Knitted Shopping Bag

This looks good, I'm going to have a go at this one. I get a newsletter from Lion Brand and it has all sorts of free easy patterns.

Free Knitting Pattern Sites

I have trawled the world wide web and below is a list of the best sites I have found for free knitting patterns, please, if you know of any more let me know.

For groovy modern patterns try Magnits and Knitty, both are magazine style sites that email monthly newsletters.

For patterns of everything from jumpers to intestines there is Knitting Pattern Central and Lion Brand also have loads of patterns and also how to knit instructions.

I have just come across The Thrifty Knitter who has all sorts cool patterns including ones for one ball knits. I got the pattern for this shrug from the Thrifty Knitter site and it's lovely.

Swap-bot

Just finished getting together my first 'swap-bot' swap for posting, very excited.

If you can't guess it's for a 'Matchbox full of beads and buttons' swap.

Basket of Flowers

Here is the template for the basket of flowers. You should be able to cut and paste it, that way you can make it any size you want.

Knitting Machine

I took delivery of my aunties old knitting machine yesterday. It's all in bits so I'll have lots of fun trying to put it back together and knit something.

I also have a stack of 80's machine knitting magazines to go through, had a look through some and they are a bit scary.

How to Make A Basket of Flowers

You will need: Basket template (posted separately), 2 pipe cleaners, 4 A5'ish size sheets of tissue paper, sticky tape, scissors, colouring pencils and gummed paper.



Take 2 sheets of tissue and
concertina fold them.

Fold in half,

hook your pipe cleaner through the

middle and twist to form the stem.

Then carefully pull the two sheets of
tissue paper a part to make the petals.

Cut out the basket shape and decorate with gummed paper and pencils.






Tape your flowers to the back of the basket and you have a lovely basket of flowers.

Paper Flowers

Boy99 and boy02 made Paper flowers and baskets this morning. It's was a bit of an experiment for a new arc pack and they really enjoyed it, so it will definitely become a pack. I'll post the instructions later.

Finished Shrug

Finished knitting this last night and just added the ribbon. It's really lovely and warm, which suprised me as it so small. And I have enougth wool to make loads of them!

Swap-bot

Just found out about this site and I am very excited. It's call swap-bot and you can swap things, not like I have a toaster anyone want to swap it for a kettle sort of thing it's much more exciting.

People have an idea of things to swap like 'Home Town Postcard' swap, other people sign up by a certain date, then all the swappees get mixed up and are allocated a swapper then you send a postcard to your partner.

There's loads of other swaps like 'Cup of tea and magazine page', 'handmade bag o'stuff''. It is an American site so some swaps are US only and some of it is in shorthand so I ain't got a clue what some of them are going on about but I am still very excited and can't decide what to swap, think I might start with the hometown postcard swap and see what happens. But I have just spotted a 'matchbox full of beads and buttons' swap and now I am v.v excited.

Shrug

Started this shrug last night. I had 4 balls of mohair, 2 black, 1 cream and 1 pink which I didn't know what to do with, then I found this pattern on from Thrifty Knitter which uses only one ball. It's just my sort of thing; big needles, v simple and a bit of ribbon.

Birthday Rosette

Here is Jo's birthday present modeled by the lady herself.

The pattern for the rosette is from a Louisa Harding Gathering Roses Accessories Collection pattern book.

I have modified the pattern a bit.

Scarves

So, you have your needles, wool, instructions. What do you do next?
Knit Scarves.
That's this years Christmas presents sorted.
Scarves are great.
All you need is 2 or 3 balls, the band on the wool tells you what size needles you need.
Cast on 20 stitches and off you go.
Knit each each row (that's called garter stitch).
If you knit one row then purl the next (that's stocking stitch) your scalf will curl up.
I like knitting with chunky wool and 7mm or bigger needles because it's a lot quicker, I get bored and want to get onto the next lovely wool I have brought.

Next........

