Smiley stuff

After the past two weeks of ugh, things have taken a definite turn for the better.
Our very orange sofas, that my husband treated me to on Freecycle a couple of years back, have gone.



...and in their place two lovely blue sofas with washable covers....

....from a local charity shop.

We have an old for old policy in this house ;)

As if that wasn't exciting enough, I then received a parcel in the post.

Now, if something with this on the package turns up on your doorstep you just know you're going to be in for a treat.



Just feast your eyes on this glorious bundle of Rainbowy Rainbow Swap gorgeousness. all made for me by my very very clever and lovely bloggy friend Gina.



Thank you SO MUCH Gina - I LOVE everything you sent! The children were pretty excited too and soon laid claim to the Skittles :)

Minx has been promised this fabulous bunting for her sparkly new white walls.



Mmmm....just the thing to beat the ughs :)


Carrying on with the lovely stuff, here's the low down on a fab bloggy time in London this weekend.

I ran away on Friday afternoon - leaving Moogsdad with the mess and the task of supervising carpet fitting, followed by some shuffling around of furniture and reinstating small people in their very own (and very white) bedrooms.

First off, I arrived at Waterloo bang on time and after a brief text conversation arranged to meet Trashy beneath the clock. Moments later I turned at the sound of Trashy's whistle - she has me well trained...what can I say?!

We then met up with Mrs Locket and headed to Marylebone Lane for a bit of a mooch at the ribbons in VVRouleaux, via Cath Kidston for a spot of fabric shopping.

I failed totally to unearth the camera on Friday but suffice it to say, it was all very pretty and most therapeutic - the antithesis to the home I'd left behind!

After a bite to eat we headed to our luxury hotel for an evening of chat, giggles and knitting - lots of knitting.....never mind the nightclub next door....oh no....we entertained ourselves royally sitting in a row on our beds click-clacking away with our various woolly projects. We didn't need to go to the nightclub anyway as they kindly shared the music and shrieks of hysterical drunken fun for the majority of the night.

I'm getting old.

Saturday dawned bright and breezy and we headed out to Islington for some yarn-filled retail therapy.

Unfortunately, our destination shop didn't open until 11am, so we had to do something to kill the time.





This was the quietest they'd been all weekend ;)


On the stroke of 11 we dashed to Loop - see Trashy there? All blurred due to her haste to be first to dive in? Lucky she'd had that sugar fix or I'd have beaten her!



I got really rather overwhelmed in Loop and not only because of all the absolutely amazing floor to ceiling woolly stuff. One of my favourite knitwear designers, Ysolda Teague, was in there, setting up displays of some of her stunning designs. I eventually plucked up the courage to speak to her and tell her how fab I thought she was and how starstruck I was at meeting her.

She was so lovely - she didn't run away but stood and chatted with me and was so nice. Her designs are just incredible in real life - such a treat to have seen her there.

Whilst in there, Locket's bossy big sister (BBS), lovely niece (LN), and Emma Pebble arrived. Emma, Trashy and I ran away to Liberty while Locket underwent some intensive magic loop sock training.

I oohed and ahhed and stroked lots of things in Liberty but didn't buy anything. I did, however, treat myself to something very gorgeous from the brand new Anthropologie store on Regent Street.....just for me....for being a good girl and not throwing a hissy about the chaos at home....I felt it was the least I could do :)

I love it.


We then reunited with Locket, BBS and LN near Covent Garden and spent an hour or two 'enjoying' a late lunch in Nandos - where the staff apparently prided themselves on being uncommunicative and less than helpful.

A quick trip to the bead shop rounded off the day and we all said a fond farewell and headed off to our various train stations. I do love meeting up with my bloggy friends, especially as I feel we've known each other for years and this weekend was just what I needed.



I'll be back soon with photos of some gorgeous bloggy gifts, some rather lovely wool and two newly decorated bedrooms :)

xxxx

p.s. The craft stall went much better than expected on Thursday and proceeds helped fund my purchases in London. There may even be a little Etsy shop update soon.

......ugh......

I know it's going to be worth it.....

.....I know I'll soon have my 'conservatory' (and access to my fabric!) back....

.....I know that Monster will soon have his own room back to make a mess in.....

.....I know that my recently renovated bedroom won't look like this for long.....

......I know that we won't have to keep moving furniture from room to room for ever.....

......I know that this will soon be bright white with more than a spattering of pink.....

......and that this will soon be bright white with more than a spattering of Lego......

......but it still makes me feel like screaming 'I'd rather be sewing.....get me out of here!!'

Right now I feel like this house is trying to swallow me up!

I'm just so very grateful for the uncharacteristic attack of foresight
that led me to get most of my craft stall sewing done two weeks ago!!

For now, I just need to do this:

because it WILL be worth it, won't it?

xxx

Pssst

Don't tell Moogsdad I'm here - I'm supposed to be helping!

We're having both of the children's bedrooms plastered this week and I should be helping him find homes for all their stuff!

I just had to pop in to show you these, though....

My Through The Loops Socktoberfest mystery knitalong socks. I have loved every single minute of making these. They are the perfect introduction to knitting patterned socks - much easier than they look!

Ooops....I may have been caught in the act!

See you later xx

As promised....

.....pictures of sewing - and a bit of crochet.

The craft stall production line has been in full swing. I've tried to keep things simple in the hopes that the people attending the school's Ladies' Night in a few weeks time will feel tempted to buy.

Lots of flowery brooches.



Little fabric baskets and lavender hearts.



