Bags and Fun

I finally finished work for the summer last week.  It was, without a doubt, one of the best weeks I've had in a seriously long time.  I had a friend visiting from the States.  I haven't seen her in 25 years!  She's currently touring around Europe and I was on her list of people and places to visit.  I was hugely flattered she took time out to visit me.

She was sick of cities so we went on day trips out to surrounding towns and little villages.  We went to Saltaire, Hebden Bridge and Heptonstall.  The weather was gloriously sunny and warm.  It was fabulous to catch up with everything that has passed over the long period of time.  I knitted her a lace scarf on her visit as well.  I really should have taken photos of it but I completely forgot.

However, I have some photos to share with you of a finished project that was a collaboration between me and my other half.  Its a bag for a friend in the States:

The exterior shot

The interior with pockets and lining

Isn't it sweet? I'm also working on a light weight summer cardigan but I'll save that for later.  Hope your summer is as lovely as mine has been.

Cranberry Cardigan Update!

Sometimes life gets busy and its that routine and work and home and other commitments.  The positive thing is my son has finally finished his GCSE exams, all 24 of them.  It meant endless days of revision with me asking him questions from his revision guides, going through past papers and trying to be supportive.  But its finished and he is home for the summer, just relaxing.

Now that he has finished...my cardigan is nearly complete.  Here it is with the front and backs attached:

Hey, hey its taking shape.

And here's a shot of it with the sleeves attached:

Nearly there!

There's still blocking to do and the button to add on top but yes, its nearly complete.  Obviously, I would not wear this fitted cardigan with the clothes I'm wearing in the pictures.  They just happen to be the clothes I was wearing at the time when I took these photos.  I have plans to make two dresses to compliment this cardigan and I have two tops that would go nicely with this cardigan.  

I also need to write the pattern out and post it to raverly as its my own pattern.  Yup, I designed this cardigan myself.  I promise more artistic and better pictures when its complete.  But I'm pleased with it immensely.  Next project is well, I haven't decided the truth be told.  Stay tuned.

Patience and GCSEs

My son is currently in the thick of his GCSE exams.  He has 24 in total and 8 more to go. That's two and a bit weeks of me having to have endless patience and pretend to be super mum.  I don't really feel like that at the moment.  I have no free time, no patience, no personal space and yes, I'm super cranky at times.  Yes, its good that he wants me to help him with his revision but its just relentless and never ending.

Today, in between doing endless marking and helping the teenager with GCSE non-calculator maths revision, I've been trying to crack on with my sleeves for the on-going/never ending cardigan.  I've had to pull one side of my fronts back to the first butterfly because its clearly too taxing on my brain to count to one to five.  It was obviously just too difficult...how do I manage such glaringly OBVIOUS mistakes??? Where is the mind?  I ask you...at 48, I really just take a deep breath and relax.

Well, here's a photo for your amusement of the two fronts so far:

"life is like a butterfly"

It looks rather tiny but it won't be.  I still need to add the ribbing on the side and block it and add it to my beautiful back.  I'm on sleeve one.  As I've finished watching "The Story of Women in Art" on the bbc iplayer, I'll have to find something else to inspire me now.  Like the thought of not working in 6 and a half weeks for the remaining summer or that my son will finish his GCSEs soon...or that I am having my dinner made for me tonight by my wonderful other half.  Hope all's well for all of you.

Patience and a Piece of String

I would like to say that I would have more patience than I do these days but seriously, right now, no...that is not the case.  My son is in the thick of GCSE exams and I have no peace, no personal space, no free time that is truly my own.  He wants me to ask him questions, go through past papers with him, mark them and help him with things he doesn't understand...its constant and never ending.  Yes, I'm glad that he is trying his best but truthfully, we are both exhausted and I have painted the room blue with colourful language some days.

In between helping him with exams, I've been knitting.  I've finally finished my two fronts, backs and am currently doing the sleeves.  I had to unpick one second back to the first butterfly as there was two glaring mistakes I could not ignore no matter what and also, I did one butterfly too many...because obviously at 48, I'm incapable of counting correctly when there is 5 butterflies on one side. Its clearly too much on this taxing mind. What an idiot I can be.  I still have a LOT to do.  Blocking, adding the ribbing, etc.  But here's my fronts:

Yes, those are butterflies.

Yes, the very tops don't match exactly but it was the best I could do with the decreasing and following the pattern.  Its from my own pattern so fingers crossed...I've never knitted a cardigan from a pattern I've made myself.  Maybe I should put the pattern on raverly when I'm done.  I guess it depends upon how it looks and IF I can remember exactly what I did.