Ok, you want to knit.
You need some things, again ask around.
Really all you need are a pair of needles and some wool, but scissors and a bag to keep it all in are handy.
Instructions are also good. People teaching you are great but when you are on your own and it's a bit late to ring and ask 'which is the right side? the flat side or the bobberly side?'
If you are reading this then you must know one end of a computer from another and there are millions of sites to find help and intrustions.
The best site I have found for clear printable instructions is the National Knitting Week site.
Another great place are knitting magazines, some of the patterns look a bit scary and you might not want to knit anything thats in then but they usually contain instructions, wool reviews and lot's of ads for patterns, yarn and websites. My favorite magazine is Simply Knitting, I can be found hovering in the newsagents when it's due out. I am also slightly ashamed to admit that I have also brought a back copy on ebay because I missed one and there was a pattern in it I wanted.

In the beginning

The best way to learn how to knit is to find someone to teach you. Ask around, it's amazing how many people can knit and most are all willing to help.

I learnt, like a lot of people, when I was small, we had a sponsored knit at school so my mum taught me. I wasn't very good, what was meant to be a square turned into a very lopsided dish cloth looking thing.

So I gave up and didn't try again for about 20 years.

Again my mum showed me how, I had to get her to cast on and again it was very lopsided, I lost and gained stitches. It was also very boring so I gave up again.
Until Novemeber 2005............

A friend at work showed me this wool that she had just brought from Dianne's Knitting Yarns and it was the start of my obsession.



(Sirdar - New Fizz in Garnet)

Zen and the Art of Button Arranging

There is something very calming about sorting through bottons. I could spend hours arranging buttons.

In fact I did, all I wanted was a button

for the centre of this broach but then this

happened -

Pink Purse

I need to get some smaller press studs to finish this off. The rib went a bit out of sync on the back but you can hardly notice, might try a do another one and write the pattern down. I have buttons at the ready to sew on to, seem to be a bit obsessed with buttons at the moment, started sorting my collection and putting them in 2's and 3's that go. Not sure if it's the after effects of the weekend but it felt very zen.

Beetroot and Orange Jam

Yep, I know it's sounds odd but it tastes nice, it's meant to go with cheese and cold meat. The recipe is from 'Best-kept Secrets of the Women's Insitute - Jams, Pickles & Jams' by Midge Thomas.

Had a rather alcohol influenced conversation on Saturday Night about whether it's a chutney or not but it's got 2lb of sugar in it so in my world it's jam.

Jo N is 40

Wrapped Jo's present but forgot to take a photo of it! Her party is on Saturday so will have to wait to get a photo.

Wrist Rest

Debbie M was very pleased with her wrist rest, I gave Kate the pink one and Debbie W now wants one. I am going to charge £2 for them now and give the money to the RSPB.

Happy Valentines

happy valentines.

arc info

arc is a project selling arts and crafts resources which I set up for the Lewisham Branch of the Pre-School Learning Alliance two years ago.

We buy in arts and crafts materials bulk and sell it on at a minimal mark up to Parents, Toddler Groups and Pre-Schools.

arc is open every Thursday 10.30am-2pm from our shed in the grounds of Forseter Park School, Boundfield Road, London, SE6.

We have just received funding from Sure Start Downham to take arc out into local groups with the Downham Toy Library. I organise a craft session for the under 5's and have arc resources on sale.

Lack of Knitting!

There is a serious lack of knitting on this 'knitted bog'. So to rectify this here are some knitted notebooks and cards I finished recently




The cards started life as the start of something else, I don't know what but I started something got bored and cast off. But they look cool with a couple of buttons as a card.

Wrist Rest

Try saying that in a hurry.
Someone at work wanted a wrist rest ordered from an office supply company. My usual reply to anyone wanting something is 'I could knit one of those' so we googled it and found a pattern on pieknits. Here is a finished one for Debbie M.

Clay & Beads

Brought home some air drying clay from arc.

We made all sorts including 'Flanimals' and pots.

(pot by boy99)

I got a bit arty, don't know what is going to happen when they dry, I'm going to try painting them (around the beads!?).

Lampshade

I brought a new lampshade for a lamp in the front room but it was too close to the colour of the base. I was going to take it back but I then decided to decorate it to try and break up the colour. This is it so far.

Peg Dolls

Me and the boys have been making peg dolls. We were inspired by the ones we saw on Angry Chicken.