Looking Around

So on Saturday, Sister was here babysitting so I got the car and took off. First I went to Sewing World on Papanui/Main North Rd and looked around in there, pretty small and quiet shop. Picked up a few things there...



This material just shouted at me to get it for Son, maybe a pillow for his room..



See the transformers/robots there, cool.

Then I went into town and had a look at Knitworld. I got this package 'cause I saw metal buttons in it that you whack with a hammer to attach. It also had some other stuff in it too, like...


Lace, nylon snaps, binding, needles, a couple of zips and some trouser bar and hook closures.

I also picked up a set of double ended needles so I could continue with the Aran jersey. I'm just about done, then I can start the other sleeve. Then Daughter wants the vest in the same yarn ugh, what will she decide next?



Go and check out Muse, a band I only just discovered before the weekend. Made up of Matt, Dom and Chris, they have a unique sound to them. They are just my style at the moment. Got them on my MP3 player too.

Toy Hammock

So I did some more on Daughter's toy hammock last night. What I'm doing is using her sweaters and tshirts she used to wear and making something like a quilt top. Then I'm going to put ties/loops in each corner and put a backing on it. It can then be laid on the floor and put some soft toys on it, pick up each corner and hang it on a couple of strong adhesive hooks I'll put on the wall. Here it is so far.



I just have to square the last bit at the bottom up, and it's ready for the loops.
I did think this morning though that I might put some fancy little bits on it to make it look a little prettier. I've got lace I could put on, and maybe a few pretty buttons here and there. I'll ask Daughter if she wants the extras before I do it though, as she said she liked it last night.

I'm looking for more sewing type blogs too. I know about Craftster too, and have been looking through their site a wee bit.

Only have about four inches left to the first sleeve and hope to do some of that today.

Cupcake Fever

No, really just one batch. But I was thinking World Cup Fever or something.



Anyway so these ones were vanilla cupcakes (recipe from Recipe*zaar) and I did add the extra 1/2 cup of milk someone suggested and still found them fairly dry compared to other cupcakes I've made in the past.


The icing was a cream cheese frosting from allrecipes and I liked it, but the kids didn't. Mmm. I think they prefer the normal icing sugar/ butter/ vanilla extract one that I normally do.



They were still eaten happily by Daughter even though she wasn't keen on the icing either.



And they got to enjoy the topping on the icing too while watching cartoons.




The dolls dress was appreciated yesterday when I wanted to take a photo of it on the doll Daughter and I made. Daughter held the doll high and gave me a big smile and we ended up taking a dozen or so photos of her and the doll.



Also yesterday after school Daughter and I had planned to do a picture for a frame that Daughter found on my craft table. I thought she was going to draw it, but we ended up with her posing while I sketched her. Daughter did the face 'cause I said I wasn't any good with faces.



She did quite a good cartoon kinda face that sums up her character really well.

Then Son saw the progress and wanted in on the action, so I sketched him while he played the Toy Story game on his computer. He helped me colour the sketch too, and he took it to school this morning to show everyone there, I think he's really proud of his accomplishment.



The picture has lost some of it's detail with me resizing it, but it's the general idea. Yes, that is a side table he's using as a chair.

Slept Like A Baby

No, better actually. Couldn't sleep yesterday at all through the day. I can't seem to do that unless I have a crackin' headache. So last night when I got to bed I think I fell asleep straight away. Worked on the sleeve more last night. Started the hammock for Daughter too, photos later. Just about the good side pieced together, have to square it up a little bit, then put the backing on and try not to forget the ties for the corners too.

Might give making a skirt for Daughter a go too. I have some elastic to use up on something, and I think a skirt for her and one for her doll to match would be cute. Now to find a pattern.... or make one up.

Must get a photo of the finished dolls dress too. Daughter wasn't that impressed with it, and I don't think I even got a thankyou for it. She was grumpy at the time though which didn't help at all.