A slightly bigger fabric basket.



Those, and a whole heap of keyrings, fridge magnets and a few shopping bags were all made last week.

Today, with the little people fully occupied at Cubs, I had a full day to sew.

I managed three bags.

The planning took longer than the sewing. I still have another three to sew.

So, here's little posh bag #1.....



Little posh bag #2.



Big roomy posh bag #3.

Unfortunately, I seem to have taken a liking to this one and may have to keep it!

All were made from Scrapstore remnants that I unearthed from my stash. In fact, all of the things I've made have come from my stash. I've had to buy a few zips and some interfacing but overall spend has been kept to a minimum.

I'm feeling rather pleased with myself - can you tell?

xxx

Little things

Like many families, our life is a busy one. We often get caught up in the mundanity of the everyday bits and pieces that seem so necessary and important, the things that just have to get done but provide very little food for the soul.

My Mum used to tell me never to forget to 'stop and smell the roses'.

I was at a conference on Friday about Education for Sustainable Development. During a workshop on Outdoor Education we were asked to think about one time when we were happiest as a child.

Out of fifteen people, not one could recall a specific experience/event/material possession but all recalled just being outside 'in nature' playing either alone or with friends, as their happiest childhood memory.

This time of year - for us northern hemisphere types - brings us abundant opportunity for making those memories.

Yesterday we drove up to the in-laws to welcome them back from a five week trip to Australia. This is a journey we have done on numerous occasions. Such journeys often merge into one. Nothing special. Just a case of getting from A to B - albeit through some very lovely countryside and pretty villages.

Yesterday's journey was a good one. One to remember. On the way there was the glorious autumn colour of the trees lining the M3 and A34. Then, there was the enormous hare sitting bolt upright in a big open field - followed by a deer lying down in the next field.

The journey back was equally special. A clear autumn night full of stars. We just had to stop the car and get out so that we could all see this most amazing natural spectacle.



Picture borrowed from here.

I'm so grateful that I had a Mum who encouraged me to appreciate these 'little things'. I just had to share it with you.

.....and to those numerous people who drove past us yesterday, with small people in their rear seats glued to their DVD players......STOP and let your children see the stars!

I'll be back tomorrow with crafty photos - promise :)

xxx

For want of a better title...here's an 'Update'

There's a distinct lack of theme to this post, so indulge me if you will while I share some randomness from the past couple of weeks.


First off, I received a very lovely surprise package from my bloggy twin WMK.

Some gorgeous Peruvian yarn, deliciously named 'chocolate' - yum yum! Thank you WMK - this really made my day :)



I followed a link on Ravelry recently......fatal! Through absolutely no fault of my own, I accidentally found myself ordering this little bundle of Blue Faced Leicester sock-woolly loveliness from the aptly named Knitting Goddess.

I can justify it perfectly - as it was all on sale......mind you, I'd have bought it even if it weren't ;)

My 'dealer' even popped this gorgeous little knit kit in with my fix....

Talking of all things knitterly, there's been more of that going on too. Three hats - one each for me and the beasties, have been whipped up....but not photographed.....

....and these have been making me a very happy knitter indeed...

Mystery Knitalong socks for Socktoberfest on Ravelry. Using the most delicious wool/bamboo sock yarn and a brilliantly written pattern that's published in stages, each Thursday throughout October. You can find the pattern so far here.

Why the scribbly photo?

They need to stay a mystery until they're done!

Adding to the random theme ( I knew there was a theme in here somewhere!) - there has been sewing!

I know!

I've actually hoisted my (happily decreasing in size) bottom up out of my knitting throne and shuffled over to the sewing machine!

Having agreed to have a stall at an upcoming 'do' at the childrens' school, I have been forced to rediscover my sewing mojo. My intention is to keep it simple and small - nothing too complicated or stressy. Fun sewing.

Like monsters made from repurposed clothes.

Little zippy purses made from pretty remnants

- and a whole lot more to be getting on with.

In desperate need of something interesting with which to round up this gallery of randomness, I felt I should make myself useful by passing on a little advice.

If it's a while since you last used your sewing machine; if it's a while since you last cleaned your sewing machine; if your sewing machine makes a loud and worrying thump every time the needle descends......

......you may want to get your little brush out.....

......just in case there's a little bit of dust in there.....

.....changing the needle is good too :)

Happy sewing!

xxxx

p.s. after a very stressful Sunday afternoon with a purchase from PC World, the House of Moog is now wireless in the broadband department.

The reason I'm telling you this is that there's now an increased likelihood that I'll get round to catching up on all your bloggy doings - whilst sitting in a much comfier chair.

Done!!

I'm in trumpet blowing mood here! I know, I know that pride comes before a fall and all that but I just cannot help but feel more than a tiny bit of smug self satisfaction that I've ventured into the scary grown-up world of Fair Isley knittage and made something wearable!

Mitten #2 was completed last night :) :) :)




Due to the colour stranding my tension was far tighter than usual and I was concerned at the snugness of these babies.

Then I 'invented' myself a pair of 'mitten blocks' (patent pending ;-) ), using some very hard thick card wrapped in clingfilm. The mittens were then stretched over the Moogsmum Mitten-blocker MKI (pp), dampened, shaped and left to dry overnight.

The result was a pair of perfectly fitting, rather loverlyifIdosaysomyself, mittens (with wibbly wobbly unblocked thumbs - mitten blocker MKII required?) .



All I need now is COLD COLD weather and lots of it.

You have me to thank for whatever the coming winter throws at us ;-)

xxx