my creative space . . . . my last post this year!

Pheeeew, it's getting so close to the 'Big Day', I really must make this my last post . . . . where on earth did December go?  - it flew right past me without me noticing!!  I did mention that I had a little crafty project on the 'coal burner', but it really is a VERY little project, but one I keep meaning to try every Christmas and never have done before.  Still in progress, as I intend to play around a bit, and make some more of these . . .

As you  can seen the second orange doesn't even have any cloves in it yet - I'm still experimenting!  I love the smell of oranges and cloves and last year I bought a ready-made orange 'pomander' from the lovely craft unit at my college office job - it must have struck a chord because I decided to have a go myself.  I'm photographing them outside on a lovely frosty morning here : )

and hanging from a fir-tree in the garden . . .

I'm planning to try and make some table decorations with them, or perhaps a candle-feature - just a fun, easy thing to do in the last few days before Christmas.  Here's some of the links  I came across online to give some ideas on how to make them - of course the proper way to do them is a few weeks beforehand so they dry out properly - maybe next year ;-)

Easy to Make Christmas Decorations
The History of Pomanders
Orange and Clove Christmas Decorations
Hot to Make Orange and Clove Pomanders
Make it:  Orange and Clove Candle Holders

Well folks, I'm off to have a try at some 'orangey-clovey' decorations!  I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and fun New Year!  

Thanks to all for another bloggy fun-filled crafty year :) :)

I will 'see' you in 2013 - doesn't that sound weird!!!!

More crafty peeps here, sharing their wonderful 'makes' - MERRY CHRISTMAS/NOLLAIG CHRIDHEIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Alison xx

Wildlife on the croft

We've had the most beautiful, mild  winter weather here in the Outer Hebrides over the weekend and again today - just beautiful, it makes Christmas shopping so much easier :)  I popped outside on Saturday to try and take a photo of a beautiful little Robin Redbreast which has been visiting the garden for the last few weeks - I'm not sure if it's the same one, but in my head it is!  I got a little distracted by this scary creature in next door's croft though - he's a bit of a brute! . . .

. . . and a front view . . .

. . . sorry, blurry pictures - he was making me a little nervous - just look at these horns!  His fleece is a funny ochre colour - obviously this ram has been brought in to em . . . 'service' the sheep, I guess it's that time of year, but I can't say I'm very well up on the breeding habits of sheep - I'd really rather not know LOL :)

I thought it was very sweet that my neighbour has painted his flock in lovely festive colours though, hehe!  They look very pretty . . .

Again, more to do with, er, that scary looking ram - poor sheep!!  I don't know what the different colours of marking mean - don't go there :-0

Anyway they all looked very pretty on a glorious Saturday morning :)

I finished my 'camouflage' beanie, which fits 'Little S' perfectly but as I suspected he wasn't too keen - "it's too scratchy,' he said, I think it's a little too girly, despite the colours, the spiral design isn't 'boyish' enough . .

The magazine in the background 'Handmade Living' is really lovely - I bought it last week when I 'chickened out' of doing some Christmas shopping and beat a hasty retreat home with it, hehe!  I love this project in it for making ice-mobiles - it's featured in a book called 'Nature's Playground' - a really lovely idea for Wintry weather (which we currently don't have!) . . . 

I might try it with 'Little S' if we ever get some snow and ice! (and I can wean him off his Game console!)  You simply gather some leaves, berries, or other organic material and freeze them in dishes of water, adding string to join them -  freeze overnight and voila!! (Use pastry cutters for interesting shapes)  Cool, eh?

I did eventually get - a  very blurry - pic of that elusive Robin - they are so sweet . . . 

I'm sure it's the same one that keeps 'visiting' me - my very own 'special' Christmas Robin - everyone should have one LOL!

Off to post my parcels and cards later today - and hope to get some supplies for a little crafty project - if I manage it, I'll share it with you :) :)

Bye for now :)

Alison  x

A bit of this . . . and a bit of that :)

Not a very original title for a blog post, but I've been busy doing lots of bits and pieces of things lately!  I seem to be a bit overly relaxed about Christmas this year - enjoying my crafting experiments so  much, but I have lots of crafty bits 'n pieces which will no doubt find their way into some Christmas parcels, so it's all good :) :)

The socks are finished - Van Gogh's masterpiece on my feet - who'd have  thought, hehe . . .

They are quite toasty, especially if you warm them  up on the top of the heater first - good for warming up the tootsies on a cold day . . .

The beach-ball is stuffed (but still not in the shop, maybe soon though, so difficult getting good shots on these darker days!) . . . 

I think the colours worked nicely together though - you really need to eat your porridge before stuffing these beach-balls, it's a bit of a feat of  strength and sheer determination!  I'm happy how it turned out though :)

(. . . and, yes, I had my porridge this morning, hehe!)

This week I'm onto a quick project of a knitted beanie, for ?????  Whoever it fits, most likely, and it seems to fit 'Little S's' head quite well so far (so it's a small beanie!) - he was quite obliging about letting me try it on him with the knitting needles still in place!  I love the colours of this yarn, but it's a devil to work with, like knitting with candy-floss, slips and slides all over the place, I'm using a free pattern from Ravelry knitwear designer, LoveHestia (you can see it here though) called the Hurricane Hat as  it has a spiral pattern, quite contemporary I think - we'll see how it turns out :) . . . 

I bought the yarn (Mochi Plus) as I'd been looking for some camouflage-type colours over the last year, and this is the closest I'd seen - I think it's more fern/forest-like, but interesting to work with. 

What . . . ,. Christmas is two weeks away!!!!  Don't panic, it's all in hand - she says optimistically :)  I'm not sure that I can stop knitting for long enough to complete all  my preparations - it's cool though, it's a very good way of keeping calm throughout the madness.  Hope your prep is all going well too :)

I'll leave with you a pic of the beautiful sunrise we had  here today . . 

Please excuse the bit of washing-line in the foreground!
Alison x

My Creative Space . . . what's on my 'to-do' list today

Sorry for a very blurry pic today!  (it's very dark in the Hebrides today - oooooohhhhh!)    I'm hoping to stuff this 'tweedie' beach ball today  - it's been a WIP (work in progress) for longer than I care to remember :)  In between I'll be picking up my Van Gogh sock project - we're almost done, yippee!!  Once I started on them, well . . . I just couldn't stop hehe :)  I've really enjoyed my sock-knitting spree - these will be finished this weekend hopefully.  It's been taking me a couple of weeks on average to finish a pair, and I have to say that I love making them!  Can I now officially call myself a 'sock-knitter'?  

Sock-knitters seem to have a slightly separate identity from any other kind of knitters - I'm very eager to be invited into their world! (I think I'm bonkers enough LOL!)  I think what appeals to me most is the variety of colour, pattern, etc. you can play around with on one small garment - so much fun to be had :)  Must remember 'tweedie' work though - my lovely bloggie friend Mojca has given me a fab write-up over on her blog - how sweet is that?  Thankyou Mojca - too kind!!! :) :)

Must dash - things to stuff and things to knit - more creative peeps over yonder :)

Alison x