Marl and Shoe’s Crafty Day of Fun!
24 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
Today has been a rather crafty day (yes I appreciate you may be wondering how the above noted picture of me holding a gecko is related to craft – it’s not really but the gecko is super cute).
I spent today with my lovely friend Martine (www.iMake.gg) doing splendiferously crafty things. You may recall some time ago I finally finished my Ishbel (blog post here) but as Ishbel is a shawl that really does benefit from a good blocking and as I presently don’t have any blocking equiptment (it’s on my Christmas List) then Martine had offered to help me.
I have to admit it was SO scary putting it into water, and even scarier when i was trying to gently squeeze the water out and it was all getting a bit fluffy……but that done we set to work pinning it out. It’s increased in size almost two fold so it’s going to be a lush winter shawl rather than the scarf like mini-shawl I had thought it would be!
I’ve had to leave it to dry at Martine’s as it was still wet by the time I left but I’ll pop back later in the week to pick it up and Martine has kindly offered to photograph it for me so I’ll be sure to upload those once it’s done.
We then went to Guernsey’s North Show, a primarily agricultural and horticultural show at a local park, to look at some entries Martine had put in, she’s done a great blog post about it here so I won’t duplicate it but I will just show you these hilarious photos of me:
(this is me pretending to be a giant onion – don’t ask!)
I’m not actually as scared as I look in that photo, although I don’t quite know what possessed me that I wanted to hold the thing!!!!
After a cup of tea, some Guernsey Gauche and a bit of KIP (knitting in pubic) it was back to Martine’s for more tea and to record the rest of the podcast, the main feature of which is some hilarious audio we recorded at the show…..I’m really getting a bug for this podcasting thing and had a great time recording our audio. I even got to do my own “recent creative exploits” section!
I’m shattered now I’m home so I’m going to have a night vegging on the sofa. I’m going to try and photograph my owls and ripley tomorrow so I can put photos of those on the blog too!
love shoe xxx
A Labour of Love…..
21 Aug 2011 1 Comment
In the last month I have broken two of my Knit Pro interchangable needles….the first one broke in transit in my suitcase and the second one I sat on (I don’t reccomend this!). I was unhappy to say the least, I love my Knit Pro needles……so anyway I decided I would get a case, I had a look around but they were all either way too expensive or just not what I wanted….so I thought I’d make one……
I got some lovely orange fabric in the John Lewis Sale in Cardiff, along with some quilted wadding and some orange bias binding….and with a clear picture in my head of what I wanted I set to work….except it turns out that picture wasn’t so clear and it took a lot of prototypes to get something close to what I wanted!!!
To cut a long and rather boring story (which mostly involves me falling out with my sewing machine) short, it’s finally finished! Is it perfect, no! Will I be making more and selling them in a folksy store…definitely no! Does it do the job and am I secretly rather proud of it….well yes it does and I am actually….it fits all the things I wanted it to…including stitchmarkers and cable tools (thanks to Katenits from Ravelry for the safety pin idea) and hopefully it will keep my needles slightly safer than they have been. I’m searching for the perfect orange button to put on the front and I think i’ll just put some velcro on the closing but other than that it’s now finished!
It was so much fun making something from scratch, and now I’ve figured out all the things I’ve done wrong I think I will make another “mark 2″ version at some point….but for now I’m going to make do with the one I’ve made and get on with my knitting……
In other news:
After the broken needle incident during which the 20 odd rows of my clockwork unravelled it’self I’ve finally cast on again, it’s great tv knitting as it’s all garter stitch. I’m not sure on the colourway i’ve chosen (grey and firey orange/yellow) but I think it will be really nice and I’m going to give it to my dad for his birthday/christmas depending on when I finish it (I expect it will be the latter)
I’m super excited this week to be colaborating with Martine from iMake (www.iMake.gg) for an episode of the iMake podcast…..I’ve been on a couple of times now being interviewed and stuff but I’m actually co-hosting this one and i’m SO looking forward to it! I’ll let you know as soon as the podcast is out……
Martine is going to help me block my Ishbel this week too so hopefully I’ll finally have some decent photos of that to show you.
love shoe
xxxx
Midwifery Milestone……
29 Jul 2011 2 Comments
Today was the last day of the first year of my Midwifery course. A massive milestone.
It’s been the most amazing year, a year that has challenged me more than I would ever have thought possible but one that I have loved every second of…..I really thought at some point during this last year I’d have a “what the hell am I doing” moment but it never came – corny as it sounds I genuinely feel like I’ve found what I really was meant to do.
