Gidday baby pink and purple

Cast of the pink and purple Gidday baby cardigan :) This one will be going to my sort of step sis for her baby due in September :)

The dark purple really stands out against the bright pink. Used the toadstool buttons I love so much lol

Not sure what to cast on next...a cowl, shawl, another cookie jar..? Any suggestions? 
Happy Crafting!

Coupon codes are evil lol

So, I'm doing stash dash to rid myself of some stash, and what do I do...buy more stash lol
I watch the bakery bears podcast on youtube and they had a coupon code for fondant fibre and so I bought more yarn lol as if I don't have enough lol but this time ordered enough for a hitchhiker or tillian shawl and will hopefully be part of stash dash lol
Wish me luck lol and Happy Crafting!

Caped Crusader Cookie Jar

Caped crusader cookie jar, finally made the matching hat to the fingerless mitts I made an age ago lol
The colours really pooled at the brim of the hat, but as my tension changed for the different stitch sections it seemed to spread across the rounds. Last time I used a babylonglegs aran on a larger than mitts project it was a honey cowl and this diagonal spread worked across the whole project and looked really nice :) 
I'll most likely wear it with the dark section of the brim to the front of my head, but love the yellow coming in across the front further up :)
Front:

Back:

As I'd wear it...

This is another stash dash project :) So far I'm at; Total Yardage: 2496m
And still got till 7th August so really hoping if I can get another shawl and few small projects done I'll make it :) -fingers crossed-
Happy Crafting!

Pics for the update...

Picture time!
Finished the nettle tea shawl, it still needs blocking so all scrunched up but the colours look nice :)

I had this much yarn left lol approx 6g I probably could have done it a ridge longer but didn't want to risk running out of yarn.

I cast on another cookie jar hat in my caped crusader aran :)
I also used my new skein umbrella/holder...made hand winding balls easier :)

And could easily weigh balls to check they would be equal :)

Today I got tattooed :) Ponyo is outlined at the bottom but only got a pic of the top of Corpse Bride...so pretty :) and didn't hurt as much as I expected :)

Gonna work on my batman cookie jar lol will hopefully get it cast off today :) to add more yardage to stash dash :)
Happy Crafting!

Update

Cast off the nettle tea shawl, needs a good blocking to stretch it out though...also cast on a cookie jar hat (twice lol but only one didn't get frogged) with my caped crusader aran, I'll finally have a matching hat to my fingerless mitts. Still working on sausage and chips too lol loving my new skein holder for ball winding, very handy.
Happy crafting!

Black Greenfinch

I made another lol my wrists don't like me very much right now lol
This one is black, for a teacher friend (I made him a brown hat that turned out way too small so changed ideas). As it's black the slip stitch detail is hard to see but it is there lol I cast on a few extra stitches to make it a little looser.

Sorry not very informative and chatty but been a long day, time for a bath, maybe a beer and bed lol
Long day tomorrow too so need some good sleep, my son is visiting his new school (in the nursery class room) and his TAF in the late afternoon/prevening (Sheldon Cooper term lol)
Happy crafting!

Greenfinch Cowl + Peanut

I cast on the greenfinch cowl last night, and finished it this morning before taking my son to nursery. Designer (Joeli Caparco) says it took her a couple hours but as I'm rubbish at slip stitches it took a little longer, maybe 3 hours (approx, I wasn't timing, just knitting and watching old knit girllls podcasts).

I'm hoping this will be a gift for a biker friend of mine, if he'll wear lime green, and his head isn't too big lol keep him warm under his helmet in the winter months lol it can be pulled up to cover the mouth for extra warmth...

...or pulled down, scrunchy looking.

The slip stitch isn't very visible on photos but can be seen better in person.

What do you guys think...too girly for a guy..?

Been working on the nettle tea shawl some more today, it's defiantly getting bigger, but still a ways to go yet..

