Autumnal . . .

For once, I remembered  to put my camera in my handbag yesterday, as I have a beautiful walk to the office which I thought I could document.  I love this time of year - season of mists, and mellow fruitfulness . . . and all that.  I'm very lucky to work in such a beautiful location . . . 

The trees haven't quite yet started to turn the beautiful autumnal colours, but when they do it looks quite stunning, and is quite a contrast to the rural landscape where I live.

I'm not sure whether I'll post tomorrow or not, being Sunday, I might consider taking the day off from Blogtoberfest and follow the traditional day of rest here in the Outer Hebrides.  Well, everything else closes here on Sunday, so perhaps I should close too, hehe :)  

I think I'm beginning to make up my own rules for Blogoberfest - well maybe just 'bending' them a little LOL - see you 'sometime' very 'soonish'!

Alison xx

W.I.P. and Day 5 (Blogtoberfest)

Today I'm showing a work in progress, from er . . . . the Summer holidays - approx. August - how time flies from one school term to the next, ooops!

I started this bag while on holiday, and even although it's progressed since I took the photos . . . it's still in a state of unfinished bliss!!  I was having a bit of a laugh decorating it with some crochet flowers I'd been making - when is less more, or is it the other way around, or when is more, more?????  I saw  the idea in a sewing book and realised it was just an oversized zipper pouch with handles attached - I had to have a go . . . 

. . . such a simple idea, I used some of my Japanese cotton fabrics to line it - attaching the handles was easy.  So why haven't I finished it?  I have absolutely no idea!!!!  Perhaps Blogtoberfest is reminding me to do some stuff I'd forgotten about.  Do you have long lost W.I.P.s?  

One at a time please, form an orderly queue to make your W.I.P. confessions here, ladies - thankyou :D

Alison xxx

my creative space . . . just a little peek

Just a 'quickie' post today - I'm a woman on a mission, and that mission is to fill my shop with 'tweedie' goodness during the month of October - Blogtoberfest and Stocktoberfest are running in tandem, hehe :D

Here's a little sneaky peak of what I was up to this week in my new creative space - having easy access to my sewing machine is definitely affecting my 'crafty' activity . . . 

I'm now off to take some pics of  some 'tweedie' products to put on my website - I'm not telling you where I've hidden my stash of new camera batteries - you might tell my boys, who might borrow them for their Games Controllers and then I'd be back to Square One - so, I'll keep schtum in the meantime and get on with my subterfuge 'tweedie' activities :) :)  Sssssshhhhh - top secret!

Alison xx

P.S.  Seemingly it's National Poetry day today, so . . . . . here's my ode to My Creative Space!

Each Thursday, we all love to join with My Creative Space,

for crafty-folk around the globe, it's a truly wondrous place :)

From knitting to macrame, and crochet to origami, 

. . . just grab your chair and fill a cuppa,

to see what these lovely crafty-folk are uppta!!

Oh dear! I hope I haven't put you off your crafting today ladies LOL.

'See' you tomorrow - Day 5 of Blogtoberfest - Oh My :) :)
Alison x

Woollie Wonder and the Missing Beanies

Having got used to my double pointed knitting needles, I found myself at the end of last week with nothing to occupy them with while I was waiting for my sock yarn to arrive.  Well, having discovered the awesomeness of knitting in the round I had to keep the momentum going, so I thought I'd have a go at a knitted beanie from a pattern from Ravelry.  Yes, I do seem to be going through a particularly enthusiastic crafty curve at the moment (better roll with it, hehe!).  

Now that I have to post every day you are going to be subjected to every last detail of my crafty existence - sorry!!  I didn't intend to post all my knitting adventures too, but here goes :)  Last year I learnt how to make crochet beanies, and my teenage son was delighted with his, but I thought I'd like to make a knitted version this year, so here it is . . . my Woollie Wonder . . .(so named because I WONDER who'll wear it, haha) . . .

It's not the beanie-shape I hoped for or expected - but it DID work.  I'm just trying to find someone to wear it in the family now!  I have another couple of patterns for beanies from Ravelry which I might give a go - I'm becoming an ardent Ravelry fan, it's great to find out other people's experiences with a pattern before you go head first into trying it out yourself :)

Here are a couple of last year's crochet beanies which I made as Xmas presents for my Sis and her boyfriend - the terrible thing is that they got lost in the post (the beanies, not my sis and her boyfriend - silly!!! :)) . . .

I made them with some gorgeous Noro yarn - the first time I'd ever used it - beautiful stuff!   Well, they never turned up and in the festive-frenzie, I forgot to put a Sender's address on the back of the package - guess who won't be doing that again :(  Somebody, somewhere is wearing my Noro beanies - I hope you've enjoyed them, whoever you are!!!!  I'll be trying Noro again though this year - it is such lovely yarn, gorgeous colours.  

I'll be putting a Sender's address on whatever item I send/make, with it, though - so no FREE Noro beanies or Noro 'anything-else' this year, sorry!!! :D

Bye for now

Alison x

Where are my batteries!!!

Who stole my batteries?, is a common cry in our house.  With two boys who both enjoy playing on Games consoles, they are constantly sneaking off with the batteries in my camera for their Games controllers - Grrrrrrrrr!  Today I have the dilemma of whether to take a wholesome walk to the local shop to buy more batteries, or to wait for my Other Half to buy some in town and bring them home at tea-time, while I, in the meantime, get down to more stock-making.   