Being a student Midwife is hard, it’s long hours mountains of reading and a never ending learning curve. However, this year I have had the privilidge to meet some truely wonderful people, both Midwives that I’ve worked with and women who I’ve been fortunate enough to share in their special moment.
I’ve personally brought ten babies into the world (a quarter of the number required to qualify), and helped care for numerous other women who’s babies I (for whatever reason) didn’t get to deliver – they are just as special. There is simply nothing that beats the look on a parents face when they are holding their tiny new bundle – just seconds old – and knowing that you helped that woman bring her tiny bundle into the world.
I have spent the last seven weeks on delivery suite in a large UK hospital. It’s a scary place, but knowing that you can and have made a difference to the experience a woman has is something which I am honoured to be able to do.
I still have a long way to go before I’m qualified, and I know that second year will be so much more challenging than the first, and maybe that will be when the “what am I doing” moments will appear. So I’m making the most of my time off – spending time with friends and family and trying to relax as much as I can before September comes round again and the really hard work starts.
Sorry that this is a slightly un-craft related post. I’ve got a mountain of knitting to catch you up on but I’ll blog about that tomorrow!!
love
shoe xx
Casting on and off and on and off and on and off and (finally) on again!
20 Jul 2011 2 Comments
Photo From Flickr: www.itsybitsyspidercrochet.blogspot.com/ (free pattern too!)
I think my frog-itus is back.
You may recall I was knitting Damson in one of my last posts, well after Knit Nation I decided that I really didn’t like the yarn (it’s beautiful yarn but i think it’s destined to be a pair of socks – does anyone want to knit them for me??) I was knitting it with, and in the absence of a replacement and a whole bag of new yarn from Knit Nation I thought i’d start a new project.
So I cast on Jared Flood’s Juneberry Triangle – a pattern I’d been hankering over for ages, it’s such a beautiful winter shawl and I could just imagine myself cosying up by the fire with this wrapped around me! However, this pattern is SO difficult, it’s not hard to follow but it’s all YO and K2G and SSK and I was getting in a right muddle and the whole shawl is lace pattern……so I frogged it…..reluctantly…..i’m going to come back to this pattern but i think it was a step too far for my current knitting skill!
So then I cast on Ysolda’s Peaks Island Hood, another beautiful winter pattern (i think it’s the weather!) but for some reason my Make 1′s (m1) kept coming up as holes (does anyone have a good website with a tutorial for m1 as i’m really struggling with it) and by this point I was pretty frustrated so I frogged that too and sat in a huff……
Finally I cast on Jared Flood’s Terra, I’ve had this in my Ravelry queue for ages, another lovely winter shawl. I was a bit inspired by one of the lovely girls i met at Knit Nation (RikkeLondon on Ravelry – check our her FO – they are stunning she has an amazing sense of colour) with a scarf she had made (Clockwork by Jared Flood) so had a look through her FO when I got back and she had two Terra’s and they were stunning and looked so versatile….so I’m knitting that. It’s a lovely pattern, simple lots of knitting and some KFB for the most part with a lovely patterned section at the end, which is do-able!
I’m knitting it in a natural cream bluefaced leicester in aran, very soft, very versatile and an absolute gem to knit with!
Apologies for the lack of photos at this stage, I’m about to move house and my camera cable is packed….hummmmph!!!
I’ve been a bit naughty since coming back from Knit Nation too – Meadow Yarn have a sale on, and have a whole stack of really good staple yarns at 28% off. I’ve got a few projects queued that i’ve been trying to find yarn for so I can knit them over the summer but was struggling to find nice yarns that weren’t stupidly over budget. So, given the sale I bought a few things so expect to see a few more castings on from me in the near future – and hopefully not so many froggs!!!!
lots of love
Shoe xxx
Knit Nation!
17 Jul 2011 3 Comments
I booked my ticket for Knit Nation AGES ago before I had my shifts for that week so I wasn’t 100% sure I’d be able to go, and when I got my shift patterns it turned out I was on placement that night……so I really wasn’t sure what to do, I was desperate to go but knew it would make the night shift a long one!
So I did the only thing I really know how to do and PLAN meticulously my day. Friday night I had my bags packed. My dinner made and ready to be reheated, my “lunch” for my night shift made and my snacks all ready and in the bag. I knew I needed to be back in Oxford by 5 to get in a couple of hours sleep so I planned to be at Knit Nation for Market Place opening at 10am!
I was right, the night shift was a long one (although this was partly because it was a quiet night) but OMG it was SO worth it. Not only did I get to meet some amazingly lovely people at the Podcasters meet up, including Hoxton Handmade (Electric Sheep), A Playful Day and of course iMake but the Market Place was AMAZING! I was totally overwhelmed.