Doug has been busy. I hope NZ Tv picks up the Kidnapped show if it is a hit in the US. Haven't seen anything new there for ages.

I like James Blunt, but I still thought that this was hilarious. YouTube is a neat site to browse. I also found James Spader doing the Word Salad which TV3 showed last night. Very funny if you watch Boston Legal.

Lilac Wine

Stayed up real late last night, 2.30 I think I went to bed. Was busy talking to Hubby while he was on a high. Paying for it today though, everything is a bit blurry. Which is why I'm glad I finally got this job done. These are my favourite pants at the moment, they fit beautifully since I lost a little weight. I thought I would hem them as I don't want to wreck the bottoms of them by scuffing them along the ground when I walk. Breath. So after 1/2 an hour on each leg, carefully stitching so you can hardly see that I've hemmed them they're done. I even ironed the seams after so they look pretty good.



Now I have to go put a plaster on my middle finger on my right hand, as that seems to be the finger I used most often to push the needle through. I've got a thimble, but it's a metal one, and doesn't fit very well on my finger. I should go and buy a rubber one, or put a couple of bandaids on before I sew.

The sleeve is getting there too.



That is it poking towards the top of the photo, I have to remember to decrease too otherwise the cuff will be humongous!

Got Sleeves

So I picked up the stitches for the first sleeve last night and have done a few rounds with the pattern.



I'm going to lay out some materials that the kids have chosen for their toy hammocks, and see if I can make a start on one of them today too.

Bit of a fuddle this morning with Daughter's newstime. She took a biggish soft toy to talk about at news, and then didn't want to give it up. I must admit, the dog has the softest fur on a soft toy I've felt in a long time, but she had to hand it over. A grumpy girl for the teacher to deal with, I'm expecting her mood won't last too long though with all the stuff she'll be doing in the classroom.

A photo I like, has a perfect bell shape on the histogram on the camera and is a good photo of Son's chair. His Grandad got him that wee chair a few years ago, it has lasted pretty well through all kinds of treatment.

Old Mother Ducks

Woke up with a nasty headache this morning. Not Good.

I went and picked up Son from his first ever sleepover, he had so much fun. Sneaking under the other boys beds and scaring them - he laughed as he told me that!

Hubby says lets go and look at the animals at Spencer Park, so we did. We took some bread with us, and I'm glad too, as we got inundated with these huge ducks (possibly geese, not sure) that practically crash landed at our feet when we entered the area.




Son scored a feather...



...and took a few artsy photos for himself too.



You can see the birds in their own habitat in the big version, which is here.

I have also found a blog six and a half stitches which I adore for it's layout, content, and inspiration to get moving. I am going through all her archives this weekend whenever I get a chance to sit in the hot seat!

I've bound off the neck on the Sweater That Daughter Won't Wear, and have seamed up the sides. Now I am ready to pick up stitches for each sleeve (one at a time though) and knit a neat pattern down each sleeve.

I think the kids have finally gone to sleep, and hubby has gone out somewhere in the car, so I'm going to attempt to have a relaxing bath.

Mother Trucker

So I have waited for my knitting to grow by itself, but it doesn't seem to work. I worked out how to use the circular needles better for the ribbing. I am working half the neck on each needle. Photos...





You can see my morning coffee and the latest Sudoku I'm working on too.

My right middle finger is so sore at the tip from all the hand sewing on the wee doll's dress that I'm giving it a rest. I'm hoping to do more crafting this weekend with the kids, after Son gets back from his first ever sleepover. He'll be taking one of those Training Pants so if he pees in the night he won't be embarrassed in the morning. He's going to sneak it into the bathroom before bedtime and put it on under his pyjamas. I hope he's able to stay the night. When I had my first sleepover, the 'friend' picked on me and I asked her Mum to drive me home, which she did. Not a nice experience.

So Son has this book from his school library about all different things to do at home, and one thing is to make sugar mice. With pink food colouring they looked really cute.