Hmmmmm, dilemma - I should really go on to The Audience (current TV programme for people facing personal  dilemmas) - it's very surreal, but I kind of like it - 50 people follow you  around for a day and try and sort out your dilemma for you - how handy would that be LOL :)  You have to see it to understand it - it appeals to my sense of the bizarre though!  (Perhaps my dilemma isn't quite life-changing enough though, hehe!)

Anyhow, I managed to squeeze enough juice out of the camera this morning to take a couple  of snaps  of my finished 'tweedie' pouches - they've only been waiting a month, but I was waiting for some hand-made labels to arrive in the post (that's my excuse and I'm  sticking to it!) . . . 

I'm thinking of taking part in Blogtoberfest this month - an annual blogging festival where you have to post every day for a whole month.  Am I mad?  Obviously, because I probably need this like a hole in the head, but it sounds like fun - not sure how I'll deal with my two working days yet, I'm not very 'savvy' about scheduling posts :)  You can take part here if you're also mad! :) 

I should also call this month Stocktoberfest, as I'm hoping to stock up my Big Cartel shop to the rafters for C_______ mas (ssshhhhh!) - poor Etsy will have to take a back seat as I feel I can only concentrate on one online shop, so I'm devoting all my efforts to my main shop, which I've had a nice trickle of orders from recently.  I also prefer Big Cartel's interface and your products don't suddenly disappear if you've forgotten to renew them as you have to in Etsy - aaargh!

Must dash - 'Little S' forgot a fork for his school packed lunch and his class are going to be running around the village before lunch to practice for Cross-country - if I'm  smart I might catch him as he runs past our house and I can give him his fork for his dinner!

See you every day  for a  month???!!!***

Alison x

P.S.  I will host a Giveaway at some point during October to tie in with Blogtoberfest - might as well go the whole hog, hehe :) :)

A space of my own . . . be it ever so humble :)

For the last few years (almost six to be exact!) I've utilised various corners of my home for my 'tweedie-making' business.  I've always had a dedicated admin-work space in a corner of the living room which serves me very well, a large cupboard to store all my tweed, another corner of a room where I store all my crafty bits and bobs, but not a 'crafty' work-space as such.  It's been  adequate up to a point, but lately I've felt the need to have my own specific area.  

Last week I took the plunge, and with just a few minor changes managed to hi-jack a fair chunk of one of the rooms, which has enabled me to at least have the whole length of the room to myself, with lots of wall space and most importantly room for a work-desk which could double as a surface for my sewing machine if I so wish.

It's still in the process of being organised (as you can see!), but I've now at least dedicated a specific area, which is a good start . . .

. . . a work-desk at last (look, there's a chair, just to prove it, hehe!).  Photographs of my boys . . . well, just because :)  Sorry about the dark pics, but maybe it's just as well - I don't want you to look too closely LOL :D

. . . and my trusty 'tweedie' girls, who help me cutting out my fabric, sewing, tidying up, etc. (Oh, I wish, LOL!!!) to keep me company while I work . . .

My craft books have found a place beside my vintage Singer sewing machine (which belonged to my late mother) - there are more craft books in various locations still though :)

The rather odd looking posters on the wall are wallcharts which were issued in the Guardian Weekend over a number of months and have beautiful illustrations of various nature themes eg. seashells, butterflies, wild flowers, etc.  We've kept them for years so I've decided to use them to decorate my wall space for the moment at least (or perhaps just to mark my territory temporarily, if truth be told, hehe!!!)

I do like to use organic themes in my work from time to time though, too :)

I'll possibly add a cork inspiration board and perhaps a little shelf for some crafty nick-nacks, but it won't be transformed into a super-duper dedicated sewing-room (I am just sharing this room after all - ooops, I almost forgot!). It will be, however, a little space of my own to create, to think, browse through my craft-books and to knit, to crochet . . . and to sew of course!

I think me and the 'tweedie-girls' will be very happy in our new creative space :)

Happy Monday!  (I'm off to enjoy my new, much-loved, humble 'craft-space') Byeeee :)
(Och, I suppose I will HAVE to do a little housework first though - Paaahhhh!)

Later-gaters :)
Alison x

my creative space . . . sock progress :)

Ta dah!!!   We now have one completed sock - I was so proud of my efforts that I almost made a Hollywood Oscar speech to my kids . . . "I would like to thank my family,  my director, blah, blah . . . ." and almost shed a tear LOL :)  Anyway, as I suspected, it does look a little cartoon-like, funnily enough.  

It's  fallen between two camps  - a little too bulky to wear inside my walking boot and perhaps not bulky enough as a slipper sock, although I predict it (they!) will  get used as the latter.  Anyway I felt very euphoric when it was completed on Monday night - I ran out of yarn and had to use another colour to make the toe but I think that was a 'happy accident' as it looks quite nice with a bit of variation . . . 

(It looks a little like a knitted snow- boot, hehe!!)

I think me and my sock will be very happy together, but I must make it a 'friend' as soon as my yarn supplies arrive :)  I must say that this  has got me fired up to attempt more 'knitting in the round' projects such as mittens, etc.  Ravelry has been an absolute treasure trove of ideas!  I've also found You Tube to be excellent when it comes to any knitting terminology and unfamiliar instructions - I'll never be lost for knitting/crochet resources and tutorials again - just great!

On the 'tweedie' front,  I'm finishing off an iPad sleeve today for a customer . . .   

This will be the last custom order I'll  be undertaking for a couple of months so that I can get down to some stock making.  I've been busy the last few weeks making or sending gadget sleeves, so I'm looking forward to some more creative 'tweedie' work.  Hopefully I'll  be able to show some new 'tweedie' items next week - that's if I can tear myself away from my compulsive sock-knitting :) :)

More creative peeps here - Byeee!

Alison x