I managed to find Martine and Kate in the crazy Marketplace after having walked round and round in circles for about an hour, so we stopped to have a drink, recorded a hilarious audio for the next iMake podcast as well as doing a little shop and show!
The Podcasters Meet up was fabulous, so nice to meet a whole group of lovely like minded people, and I did feel like I was meeting a celebrity meeting the wonderful Hoxton Handmade!
I was bang on budget with my spending, mostly because I was so overwhelmed by all the amazing yarn that I just ended up walking round in circles…..I wanted everything but here were my eventual purchases:
Sensing a colour theme going on here! lol!
My star purchase was some Woolmeise Twin in a beautiful orange rust colour. I’m going to choose a super special shawl pattern to knit with once I’ve finished my Damson.
It smells amazing (I don’t usually smell yarn but I was just….no I can’t get out of it I was smelling yarn) and the colour is just stunning so i can’t wait to get started!
Anyway, Martine took a picccy on her camera of me her and Kate so I’ll post that up soon!
love shoe xxx
Shawl Frenzy!
05 Jul 2011 7 Comments
WHOOOOO! My Ishbel is finally finished….well it still needs the ends weaving in and blocking (which i’m hoping the lovely Martine of iMake will help me with in the summer!) but the knitting part is done and I am SUPER chuffed with the result. I’m going to wear it like a scarf in winter, it’s so soft and very warm! Apologies for the horrendous photo. It really needs blocking etc in order for me to get a good photo!
Anyway, I’m obviously now on a shawl mission as I started another Ysolda pattern today Damson. It’s lovely easy knitting actually as it’s really just knit and yarn-overs so much easier than Ishbel really. I’m knitting this in Flamboyance Yarns Kismet in Retro which is a a blue/orange colourway seen in the photo above.
Happy Knitting
Love Shoe xx
Lego Surprise!
05 Jul 2011 1 Comment
in scrapbooking
I love Lego.
I have done since I was about five, and I still love it now….although my purse doesn’t really stretch to the astronomical costs of today’s lego…..plus there aren’t enough normal bricks in the modern kits for my liking!!!
Anyway, buzzer in my flat was ringing yesterday, which I reluctantly answered and then a knock on the door which I also reluctantly answered (I’m not usually reluctant about doors but it’s almost always one of my flatmates friends) to a delivery man with a parcel…for me! Yeay!
Wracking my brain for what on earth I had ordered, and pondering whether i had been sleep buying, I excitedly opened the box and this is what I found in front of me:
Lego Scrapbooking paper! AMAZING! I have a tonne of lego pictures to scrap – however – I’m hoping for a trip to Legoland over the summer (I’ve been begging the Welsh Boy for months!) which would give me a perfect photo opportunity to take some scrummy photos for these papers!!
Happy Scrapping
Love Shoe
xxxxxxxxx
The scrap is back!
19 Jun 2011 1 Comment
The last few months have been a hectic jumble of assignments, exams and placement and as I’ve said in previous posts I’ve hardly had time to think about scrapping yet alone get my tools out and sit down for a good scrapping session.
But it seams that my first week on Delivery Suite has left me in need of some paper time, and I finally sat down today to have a play with the last two months Scrapagogo Kits and managed a sum total of three layouts – not bad considering I could hardly talk after my 12 hour shift yesterday!
I loved the papers in the May Scrapagogo kit, even though they were a bit more pink and girly than the papers I’d usually use, but they went just perfectly with the tonne of cake photos I’d taken from my birthday party!
The letters are “hybrids”, these are digital elements that match the kit and can be printed out to use with your papers. It’s great as you never run out of letters like you do with normal letter cutouts or stickers that you buy, if you need an extra A you can just print some more out!
I’m really excited to be writing a guest post for my good friend Martine’s blog (www.imake.gg) and my other two layouts will be appearing on that so you will be able to see them on her blog in the near future, and hopefully this means i’ve got my scrapping mojo back and there’ll be much more scrapping to come.
love
Shoe xx
Frog Attacks!
03 Jun 2011 1 Comment
Tourie Hat
In the last month, I have started and frogged no less than 8 projects, it’s probably a sum total of about 24 hours of knitting just undone in minutes…….and I’m begining to wonder if I’ve got an addiction to frogging….. It’s almost as though I love the nervous excitement when you start pulling, that feeling of knowing there’s no going back, the satisfaction of the frog itself and then the thought of what else the ball of slightly bedraggled wool in your hand may become!
Even my beautiful Tourie hat is facing the chopping block, I love it but it doesn’t sit right on my head and I love the wool so much that I’m tempted not to waste it. In reality it’s only the brim that needs re-knitting, and in fact I’m fairly sure the problem is the bind off which I think I could easily rectify but the temptation to just pull the whole thing apart won’t seem to go away, and there are a couple of patterns lurking in my Ravelry queue that are calling to be knitted out of the beautiful Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend.
