yarn along

Joining in with ginny for the yarn along this week.

Since the mad amounts of knitting for Christmas were finished I actually didn't knit anything at all for about a week! My knitty fingers soon got itchy again though and I picked up this project, I started these for myself after Christmas last year but I ran out of yarn and I re-ordered the wrong colour and got a bit disheartened and left them in a bag under my desk. Anyway, I have now got round to finishing them off and I love them loads. Ravelry notes here. I used jamieson and smith jumper weight yarn, it is one of my favourites and very very warm. Also comes in loads of great colours.

I have also just had delivery of this yummy yarn (I am using the shades mocha and ochre) to make this pattern . It is by the same designer as the gloves and I've had my eye on it for a while, i've been waiting for this post christmas break to get started on it and it feels very exciting.

I am also casting on this jacket for Roghan, working on the jumper for chris that I had intended to be a christmas present, and starting some christmas presents for next time, I am working on 1 a month to avoid that last minute rush. Is anyone else in a flurry of New Year casting on?

Happy yarn along x 

Jo x 

out & about

In between the deluges of rain we've been having we've been getting out into the cold crisp air. The light is so lovely at this time of year, the sun is low and the air is so fresh and full of life. We get out and about every day and then all tumble back into the house for hot chocolate and popcorn by the fire - bliss!

winter sun

fairy houses

During our week away we didn't take any toys or forms of entertainment with us so Faith spent most of her time outside creating making stick swords, exploring the pond, riding her bike and building fairy houses.

I'm so grateful that Faith had this opportunity this past week, I hope one day to be able to provide this near our home so that she can be out and about more.

Jo x 

mucking out time

Winter is a busy time at the stables. Mornings at our house are punctuated by calls of "mucking out time!" followed by the finding of coats, gloves, and boots and the general hustle and bustle of getting out the door. We arrive in the dark of pre-dawn to the whickering of horses eager to get out to the grass and then spend the early morning hours in the soothing repetition of forking straw, sifting out the clean, filling hay nets and water buckets, sweeping, laying down beds, shaking fresh straw and finally the satisfying thunk of bolts closing doors ready for the late afternoon when we will come back to feed and tuck them all in for the night. And so goes the rhythm of our winter days.

Jo x 

the handmade christmas

There have not been many make posts around here for a while because I have just been busily elving away for christmas. Here are some things I was working on.

This is the quilt that I started back in the beginning of July, see the post here. I really enjoyed making this. It is double bed size and I did the piecing by machine but the quilting and binding are all hand done. I'm glad I started early so I didn't have to rush but even so I only finished it 3 days before christmas. I am happy that it has now gone with my brother and his wife to its new home.

Next is a puppet theatre I made for Faith. Strangely in the christmas eve rush this is the only picture I got but basically it hangs in the doorway and above the house scene is a big window with theatre curtains where you do the puppet show. It is from a pattern in the book 'oliver and s little things to sew', I had to re-size it a bit though as I think the authors doorways must be twice the width of ours!

Here are the puppets to go with the theatre. They were really fun to make.

These are not home-made, they are ostheimer figures. The horses we got for Faith and the dog for Roghan. I have included them here because they came with the promise of home made stables / kennel. That wasn't completed before christmas but we are now halfway through the stable building and working on the kennel design. More on those to come.

These are fingerless gloves I made. The ones on the left were for my sister in law. They are veyla by ysolda teague, ravelry notes here. I loved these gloves and am glad they have a good home. I may be making another pair for me in the near future! The pair on the right are very simple wrist warmers, they are just a ribbed tube with a gap left for the thumb and striped of colour around the wrist.

The socks were made of a really soft chunky yarn just using my own very basic sock pattern and they were well received. The hat I made with one of my favourite yarns, fez by debbie bliss. It is from a pattern in 'last minute knitted gifts'. It was for my teenage nephew and went down well. Useful to know as teenage boys are a notoriously difficult gifting group.

This quilted bag was a bit of a risk as I used bold colours and it is an unusual shape. I hope it will grow on its recipient.

Also made were new stockings for the kids. I just drew a paper shape and made them very simply, no linings or anything like that.

This year I'm going to try to make one gift each month through the year to avoid the last minute rushing. I have said this pretty much every year but this year I really mean it .....

Jo x 

celebration

We have had the most lovely week of celebration. Loads of food and family, everything a celebration should be. Happy New Year and here's to 2013 x 

Jo x