And while taking my son to nursery today I saw an awesome sight...Peanut (Jeff Dunhams puppet) in a car window lol not as awesome as Walter (he's my fave) but pretty cool on a cloudy day.

Happy Crafting!

So much frogging + outdoor play

I have wasted so much knitting time lol I have started a few projects, gotten a couple hours in and just frogged them coz didn't like the look of them or wasn't enjoying knitting it...not good for stash dash...
I have made a couple more loom bracelets, and a small charm that depending how the rubber band catches on needles could be a stitch marker lol made using a crochet hook from a 'made by mommy' tutorial on youtube (four leaved clover).

I'm just over half way through knitting chips and sausage for the out of school club lol

And I put together a storage box and slide in my yard with my step dad...my son loves the slide so much lol

He also helped grandad fix my tightened so much it was stuck tap lol

Again...not much knitting I can show...sorry, but cast on a greenfinch cowl tonight, taking me longer than the designer but only coz am rubbish at slip stitches...
Happy crafting!

Babylonglegs!!!

Ok so we all know I am a big babylonglegs fan :) I love her yarns and the colours are just stunning...
My parcel arrived! She has a sticker on the parcel, so got all excited as only ordered a day before...awesome posting time, thank you Sarah :)

She also included a little note in with my order :) and I will enjoy knitting with it thanks :) especially the semi precious...it feels soooo good, anyone who likes merino/silk blends you must give her a go...little slippy but the softness means you just need to take your time.

And then there were loads of pictures of yarn lol
The images include the yarn instructions so you don't need loads of writing to read from me lol just focus on the pictures and dreams of new projects :)
Firstly the semi precious!

And the merino :)

You may recognize the last two skeins as I've had both colours before, the Yoda (fingerless mitts I made for Bekki in time for xmas, which was really hard to keep a secret lol) and the Caped Crusader (I got aran weight and have made myself fingerless mitts, plan on a hat too, this sock weight may be a shawl that matches - and all items in this dye lot match my batman high tops!).
Also the loom bracelet I made for Bekki has arrived in the mail so I can upload a pic of it now...orange and green of course :)

Then I finished my 2nd Cookie Jar hat, meant to be for my friend Michael for xmas this year but I needed to go down to a 4.5mm needle for the yarn and so it turned out too small for him as it fits me...I'd have to go up to the biggest size on 4.5mm and that should fit...I hope if I make it again lol
I also wanna make this hat in some of my babylonglegs yarns :) for me probably but may come in as gifts for special people too...the designer said it looks nice in variegated.

See it just fits me so not gonna fit a man whose bigger than me lol may come in for a gift for someone else and if not can be given to a charity shop or something...

I gotta go my son is being a handful today and I need to keep an eye on him...
Happy Crafting!

Gauage in the round

So on the Joeli's Kitchen podcast (youtube), think it was episode 39, she mentioned a way to test your gauge for knitting in the round on a flat piece of knitting. See her episode for how to do it as kinda hard to describe (for me at least).
Anyway, I gave it a try today with my Malabrigo Merino Rios on 5mm needles. The gauge seems to match what I need for the cookie jar hat, thinking of this one for myself but will see if I manage to make it fit me on purpose lol Love these colours so much :) Think this'll be a hat for when it's chilly rather than freezing from the swatch but see what the fabric turns out like when done as a whole.

 Happy Crafting!

Cookie Jar, keyring and designers

Finished my first Cookie Jar hat, out of random aran yarn I was given ages ago (funnily enough by the designer of the hat) :) It's fairly fast growing and has a nice stretch to it, I made the 18" size and it fits my head so that's good, tension may be a little loose so will have to check for next one if need a specific size :)

As you can see it is built up in blocks of different stitches and this creates a nice slouch to the hat too :) I was worried about yarn running out so missed one round but had enough in the end, ahh well better safe than sorry lol I'd recommend this pattern to someone new to joining in the round and seeing how the stitches work differently :)

I also made an autism keyring for my mum, prob not give it till her bday as a bit of something from my son :) Nice and bright, made with loom bands and a puzzle charm on a keyring loop :)

I've also been naughty and ordered a couple patterns and some yarn, intended as gifts for bdays and xmas :)
I'll take pics when yarn arrives :) more Babylonglegs of course lol mostly semi precious as love the softness of merino with the silk blend. Not meant to be adding to my stash, especially during stash dash but oops!
The patterns are by Joeli Caparco and Martina Behm, I love their designs and am really looking forward to trying some patterns that are really popular on ravelry.
Happy crafting!