I have some fabric to make a dress but that is not going to happen this weekend.  Aw well...it will happen when it happens.

Two New Dresses

I'm hoping that the weather will be reasonable enough to wear two new dresses I made this past week.  I can hope.  They are both 100% cotton and from the Stylish Dress Book, one of my Japanese pattern books.  I got the book from Salts Mill and I've made two tops from it last summer.  I made them "large" even though, I'm hardly what I'd call a large person.

First off, the blue flower dress:

Pretty blue flowers

This dress should have been so simple to make but the neckline caused me no end of grief.  I kept getting confused which way to put the pieces and I had to unpick the neckline twice.   The original pattern called for five pleats in front but I opted for a gathered neckline instead.  I'm glad I did.  It hangs much nicer this way.

The second dress is fabric my son picked out.  Its a box style dress.  If I was to make it again, I'd make it a little smaller but live and learn.  Here's a picture of the end result:

It has two pockets on the front as well.

I figure I could actually wear this in slightly cooler weather with some tights and a long sleeve t-shirt underneath.  I'll probably wear this on weekends and when I'm not working.  Remember, stupid dress codes and other people's ideas about what you should and shouldn't wear.  I might be accused of having too much fun in this dress.  Enough of my whining.  Two dresses completed.  Oh how I love time off from work!

Digging and Thinking

Yesterday it was actually sunny out.  A much needed sunny day to get me out of that dark hole that is my mind.  Sunday I ended up being one of those tedious moods where it just rained, the whole house felt damp and with that, my mood was definitely damp, cranky and impatient with myself, my life and especially, the weather.  I don't mind one day of rain that I'm happy to stay in and do my knitting or sewing but when it goes on and on...well, I feel like I'm climbing the walls quite literally.

So the young man and I went out for a blissful walk to clear our heads.  We found a £5 note on our travels so our drinks and chocolate brownies cost £1.20.  Always a bonus when you live on a tight budget.  When we got home, he settled down in a better mindset for revision, while I finally got stuck in with the garden.  I cut the grass, pruned some bushes back, weeded the garden and tidied up the edging.  Here are the results:

I spent hours doing this but you wouldn't think to look at it now

It looks much tidier but in need of more colour.

I want to get some snapdragons or something...something to brighten it up a bit.  Anything would be an improvement.  This year I said no to sweet peas.  Every year my parents get me some and its this search of find some suitable sticks to tie them to and then I lost interest in looking after them.  I prefer my old house and its brighter garden.  This one has too many trees over looking it and its ALWAYS dark.

Today, the young man and I went out for lunch with my parents.  It was enjoyable and afterwards, they went home and we went out browsing.  I got fabric to make something else.  Just as well because yet more rain is forecast for tomorrow.  Because clearly we haven't had enough of it this year.

Lace Borders

The weather in the UK has been typical for a Bank Holiday weekend.  Cold, wet and dark.  It is pretty miserable to say the least.  However, being indoors has allowed me to crack on with on-going projects.  When I say on-going, I mean ones that are taking longer than they should.  I don't really know why this is anything new.  It happens in life.  I have all these ideas and inspired ideas and then I come home from work...drained, lifeless and unmotivated.  Ugh.  I really need to kick that habit.

However, I've had a few days this week where I've been knitting while watching telly on a night and cracking on with my projects.  So work is actually progressing and MOVING forward.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I feel that inner peace again.  Yes, yes and yes.  I need that.  I'm tired of feeling like its just work and home and just that blah feeling from life.  That feeling where you are not feeling content within yourself.  Just restless and unsettled...but nothing you can put your finger on.  I hate those times. 

So here is one nearly completed side of my cardigan.  I'm being ambitious (for me) and knitting a lace border.  This side has NO mistakes...unlike the first side which has one or two and I'm seriously thinking about unpicking it back to those mistakes now.  Before I was going to leave it...but well...it will bug me if I leave them now.  So, for your viewing pleasure:

One side of a cardigan.

This is not normally a colour I'd normally wear but I'm trying to step outside my "comfort zone" with regards to colour.  I think for the past few years, I have to conform to a dress code at work and my sense of style went completely out of the window.  I can't even begin to tell you how sick I am of my work wardrobe.  Its drab and makes me feel older than I am.  Enough of that crap.  So what if I'm getting older, we all are.  I can still have my sense of style and individuality.  Clothes can be beautiful and make you feel good about yourself.  I don't have to resign myself to cream blouses and black trousers for work, do I?  I hope not...