Listening to:
James Blunt 'You're Beautiful'
Damien Rice 'Cannonball'
Way Out West 'Don't Forget Me'
Bird York 'In The Deep'
.....among others.

My Daughter Wants To Marry James Blunt

So I stayed at school for only 12 minutes today for my Daughter, who has only really started this week at school. Last week of last term a month ago she started, but then she got a cold and missed the rest of the week. Tomorrow I'll probably go when the bell goes, so she knows I'm not there for news time every day. Anyway. Today at news time Daughter actually said something. She said she liked James Blunt's music and that Mum puts it on for her. I was impressed that she spoke, 'cause even though she is quite loud and a bit of a clown when she has an audience, these are all kids from her class and I think she's trying to impress them.

So yesterday for a few hours I mucked around with trying to make a dress for this doll..



Strange shape to try to clothe, but I gave it a go. Here is the first rough try just to get a shape correct..


The other side..


The material I want to use is this stuff. I think it's a polyester/rayon type mix, very soft and flowing. The pieces are cut and it should look something like this when finished...



I've already sewn the top pieces together, so I just need to add the skirt part. I'm going to put some gathering in so the dress poofs out a bit and isn't just straight. Man it's fiddly working with such small pieces of material.

Where I Want To Make Stuff Again

There is so much inspiration out there, not only on the internet but all around me. Everyday things can be transformed into wonderful creative things. I just need a bit of time and the materials and I'm sure I can do it too. For a start on Monday afternoon both kids got eye patches hand sewn for them. I want to do so much more, as I have collected up quite a bit of material off old clothes and bits and pieces given to me from family. I was thinking coming home today wouldn't it be awesome to make a quilted jacket to wear in this chilly weather. Though I would look completely out of place in the area I live in I couldn't care less.

Found this gorgeous stuffie on Wee Wonderfuls the other day, a real inspiration to give something new a try. Also you might notice there is a free pattern for the wee cardigan there just above the photo. Neat. Now I want to make stuffies. (Daughter and Son just about have a zoo with all the store bought ones, and a few I've done a while ago).

Finally decided to give the neck on Daughter's Aran That She'll Never Wear 'Cause She Doesn't Like Purple a go with two circular needles. I think so far it's been easier using them than the double pointed needles I've been meaning to get a hold of.
Sister2 gave me this basket yonks ago, and I've been using it as a knitting basket. This means my projects stay in the same place and don't get mixed up in other junk that ends up next to the chair I seem to always knit in.



The ribbing on the neck I'm doing at the moment...



I think that even if Daughter won't wear this jersey, then I'll at least finish it and put it in a clothing bin so someone will wear it. Should be really warm too.

And a photo of the cat being extra cute, even though he knows it is pouring with rain outside, and he comes back in soaking and wants to sleep on the bed with Hubby..



Okay, I'm off to look through my stuff to see what I can do with it today. Kids at school, raining outside. I can craft and do laundry at the same time - woo hoo!

Holidays Are Almost Over

We've had fun over the holidays and even made it to the museum one day. I saw The Da Vinci Code woo hoo! which I'll post about later on. Nephews had come down for their holiday from the North Island but they've gone back already. Hubby built the younger nephew a computer this time. Tonight the kids and I have rearranged the house a little especially the bedrooms. Daughter's room needed stuff taken out of it so she has her own space. I took the table out of there and put it in my room and put my sewing machine on it. Oh yeah, I made myself an apron on it the other day. Just basically a rectangle with ties on two edges.
Here's Daughter's room after the maneuver (a movement or procedure involving skill and dexterity)



and Son's room with Daughter writing at Son's desk...



and a new photo of Billy Boyd with credit going to Laura from the Billy Boyd Board who capped some moments of the interview. It was to do with T in the Park which is in Glasgow every year (I think, not sure here) and Billy was there. He's looking well too..