Autumn Ear Warmer

This one was a challenge, I wanted to try a different style of knitting, so I picked cable knitting. I thought it looked like it was going to be so difficult, but after a couple of youtube clips came to the rescue I was underway and finding it simple. I love the look of this and always wear it when it's cold but not quite cold enough for a hat, It's perfect.



This is the basic repeat pattern

Also for a bit of added warmth I fleece lined it,
and lastly put in a made by me label.

Stripey Mitts

Next up a birthday present for my Sister in Law (i'm not married, but as good as) After She had seen my Pinky Mitts she asked for a pair for herself. First I must explain that they don't seem to have these style mittens here in Sweden, and people find them really strange and laugh that they're for using your phone or smoking, but they're perfectly normal in England!

Anyway she had specified on the colour, Black and Grey stripey, she doesn't wear much colour, I was going to put a tiny bit of colour on them, maybe the fleecy inside or the button, but decided against it as I was making them for her birthday and didn't want to give her something she might not 100% love. I also fleece lined these to make them extra warm and used chunky wool, so they were really quick to knit. I had also just bought these nice Made by Kirsty labels for putting in my presents, so great place to start them off.

Put a sock in it

I tried making some socks for myself a while ago but I didn't follow the directions very well, it was just a youtube clip and the lady was just saying rough measurements and because they were my first socks I couldn't really guess like she could so they ended up really over sized.

So after my baby booties success I decided to try again and this time they were so much easier, I got it on the first attempt, and making notes as I went I was able to make an exact replica for the other foot. I wanted some chunky socks, but they're not all that comfy to walk in, so I have to wear a thin pair of shop bought socks underneath, so not as successful as I thought they would be, I haven't made any others since, instead I make leg warmers now. But I feel good knowing that I can make socks if I want to.

The month of the baby booties

I found out my friend was having a baby, so I decided to knit her some baby booties. I tried a couple of different styles before I settled on a style I was happy with. They are so cute, I wish I had a baby to knit for, if I did I wouldn't stop knitting so many cute little things for him or her.

These were my first attempts, there was a third attempt in a different style, but I didn't take a picture because it looked so horrible.

I finally made this style and it is by far the best one I made, also I had made little eyelets so that I could thread ribbon round to keep them tight. 

Oink Oink

Then a friend decided she was going to make some finger puppets for her niece, she asked if I would make some too, so looking at my wool supply surprise surprise I realised I had lots of left over pink so decided to first make a pig.







This was the trickiest thing I had and have made, and since making this one I haven't made any more and don't plan to, I didn't find it fun. I think my friend ended up making maybe 3 puppets and then gave up herself, they were her first ever knitted items and since then she has taken up crochet and has kind of given up on the knitting!









Sorry they're not very good pictures, I think I must have taken these with my phone camera, and I can't find the pig now, most of my life is packed away in a box for the time being.

Something for my love

Anyone noticed my favourite colour so far? lol

Ok, then it became time to branch out a little and make something for someone else, and who better to experiment on than my lovely boyfriend. If they aren't meant to be our guinea pigs, then who is?



I made him a hat, we had recently watched Scott Pilgrim V's the world and there is a scene when he is walking outside in the snow and has a long floppy hat on.



So my boyfriend wanted one similar, his favourite colours are Green and Brown though, so not a complete replica. I also slightly changed the design, and inadvertently made it much plainer. Anyway it was my first hat and he fell in love with it and was wearing it everyday, even through the summer, he said it breathed so didn't make his head hot like other hats he'd worn.

Until one fateful day when I decided it needed a wash after being worn so much, also it was starting to slightly stretch, so we put it in the wash on a cool wool wash and when it was dried it had slightly shrunk, not in the place we wanted it to though!. He kept wearing it as he said he loved it so much, until just recently when I've finally gotten round to making him a new one, he doesn't like this one as much because I used different wool in hopes that it wouldn't stretch round his head too much, it's growing on him slowly lol

Stripey warmth

After learning to knit in the round using double pointed needles when I made my mittens, which most people think are a bit complicated for a beginner knitter, I decided to make some simple leg warmers.

Ok maybe I could have made these first, but why not push yourself a little bit sometimes, it's the best way to learn in my opinion. These were quick and easy and look great, especially poking over the top of my winter boots.

Pinky mitts

As I said I started my next project in the middle of my scarf knitting, well I started knitting these mittens. It was only the third thing I had knitted so I made a practice one as I was going. With each different step I pre-knitted on the practice one, making lots of mistakes as I went just so that I could create some perfect ones to wear.

Actually if I'm making something new I always tend to have a first not so good one, so once we've moved into our new house I'll have myself a creative corner, I'm going to put all of my failed items up on display, I think they're all quite quirky in their own ways and shouldn't just be shoved away and forgotten about, they're all part of the journey after all.

I copied a knitpicks pattern from youtube, but she was making just ordinary mittens, so when I got halfway up my hand I just cast off and then cast on to make the separate mitten top and then attached the two pieces together. I had planned to line them with some fleece, but a year on and I still haven't gotten round to it!

My second attempt scarf

After I made the disaster yellow scarf I made a pink one in stockinette stitch, it's really long and so snuggly, I can wrap it round a couple of times, which is perfect for the harsh winters in Sweden. I love this scarf. The trouble was, I used DK wool and it felt like it took forever to make, so I started my next project halfway through just to break up the boringness of knitting a scarf.

Feeling a little unsure

So I've been thinking for a while how to continue this blog, I want to bring it more up to date, because I'm creating all the time, but I still want to add past projects. Also I don't want to feel like I'm forever talking in the past tense until I can eventually catch up with myself, so I've decided to add all of my projects quickly one at a time, trying to keep them in the order I have completed them and only write a brief thing about each instead of explaining my journey through each different step, then I will be free to just continue as and when I create. After all, the point to my blog is to try to inspire people to get creative.

I tend to look around in shops, buy craft books and search online and then become inspired to make my own interpretations of things I see. We're extending our house at the moment so I'm trying to make all of the soft furnishings myself, I've been shopping a lot in the charity shops for material, which I love, but we'll get to that a bit later and I'll explain why I try to buy all my material second hand.

I don't have any followers yet, so I don't really feel the need to write up any patterns, but later if you find yourself looking at my designs, feel free to ask for any patterns you may like, I'm happy to share.