Loom bracelets

My first loom bracelet :) blue for autism awareness :) I've since re-enforced the s-clip with a split ring (as seen in multi-coloured pic below).

This multi-coloured one was for my mum but she's given it to her friend Janet (who made the stone hedgehogs). Just picked random colours so no order to it.

Still knitting, but not fast enough.
Happy Crafting!

My patterns + turtle shell

My crochet hat pattern is free and super basic, my toddler wellie socks pattern is usually paid for (89p), just changed them to free as only ever had one sale. Which is a shame as they were only up at 89p and paypal took their share too, I think they were reasonably cheap but obviously the public didn't for such a simple pattern. They are now free anyway, if I ever amend them and make them have multiple sizes or yarn types I may add a fee but free for now. My fingerless mit pattern has been reduced to 49p from 89p and probably still won't sell but this one has a basic one size (depending on tension really) but in 3 different yarn weights, highlighted in their own colours for each instruction :)
My designs on ravelry

My turtle shell and hat has been used in a baby photo shoot :) taken by some old collage friends who now run their own studio...White Door Photography in Blackburn. Too cute!

Happy crafting!

New Project Bags +

I know, I know, before anyone thinks I'm crazy, I have enough project bags, but I loved these and I had a coupon code for free shipping. I was just getting 2 more but then saw the sale ones and thought it's saving money in the long run lol not really but my finger just clicked add to cart before my brain could stop it lol
These are all form AmeliaXJoy on Etsy and I love the fabrics...

The original 2 I was getting are...
number 1: small whales, I like sea life and the ocean so I liked this and decided to get it on the reduced rate for 2 bags offer...along with...

number 2: bright patchwork. I loved the patchwork she sent me and I really like the different fabric choices so decided to get this too...

Then I saw the few sale items and added these two before my brain told me not too lol
number 3: red/pink cotton bobins

and number 4: weird buttons...I love buttons, of different shapes, sizes and colours so I just had to get this too lol

So basically I'm now totally skint, I ordered these, then yesterday I spent £100 on outdoor storage and play items for my son...a storage box for toys, fold down slide (which I hope fits in the box) and a play house :)
I need to build them yet but he is gonna have a real shock and good run about soon :)
Still working on my nettle tea shawl and sausage and chips...but also lusting after straw poll semi precious sock and grey area semi precious sock by Babylonglegs yarns. I think both of these would look gorgeous as either a 'just knit it' shawl or 'nettle tea' shawl and I want them...need more funds.
Also wanted a zombie necklace form Curiology Online yesterday as part of her 'make me an offer Monday' but since I'd spent all I had I couldn't afford so made a rather insulting offer, which she understandably turned down, but wish I'd had the funds to make a genuine offer and have that to wear with my zombie killing bag...ahh well...
On that note, Happy Crafting!

Caught up my 157m

As title suggests, I've managed to re-knit the 157m of yarn I frogged...happy but could have been over 300m by now :( ahh well, I think it's looking better at least...nettle tea shawl approx 38g in lol just 60g or so to go lol

Happy crafting!

