herbs where on offer ..apparenly at £2.47 a pack..if id bought all i wanted i whould have spent over £60 on seeds alone! i bought a load of ebay and in poundland in the end totalling £9!..baragin, eagerly awaiting spring now to put my guttering herb garden up..you will see what im on about soon lol. Ive also got some living stones growning in my old coffee bags which will look lovely soon ..talking of bargains, i fund this fab site which has really cheap seeds, free packets when you spend over £10, and frost reports! excellent !

VegetableSeeds.net - VegetableSeeds.net offers fantastic value for the highest quality vegetable seeds in the UK. Over 300 varieties with next day shipping.

Recycled garden again

That time of year again! Garden time, Trying to keep my front in keeping with my ethos. I saw some fab recycling ideas on pintrest, heres my take on them, i aquired some 2 litre fizzy bottles from a friend, and spent £7 on plants..although ive got quite a few more ideas to sort through first but i need to wait for warmer weather..ooh hurry up warm weather!

Feeling rather blue that we can't afford a holiday abroad for several years, But i recon i must have had some fab, cheap uk holidays! On one holiday in dorset my son learned to walk, precious moments in time. We allways have a beach holiday and we love norfolk for fishing. I think in a way the current economic climate has meant more local and uk based places of intrest have been given a welcome boost, or at least i hope so! This picture of my grandmother back in the late 40's allways inspires me to make the best of what ever holiday we  can. Walks on the beaches ,donkey rides, exploring local historic places, kiss me quick hats, candyfloss, it may be cheap it may be tacky but my lord we do have the most wonderful happy time together as a family and thats  worth more than any exotic holiday!

I entered the Flythomascook Photography Competition:

Racey lacey 12" or more square

Please note this is my pattern and i own the copyright, as with all my pattens you may use it to make things to sell, but please do not pass it off as your own pattern many thanks x

US                                  UK

chain(ch) chain(ch)
single crochet (sc) double crochet (dc)
double crochet (dc) treble (tr)
half double crochet (hdc) half treble (htr)
triple crochet (trc) double treble (dtr)
slip stitch (sl st) slip stitch (sl st)

Racy Lacy 12" square..i use uk terms x
dk weight yarn 4mm  g hook size 8
chain 4, ss to starting chain to form a ring

round 1.  Chain3, into ring work 11 tr, ss to close ring

round 2,  chain 3 in same space work 2tr, chain 2 ,skip 3 tr, *3tr, chain 2 3tr into same space* repeat around ss to starting chain to close

round 3, ss to corner trb (before chain 2 space) chain 5,* dtr into next tr, chain 3,skip 1 tr,  dtr into next tr, chain 3, dtr into next tr, chain 3* repeat around ss to starting chain

round 4, into corner chain 3 work 3 tr, chain 2, 3tr,  into each chain 3 space work* 3 trb , chain 1*,up to corner spaces , working  3 trb, chain 2, 3trb in each corner.

round 5, chain 3 in same space work 2tr, chain 2 ,3tr , work 3 tr  all in same space, chain 1, in apces between clusters work 3tr,  work 3tr  2 chain 3 tr in corners..repeat  around, chain 1 ss to starting chain.

round 6, ss to corner trb (before chain 2 space) chain 5,* dtr into next tr, *chain 3,skip 1 tr,  dtr into next tr,*  then chain 3 dtr into each middle trb*. to corner,  repeat around ss to starting chain

for 12 inch square i worked rows 1-5 once, then 4-6once and row 5 again

work rows 4-6 to sized required.ending with an extra round of  row 5  for larger sizes

Gah teething..again..to sew or not to sew?

We are cutting teeth again in this house, 6 all at once! We have an amber teething bracelet on, which helps a little but my god the dribble. When my eldest was little there was these really cute little triangle shaped bibs that made them look like cowboys! Ive allways fancied making them myself, thought about getting my machine out, printing off a pattern etc, then i stumbled across the world of working from home mums, this lady for example makes currently 5 for just £10, how does that work out cost of electricy, thread, time, material etc? So ive sent her my custom..means i get more free time for knitting! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Seaside-sweatshop/369117249768910

and on the plus side wait for it my jumper from the 1920s that ive knitting for almost 2 years is almost finished! Ive joined up with my fitness revoloution where you plede to get healthy, ive currently lost since the night before giving birth to now 43lbs, (i think thats cheating though lol) but i lost 15lbs overnight so maybe ive lost 28lbs? Sadly my clothes are still to tight so really need to get fit now. I have a red dress aka like that what in special k....its just hanging there waiting as motivation! Im also currently sewing a ragdoll and making the clothes from the worn clothes of my children , first clothes etc..tis a slow process! No ones come forward for the comp prize yet so pleaseeeee..check the orignal post thanks!

Ive been featured again :D .. check out this ladys website shes got lots of ideas for knitting/crocheting  things from recycled items ! http://www.recycledn2yarn.com/ 

my current recycled project is to make a picture fram from clay and beer bottles not sure if the clay will hold the beer bottle tops so will have to wing it i think! ..