Everything was going so well until just a few moments ago! Lets get the bad news out of the way - I have just sat down to continue with the second sock in the pair that I'm making and I've realised that the tricky bit, that I managed to get right on the first one, I've done wrong! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! I will now have to unpick a chunk and work out what I've done wrong, I honestly can't believe it. It was going so well. I was so close, I thought I'd have them finished this week.

Anyway, I have had a couple of successes this week. Firstly, I have finished making some small quilted boxes which I think are gorgeous. I found the instructions for making them at http://seaside-stitches.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/fabric-box-tutorial.html and I'd urge everyone to have a go: they are so simple and yet so effective. This is the first one I made

To give you some idea of size, I took another photo with a mug

I'm actually using this one as a little thread catcher and scissor/thread holder whilst I'm crafting in the evenings. A lesson I learned making this one was that the wadding pulls throughand can be seen a bit if you use a dark fabric. I picked some other fabrics and made these

When I picked the fabrics, I couldn't decide which way round would look best ie plain folded over pattern or vice versa so made one of each! I love them and will certainly make some more. They will be great to fill with sweets as end of term presents for the boys teachers.

My other big success of the week was the card sale I hels on Wednesday. Whilst Mum and Dad were away for a couple of days, I fetched Mums entire stock of cards over to my house and invited my friends, neighbours and work colleagues around for a browse. I sold 150 cards! I was thrilled (though not altogether surprised as the cards are gorgeous). It was also a great chance to catch up with some people who I've not seen for a while, or who I see daily but very briefly on the school run. Thanks to everyone who came!

I think I'd better quit while I'm ahead - having re-read what I've written I can't correct my spelling mistakes for some reason so my apologies for all the errors. I'm going to spend some time catching up with everyone at Handmade Monday http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/ before tackling the knitting.

Love Natalie

I may not have got a lot done today but I have enjoyed myself none the less. I did manage to finish off the Tooth Fairy Cushions I had prepared

but only really tinkered with a few of my other On-the Go projects. But the fun part was side by side sewing with Auntie Sarah, who made this

After careful consideration, she was able to get the pattern placement perfect and is quite rightly very proud of herself! We probably looked a bit of a sight sat either side of my table, sewing machines ready and all manner of sewing paraphernalia strewn about, but catching up over a bit of sewing is the way to go I reckon.

I'm linking up with Handmade Monday as ever (http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/), can't wait to see what everyone else has been up to (although my list of things that I want to make gets longer by the week).

Love Natalie

Look what I've been working on!

Socks - Round II!

My sister gave me a pattern for really simple socks knitted on straight needles so I am having another go and so far, so good. They are totally plain, no pattern (although it wasn't the pattern that I had a problem with before, it was the turning), and I'm using a different yarn because the one I used before was not the right grade. I finished up last night having divided for the heel but I will now pause for the weekend - I like to have a glass or two of "something" on a Friday and Saturday night and find that crafting is not always a good idea in such conditions! Actually, I often resort to knitting dishcloths at the weekend as you can't really go wrong with 50 rows of stocking stitch. I'll return to the socks next week, and you never know - I may have finished one by next weekend!

For any fans of 80's music, can I recommend that you tune in on your computer or phone device to Miskin Radio tonight between 8-10. I am reliably informed that my request for Colonel Abrams "I'm Trapped" will be played between 8.45 and 9.

Have a good weekend - we should have sunny weather tomorrow!

Love Natalie

The Easter holidays are over but with the sun shining today, at least they've gone out on a high. Who could believe that we were freezing our you-know-whats off a week ago, wondering if it would ever stop snowing? I hope I'm not speaking too soon - I've given up looking at the weather forecast so I hope we're not due to get rain tomorrow. It would be nice for the boys to walk to school without getting wet on their first day back.

I've kept myself busy this week with all the usual drudgery of school holidays (uniform, haircuts, party gifts, keeping the washing up to date....) but squeezed in some crafting. Not least because I have committed myself to a craft fair! It's not till late July but as we know, life has a way of interrupting all sorts of plans. A friend of my Mum's is organising a fair as a charity event and asked if Mum would come along with her cards. She in turn suggested that my sister and I might like to come along with our variety of homemade items. Inspired by having a deadline of sorts, I set to work on a couple of projects that I had started preparing. I had used Mum's Big Shot to cut out lots of felt hearts a little while ago so I have made a collection of hanging felt decorations. I know felt is not to everyones taste (you know who you are!) but I'm please with them.

I think I'm going to concentrate on making small-ish things for the fair as I know that footfall and average spend can be a bit of a "problem" at this kind of event (we've all been along merely to browse before) so I'm also going to make some fabric heart lavender bags, some more key rings and some coin purse key rings. Once I've stocked up on these, I can make some cushions  and carrier bag dispensers if time allows. And tooth fairy cushions. And doorstops.......blimey, I'd better get a wriggle on!

