I am alive, honest!

Sorry again folks, it been a bit quiet on the crafting front as I have discovered my new passion, Watercolour painting.  Something else I enjoy but pretty much suck at.  Who cares though, I get to play with paint and call myself an artist!  I'll post some pics over the weekend of my creations.

For proper crafty related material I need to give myself a to do list.  First up is learn how to take up hems on curtains.  Our living room curtains are far too long and when I tried doing something like this before I made a right hash of it so I need to learn how to do this properly.

This is followed by taking up the hem on my wedding dress, something I wanted to do before the wedding but now I want to do it with an aim of being to wear it with other accessories.

In the knitting/sewing related category I need to sew buttons onto the cardigan I knitted for my friends son due in 8 weeks time and sew a little hat too.

I also have a tonne of yarn I just know I won't use so looking to sell some of it or give it to charity shops unless I can come up with a knitting to do list...if you're not on the list you're not getting knitted!

I did however manage to make a giant pom pom pumpkin for Halloween using orange yarn and some glow in the dark yarn I bought a million years ago on ebay.  I quite like him and he can come out to play every year, maybe next year I'll get around to making him some friends.

I've also been reading and listening to a lot of books lately...audiobooks, not just holding a novel to my ear...but haven't got through them either, specifically The Casual Vacancy or re-reading Salems Lot.  I went a bit Stephen King crazy after Doctor Sleep then Kindle Daily Deals gave me a load of King novels for £1.50, and I find it hard to knit and read at the same time.

So hence the to do list as even I am starting to lose track of what needs to be done.  Think I need to clear the decks a bit and get organised.  Oh and I have taken up running again, 3 times a week come rain, snow or shine.  Maybe I need to invent a running merged crafting sport although it already sounds dangerous!

Until next time...

Pom Pom pumpkin

I had an idea a few weeks ago to knit a pumpkin but all the patterns I seen called for knitting in the round, which I dunno how to do and didn't think now was the time to learn! Also I had some ropey orange DK yarn that needed using up so yet another idea sprung to mind, giant pom pom pumpkin! 

I cut pieces of cardboard into circles by drawing around a side plate. I then drew a smaller circle in the centre by drawing around the base of a mug. I cut a slit from the edge of the big circle to the little circle. I doubled up my by taking and end from the start and centre of the ball and wound it around the cardboard circles. I also started to wind in a very special yarn I've had for years, glow in the dark yarn, yes, that's right glow in the dark yarn! When I finished I cut in between the two cardboard disks and tied around the ball of fluff with the glow in the dark yarn. I had some spare felt too so used that to cut some eyes, a nose and scary mouth. And ta da... 

Quite the scary monster isn't he? As soon as the glow in the dark yarn is charged up I'll get a photo of him in the dark.

He was super quick and easy to make, I'm tempted to make lots of small ones for a bunting type effect. Hmm, maybe next year :)