Honey, I shrunk the handbag!

I knitted this handbag using Sirdar Eco-wool. Didn't bother with a pattern, just used a circular needle - 78 stitches, round and round until it was long enough, then cast off leaving 2 blocks of 9 stitches which became the handle. A little bit of wool left over so knitted a square to make into a pocket.

The plan was to put the finished item through a hot wash to shrink it into a felted bag.

And it came out rather smaller than I expected!

So now I have a cute, dinky bag, lined with cotton...

... just the right size for a lipgloss, some keys and a five pound note!

Definitely no space for raisins, colouring pens, cartons of juice, moshi monsters or wet wipes!

Knitting bag

This morning, in a flurry of housework avoidance productivity I made this.

The lilac fabric is some medium weight cotton I was going to use for some cushion covers, and the lining is from a vintage Marks and Sparks duvet cover.

It has a round bottom (just like me!!) so there is plenty of space for balls of wool and stuff.

And it's deep enough that even long needles don't stick out.

And after I'd finished it I realised that as a bonus...

...it is completely reversible! So you can have the scrummy vintage print on the outside.

Linking up with handmade Thursday at www.whitelilygreen.blogspot.co.uk .

Easter Giveaway!!

 Would you like to win these Easter goodies?

You would?

There's an Easter card with a padded bunny motif...

There's a cotton treat bag - filled with chococolate ...

There's an emergency chocolate pocket - including chocolate of course...

And there's a very ugly, boggle eyed chicken.

But she does have a chocolate egg up her bum, so that's good.

(Her name is Ethel.)

So, what do you have to do to be a winner??

• You could leave a comment on this blog post and I will put your name in the proverbial hat.
• If you are a new follower to this blog you will get an extra entry. (Make sure you tell me in your comment.)
• You could like me on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/shazronniemakesstuff - all new likers from today will be in with a chance.
• If you visit my facebook page you will also be able to get more entries by sharing and commenting there.

(Disclaimer; all these items have been made by me, they are not toys and should not be given to children without supervision - they might choke on a little bead or scoff all the chocolate.)

The giveaway closes on the 26th March so that I can get the goodies posted by Easter.

(And if you live locally I will also give you 6 lovely free range eggs from my chickens!)

Linking up with handmade Thursday at White Lily Green.

Just one more thing...

The trouble with making stuff, is that just when you've decided you've made enough stuff, you have an urge to make some more stuff.

So, I made 7 little sweetie bags to be favours on our Christmas table.

I knitted a handbag for Poppy. 

I baked a boiled fruit cake.

And I made myself a large gin and tonic!

Happy Christmas everybody!

Finally finished some knitting..

... a little top for Poppy. 

Of course, she wouldn't put it on for a photo.

(In fact the little madam is very particular about only ever wearing leggings, and a t-shirt at the moment.

Accessorised with legwarmers and a woolly hat.)

You might think it's a rather summery knit for October, but I think it will look cute with a plain long sleeve t-shirt underneath.

(If she ever agrees to put it on.)

The yarn is Sirdar baby bamboo, colourway "Poppy" - which is why I bought it in the first place!

The pattern is a Sirdar pattern, number 1830, which I already made before when Poppy was a baby. I was rather lazy this time around and didn't bother with the lacy pattern on the top part. I think it looks fine without it.

Little Bootees; now I need a baby to give them to!

After finishing my sweater I needed a little project so I made these little boots from some leftover yarn.

Aren't they sweet? I think I will give them to a friend who is expecting any day soon.

Pattern available here ; just scroll down the page to find "Oh baby bootee."

Unseasonal knitting

I've finished my winter jumper! And actually it's not late because I only started it in March. 

I bought the yarn (King Cole Dreams chunky) in the sale hoping I'd be able to knit something by the time the cold weather was due to return. Four months is actually pretty speedy for me - I got bored about three quarters in, but I would not let myself start anything new until this was finished!

 It's a raglan sweater with side button detail. This is actually the first time I did a raglan style, and I'm very pleased - no nasty picking up!

And one last photo - one of me feeling rather warm wearing a woolly sweater in July!

Mama made Monday - Tank top

I bought a load of Sirdar snuggly bubbly yarn in the early days of my knitting journey, before I realised I hated knitting with bumpy wool.

To be fair this one isn't too bad to knit with and is nice and soft.

I didn't know it was going to be a tank top; I just cast on 100 stitches on a 4mm circular needle and starting knitting. When it got long enough I changed to straight needles, splitting it into 2 lots of 50 stitches.

I decreased by k2tog at each end of every knit row until I had 40 stitches left. I did a few more rows, then cast off. The straps are 10 stitches wide.

I decided to make a crochet edging because I hate picking up and I hate doing rib.

It's just a row of single crochet and a row of double crochet.