Don’t worry, my bigger projects are still plodding along nicely and I’m not about to frog my Ishbel but I think my knitting focus may have gone slightly off track, maybe a week home will sort me out, or maybe I need to focus on getting my bigger projects done and dusted before I start something else.
I’m super excited to be going to the iMake Stitch & Bitch on Monday to catch up on some knitting love, and until then maybe I’ll just put my needles away, and the Tourie in a locked safe to stop me starting and frogging anything else!
love shoe xxx
Guest Blog Post by iMake: Welcome to the Podiverse
31 May 2011 4 Comments
Image details – Microphone, by Hidde de Vries, via Flickr
Over the past few months I have become an avid follower of podcasts, they’re brilliant to have on in the background whilst you are crafting as well as providing hints, tips, comedic anecdotes and an insight into the podcasters life. You may recall a few months back I was interviewed by my good friend Martine of www.imake.gg for her podcast, (see my blog post here, and the podcast on www.imake.gg here) so when she suggested she write a guest post for my blog on the topic I jumped at the offer!
So without further ado here she is…………(*applause*)
It’s an absolute pleasure to make a guest appearance on Chloe’s blog. It took me a while to decide what to write about, as it’s fair to say I have my fingers in ‘several crafty pies’! But in the end I settled on the topic of crafty podcasts – because honestly, I am a little addicted to them. I love listening to them and a really love recording my own – the iMake podcast (http://www.imake.gg/imakepodcast).
So what is a podcast?
For those of you new to the pod-iverse (did I just make up a word?) a podcast is like a pre-recorded radio show. Only it isn’t about lots of different things – it’s usually just about one general topic (for example, handmade crafts). I’ve heard it referred to as ‘narrowcasting’ as opposed to ‘broadcasting’ (like traditional radio). Shows are often audio format although video podcasts are quite common now. Podcast presenters usually have basic kit and no formal radio training. But they tend to be knowledgeable and passionate about their topic of choice – and that is what makes them a good listen.
What’s great about podcasts for crafters is that you can listen and craft at the same time. The ultimate in multi-tasking!
How do I find one?
There are lots of popular podcast directories on the Internet but the most commonly used directory is iTunes. If you are familiar with iTunes, it’s easy. Just browse the Podcast section of the iTunes store. Use the search facility. Once you find one you like the look of, you can download the current episode (and any back episodes) directly into iTunes, then listen via your computer or transfer the episodes to your iPod. If you subscribe to the podcast then whenever a new episode is released, it will automatically download for you in iTunes.
Most good podcasters will also publish their episodes on their blog, which will contain show notes (often links to resources mentioned in the show). If they write additional blog posts that aren’t just for the podcast, chances are that they are going to be a good read. So you get more for your money (wait, did I mention that podcasts are free?!)
Recommendations…
Image details – Ishbel after second blocking, by iMakeGuernsey via Flickr
Currently, I am listening to…
Electric Sheep http://www.hoxtonhandmade.com/
The Knitmore Girls http://knitmoregirls.blogspot.com/
Craftypod (Diane does not podcast any more, but there are lots of fab back episodes) http://www.craftypod.com/
Yarngasm http://voolenvineknits.blogspot.com/
Craftlife http://treacleandinketsy.wordpress.com/
How do I record my own podcast?
Well that is a huge question! Perhaps another guest blog post for another time. I am fairly tech-savvy and working out how to podcast and get myself on iTunes was a bit of a stretch for me. But I have to say I learned masses in the process.
So my first tip is make sure you have some time to dedicate to learning how to podcast.
My second tip is pick up a copy of Podcasting for Dummies – it’s a great book.
I run a MacBook at home which comes with GarageBand software (really easy for editing your audio files). However if you are on PC I understand that Audacity is really good – and it’s free (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/). I also recommend getting a cheap microphone to plug into your laptop.
You’ll need somewhere to host your audio files – a blog is a good idea as you can publish the show notes there too. I recommend WordPress (http://www.wordpress.com). It’s also free.
Another good way into podcasting is to start off recording and publishing audioboos, these are short recorded snippets that can be uploaded via www.audioboo.fm.
That’s a few tips to get you started. Good luck! If you’d like to know more feel free to contact me info@imake.gg or visit www.imake.gg.
Martine
(The latest episode of Martine’s podcast can be found here, or is available via iTunes)
Sock Yarn Blanket Update 29/4/11 by iMakeGuernsey, via Flickr