I had a wonderful day yesterday with my Mum and Dad at the Quilt Fair at Kent County Showground. My parents thought I was hilarious, buzzing around as I was from one stall to the next. It was an absolute treasure trove. I had been saving up for ages, keeping my "income" from crafting for just such an event, and it wasn't wasted. Look at what I came home with

I can't wait to get to work with the fabrics and patterns and projects that I bought - but all in good time, given what I've just said about building up stock for a fair.

In preparation for going back to school and work tomorrow, I am about to host a Let's Get the House Tidy Again party with my husband and children before tea. Then I'll be linking this post with Handmade Monday (http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/).

Enjoy a sunny evening if you've got one!

Love Natalie

I give up - the socks are no more.

My ever patient Mother put me right but something was still wrong. I unpicked it again - twice - but forever ended up 1 stitch short. There's no fun in unpicking over and over so I've given up. The yarn is gorgeously soft and a great colour so I shall find another good use for it. I WILL knit socks one day. I might even brave the DPN's as they seem to be the preferred needles for socks. Not today though!

Love Natalie

Happy Birthday Dad!

Haha! An interesting start to a craft blog I know but it's always worth giving the "old man" a mention - not least because he is a crafter of sorts himself, making all manner of furniture and decorations (of the Christmas variety) over the years (and he has great skills in printing off inserts for Mum's cards!).

The Easter hols continue at a pace so little crafting has been done around here. I've mostly been food shopping to replenish the cupboards that have been stripped bare by the boys and my husband whilst I've been at work. My turn to stay at home next week so I'm hoping to put the house back to rights and to catch up on the washing! Oh, the joys.

We went to London yesterday to Judy's Affordable Vintage Market at Spittalfields and had a great day out. I can't deny I was slightly disappointed by the market itself - there were lots of vintage clothes and jewellery stalls, not as much bric-a-brac as I was hoping for and only one fabric scraps bins to look through. There were lots of new scarves and T-shirts though! Still, the sun was shining, we went for a walk down Brick Lane and then a wander around Covent Garden and made it home in time to watch the Grand National (and lose in the sweep stake AGAIN).

I thought I'd share a couple of photos of unfinished projects. Firstly, the socks that I'm really not getting along with (I'm hoping for some words of wisdom from my Mum when she comes over for dinner later):

The colour is great and I like the pattern, I'm just totally confused!

And secondly, I started making this cushion cover last year (or maybe the year before, I've lost track) after seeing the pattern in Issue 2 of Knit Now magazine.

It's been a great project to have on the go because I've often just knitted a square when I was twiddling my thumbs of an evening and didn't want to get involved in a complicated pattern, and the back pieces of the cover are simple enough that I can just knit a couple of rows if I get bored. The end might be in sight though - I've nearly finished the second half of the back, then I need to sew it all together. I reckon in another years time it'll be finished!

Whilst finishing off birthday cake, I'll be catching up with everyones blogs over at Handmade Monday http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/ this evening. Have a great week - I'm hoping for continued sunshine!

Love Natalie


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Happy Easter! And a long awaited welcome to some sunshine! Even if it does remain freezing cold. My makes over the Easter weekend have consisted of various edible items rather than stitched ones but I thought they might be worth sharing anyway. Knowing that we were all going to be around for a long weekend, I started preparing some sweet treats on Good Friday. So, as well as various Easter eggs, we've been tucking into the following:

Gingerbread stars (I remembered the ginger this time!)

Easter biscuits, as featured on the Great British Bake Off Easter Masterclass.

Easter cupcakes, and the mandatory......

......Chocolate Chip Cookies.

I have done some sewing - the bunting that I'm making to order is coming along, and I've done a little bit more work on the socks that I started last week (although I've had to unpick a couple of rows and today Mum had to frog a whole section as I had missed out a vital part of the pattern). I've also had to do a lot of washing as every time we've ventured out of the house there seems to have been mud involved - a 10 mile hike for the Scout in the family on Friday followed by a lovely dog walk for all of us on Sunday = lots of mud! In between times we also squeezed in a whistle stop tour of the British Museum and the Tate Modern on Saturday which was a great day out.

We're going back to London next weekend, to the vintage market at Spitalfields on Saturday. It's held on the first Saturday of every month and I've been promising myself that I would go for ages. I'm dragging all the men in my life with me (much to their despair) but I think they'll enjoy a wander around. I'm also hoping to go to the Quilting Fair in Kent the following weekend so I will hopefully be brimming with new ideas!

I've already had a nosey around the blogs featured on Handmade Monday http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk/ and there are some great Easter makes to look at! My apologies for not leaving comments - I was on a device that was not being very helpful. Enjoy whats left of your chocolate.

Love Natalie