The yarn is Sirdar Calico, a cotton yarn leftover from another project. Not quite the same shade of lilac but looks nice nonetheless.

And it fits just right on my little model.

Knitted Pinafore Dress - Mama made Monday

 

 This is a stash-busting attempt!

I have a rather large amount of a bobbly yarn called Sirdar Fresco; I was lured in by the pretty pastel colours and soft fluffy bobbliness but it turned out to be a pig to knit with!

But not to be beaten I decided to try knitting it with a strand of plain blue yarn - just a cheapy acrylic dk.

I'm quite pleased with the look of the two together.

And this is the finished pinafore, looks rather triangular in this photo!! The two yarns make the finished knitted garment quite thick - I might try making a sweater using more of the blasted stuff.

Here is my little model; I was worried it wouldn't fit but it is actually rather roomy and will fit for ages!!

It's very difficult to get a decent photograph of your own feet.

I finally finished knitting my socks.

I started them in February. It would be fair to say I am not good at speedy completion.

Pompom scarves

Let's face it; knitting a scarf is one of the most boring projects going.

Which is exactly why I love this pompom yarn; knits up super fast and super easy!!

The big scarf is for a Christmas present and has been knitted two or three rows at a time in snatched spare moments, and the little scarf is for Poppy's stocking and took about thirty minutes last night.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

 A greeny blue crochet star...

 ...and a pink one!

 A fluffy lavender and white bauble...
















                                                             ...pink with pearls...

...one with pink fluff (oh, how I hate knitting with that yarn!)...

...and one with star beads.

Knitted Sling

Actually it's a snood.
You might recognise it from this post.
We've been into Birmingham today and my stupid, foolish, lovely husband failed to place the neatly folded ring sling into his bag as per my direct request.

Luckily I was wearing the snood. It's a little stretched now, but it worked just fine!

Snood (you can call it a cowl if you like.)

I was born in 1974 and remember the 1980's with love and happiness.
I got a snood one Christmas. I think it was mohair. I wore it with my reversible dalmatian sweater and some leggings. There were possibly some legwarmers in the equation while we danced along with Shakin' Steven and ate Caramacs...

But back to 2010. I found myself in Lidl, a pack of chunky acrylic and a circular needle fell into my trolley, and my new snood was conceived in a flash of inspiration.

I'm really rather pleased with it; it's basically just a knitted tube, but all soft and cosy, just right for keeping my ears warm on those chilly school run mornings.

And I promise to wear matching purple eyeliner at all times.

I have knitted a sock!

I cast on in February, and a mere seven months later (!) I have one sock. I did have a few months off during that time as my attention span and enthusiasm for these projects tends to go off the boil.

But it is a very nice sock, so later I will cast on the other one so it is at least started. Perhaps by the end of May next year I will actually have a pair...

Mama made Monday - slouchy hat

I have been productive this week!

This is knitted from some leftover self patterning aran procured from my mum's house.

I used 5mm needles, and cast on 60 stitches.

(It's quite roomy for my 2 year old dd so I could have got away with perhaps 55 stitches.)

The first 6 rows were 2x2 rib, then I switched to stocking stitch for 2 rows.

Then continuing in stocking stitch I increased on the knit rows as follows.

K2 (Kfb, K4 - repeat) K3 (72 stitches)

K3 (Kfb, K4 - repeat) K3 (86 stitches)

K3 (Kfb, K4 - repeat) K2 (103 stitches)

Then I carried on in stocking stitch until the knitting was 7cm long (not including the rib.)

Then more stocking stitch and decreased on knit rows as follows.

K3 (K2tog, K4 - repeat) K3

K3 (K2tog, K4 - repeat) K3

K2 (K2tog, K4 - repeat) K2 (back to 60 stitches)

K2 (K2tog, K4 - repeat) K2 (50 stitches)

K3 (K2tog, K4 - repeat) K3 (42 stitches)

K3 (K2tog, K3 - repeat) K2tog, K2 (34 stitches)

K2 (K2tog, K2 - repeat) (26 stitches)

K2 (K2tog, K2 - repeat) (20 stitches)

K2tog, repeat to end (10 stitches)

K2 tog, repeat to end (5 Stitches)

I cast off by pulling the yarn through the last five stitches and pulling tight, then sewed a seam down the back.

Poppy seems quite fond of it, wearing it for a very important game of fairy skittles.

Mama made Monday - stripey jumper.

It seems ages since I actually finished knitting something, but here is a little jumper I've made for Poppy.

The yarn is Sirdar Juicy DK, which is a bamboo viscose and cotton mix, lovely and soft.

The pattern is just one I made up as I went along; the front and back are basically both stocking stitch rectangles, with a few rows of garter stitch at the top and bottom.

I put 6 buttons and buttonholes at the top to hold the shoulders together.

The sleeves have garter stitch cuffs, then stocking stitch gradually increasing to end up wider at the top.