I made one of these yesterday! It’s probably the first time I’ve made it my mission to hunt down the yarn recommended in a pattern. Same colour, same everything. And I’m so pleased with the result. The pattern is in the Simple Knitting book I mentioned in this post (about the cushion cover I was working on – which I also just finished, pictured below).

Sorry for the grainy picture – it’s quite a dark room.

I seem to be prepping for a winter that feels like it’ll never come – The suns shining and we’ve been forecast a warm start to October… sigh… I’m really not a big fan of summer – I’m in my comfort zone when it’s cold and fresh. I went out and bought a new winter coat yesterday too hoping in some way that might influence a sudden and dramatic change in the seasons. Nothing so far.

I’m also having a bit of a wardrobe crisis. It’s full… and I don’t like any of it anymore… . Nothing fits properly and there are very few things I can wear and say honestly that I feel comfortable and like me wearing them. Other than take the offending items to the charity shops I can’t really see how to get out of the rut. I think I need a bit of a makeover but I don’t know where to start. I’ve never found it easy replacing bad clothes with good ones. A lot of the time fashion and current trends are against me and my body shape – this is a battle I’m very familiar with. I’m going to make it my mission to introduce some changes and it’ll probably help to document and blog about what these changes are and how the makeover’s going… So fingers crossed this works and I keep my camera on me at all times…

I’ll keep you posted!

I’ve not done one of these doodles in a while and had a sudden urge to document yesterdays outfit. I filled my new bag with activities to keep me going at work – DS and little bit of knitting (The bag was an etsy find from Fox and Thomas – I can’t underline how much I love that shop). The dress was from Tesco (yeah, surprised me too). The jeans need re-dying because they definitely aren’t “black” any more. And the jumper had quite a lot of cat hair on it but funnily enough I didn’t draw those on ;)

I’ve just prepared a bucket of roast veg as my contribution to tonight’s “broadway gal’s wine and dine time”. I am armed with food and drink and very much looking forward to eating and drinking it.

Colourful etsy finds I’m in love with at the moment. 1. Blue Coffee pot from Luncheonettevintage. 2. Feather Garland by kayeblegvad. 3. Striped messenger bag by ikabags. 4. Wooden necklace by Snugstudio.

I got some beautiful slippers from my Ma while I was adventuring up in Orkney. The patterns and bright colours are beautiful and I can feel some projects brewing as a result. Also I’ve dug out some inspirational etsy finds as a result…

5. Folk Peacock from GinghamLife 6. Table cloth from VintageKeepsakes 7. Cross Stitch throw from Lunaparkfoundry. (All pictures credits go to the sellers)

I can’t stop making these blankets and I love making them BUT I have no more room left to keep new ones… so I’m going to sell them. Here’s the first stripey one available in the shop. Priced at £75 and measuring 60″ x 70″. A handy extra bed cover (for when this heatwave goes away again) and perfect for basking on the lawn or in the park. Made using Acrylic and Wool mix Aran weight yarns it’s easy to look after and machine washable (wash at 30 on a wool/delicate setting to be on the safe side)

Now time for some daft illya pictures (it’s been a while since the last.. how can something so small take up so much room??)

I’m starting to feel a little bit guilty about how much wool I own – it’s actually taking over my wardrobe…

I’m one of those folk who randomly buy a ball or 2 if I’m completely smitten with the colour/weight/texture of it. I won’t even have a project in mind but I’ll have faith that an idea or a pattern will come along and I’ll have just the right wool for it – this never happens. I’m also an ‘unfinisher’ – I have tons of half hearted knitting projects on the go, about 65% of them will never get finished but I’ll make sure the wool is stored safe and sound until it’s needed for something new. I also can’t stand throwing leftover bits away, so there is now a nice mixture of memories and fresh yarn to play with.

I’ve pulled out all of the random bundles and there are a lot of blues in my collection. I think I’m going to start knitting patches to use in a blanket (because I obviously don’t have enough of those). That seems like the perfect way to use them all up and have them on show, rather than tucked away. PLUS it’ll make room for more wool in the wardrobe ;)

I finished painting 4 new cotton spools today. They were so much fun to make last autumn/winter and made beautiful little tree decorations – added bonus. These fresh little faces will be in the shop soon so keep your eyes peeled.

I got my tickets for the Classic Thriller Season which takes over Nottingham Theatre Royal this August! HURRAH! I’m WELL excited! I also treated myself to this beautiful Orla Kiely folder – perfect for storing stray doodles… sigh, so pretty.