Re-Cast On Opal Yarn

So this morning I frogged my opal sock yarn that was a Just Knit It shawl, I wasn't liking the look of the colours...
I've cast on a Nettle Tea shawl with the opal yarn and it's looking much better so far, it will eventually be too wide for the colours to stripe but it's nicer for longer :) I haven't caught up with the 157m I frogged yet but I will eventually lol from the angle of my pic you can't see the ribbing properly but I'll get a better pic when I can be bothered moving rather than just on my knee lol

I think this may end up gifted :) the colours are really springy and would be nice to wear in the winter to add some colour to a winter wardrobe (most people tend to dress darker in the cold weather).
The pattern is easy to knit (though I'm rubbish at picking up garter st and my son grabbed it at one point...not good but sorted it out) and grow quite quickly, though I am using bigger needles than the pattern calls for (I'm using 5mm).
And on that note I'm off as I'm super tired...though been loving watching old Knit Girllls podcasts :)
Happy Crafting!

Frogged + Chippy and Fathers Day

So I got 37g (approx 157m) of a Just Knit It shawl done, when I decided to frog it, and cast on a Nettle Tea shawl with that yarn. My reason being the just knit it shawl is knit bottom up and the rows get longer and longer so the strip sequences were basically becoming a muddle of random colour with no real pattern anymore...I think because the nettle tea shawl is knit sideways the stripes may stay a little better, as it gets wider they will become thinner and less defined but I think overall it'll look better than the just knit it. I think I'd still like to make that just with a wider variegated yarn or a semi solid etc...Below is the picture of the just knit it shawl, as you can see the bottom has nice fairly solid definition and as it moves up that gets more and more random.

I finally started the suasages for the sausage and chips the out of school club asked me for...probably better not to photograph them on my brown settee lol but you kinda get the idea. Still a long way to go for these though.

A shout out to all the dads out there...Happy Fathers Day! My son made these cards (well he coloured them I stuck stickers on) for his grandads :) He doesn't see his dad but he coloured a tile magnet and coaster for his grandads too :) as well as some grandad socks :)

I lost my dad 20 years ago this year and today is still a little hard to get through...I just need to try stay busy, but with a bath needed, people to visit and milk to buy I'm gonna have to get out and try keep my mind occupied at least, and then there is always knitting and knitting podcasts to watch. I'm currently watching old knit girllls podcasts as am up to date with most of my watch lists lol mostly lol
Happy Crafting!

Joeli's Kitchen coupon code

My friend Joeli has released a new pattern :) and has a coupon code, check out her podcast for more details :) it's a lovely shawl that has two versions for the pattern.
Joeli's Kitchen podcast link
I'm looking forward to making it but need to get some more sausage (I finally made a couple of sausages) and chips made and some of my WIPs a bit further along, plus I need to choose yarn, I have so much in my stash I should use, especially as it's stash dash :)
Happy crafting!

Gidday blue and new project bags

Finished a blue and cream Gidday Baby, this is part of stash dash :) this will be another for charity, still need to make a pink and white one for my step sis though.

I've also cast on a garter stitch shawl with the lovely coloured opal sock yarn I bought a while ago form the little prince range.
I ordered some custom made project bags a while ago form The Undercover Owl on Folksy, but unfortunately she is unable to make them (she's making no more once stock runs out on her shop), so I've ordered a couple form a new shop I found, nice bags, but no strap option, that I found anyway, the shop is AmeliaXJoy on Etsy.
The lovely bags I chose are:
Mushroom print (of course for me this was a must lol) it's a bit pink but having toadstools on I just couldn't resist lol

I also got a patchwork one coz I love patchwork but am rubbish at actually sewing lol love the fabric combinations on this one.

There were some other nice ones but only wanted to order a couple until I knew what they were like as a finished product :) I should also add these are not custom orders but stock items form her Etsy shop (link above).
14th-22nd June is World Wide Knit in Public week, the main day is tomorrow (14th) so get out your needles (and hooks, it covers crocheters too) and sit somewhere nice while making something stunning :) A park, coffee shop, cafe...wherever you wish to relax and enjoy :)
Hope you're all enjoying what you're working on, I need to knit faster, wish me luck :)
Happy Crafting!