One Month Before Heartbreak

Since Friday I have been trying to find the time and energy to write a post to contribute to the blogswarm event One Month Before Heartbreak. I doubt, at this stage, my writing will be anything ground-breaking, but I could not let this event go by without drawing attention to it.

I am not disabled, however I have plenty of first-hand experience to tell you that any of the blog posts you may read as part of this event are not unusual.

I had planned to write about the worrying trend I see in the public attitude to disability here in the UK. I have plenty to say about the increasing boldness of our media and politicians to talk about those claiming disability benefits as a burden on the public purse. I would probably have veered into the territory of writing about the misinformation that is out there about the nature of disability benefits and the dreadful language that is so casually used. And if I’d got started on the charity model of disability benefit provision that is increasingly talked of, or how the ‘most vulnerable’ will be protected, or the expectation that disabled people should be grateful and humble about any help they receive . . .well, I might never have stopped.

But it’s been a tough old week. I’ve been helping a loved one get through a current dignity-stripping DLA nightmare and it has taken its toll on me too. If the blogswarm had happened at another time perhaps you would have had more eloquence from me. I have already read enough posts tonight to know that anything I was going to write has already been covered wonderfully by others.

These events are unbelievably valuable. The ‘Blogging Against Disablism’ days have raised my consciousness an enormous amount. If you can find the time, please click on a few links in the Master List http://onemonthbeforeheartbreak.blogspot.com/p/master-links-list.html and hear some of the voices that we so rarely get to hear.

There are many, many posts worth reading from the personal to the factual; from the angry to the sad.

I will draw attention to this one http://onemonthbeforeheartbreak.blogspot.com/2011/01/welfare-cuts-and-callous-coalition.html as a good factual, journalistic piece.

Also to this one http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.com/2011/01/you-will-never-take-away-my-shoes.html as one that made me both smile and cry a little with recognition.

WIP Wednesday

Believe it or not, I only have one knitting WIP on the needles at the moment. I have promised myself I can cast on for a new pair of socks when I have finished the front of my Huggable Hoodie.

This is from the book 'Knits to Fit and Flatter' and I've been working on this since September. The whole thing is knitted in honeycomb cable, which is slow-going. I am cabling without a needle and have been getting faster the more I work on the project.

I'm using Sirdar Click, an acrylic/wool blend in the colour Spruce which was 89p a ball from the lovely Kemps. The colour is a dark green with a red 'halo' that doesn't come across well in any of the photos I've seen of it. I've used this yarn before in charcoal grey to make mitts for my husband and brother-in-law and I like the way it knits up. The honeycomb cable may be slow, but it makes the fabric double-thickness and it is wonderfully squishy!

As for the Welcome Quilt WIP, here is my first pinwheel block.

I am a total sucker for green and pink together.

A New Year Welcome WIP

Hello again all. I hope everyone had a lovely, restful Christmas and that you are enjoying a refreshing start to the new year.

I've been sewing for a few years now, but only by hand until 2009 when I got my sewing machine. I even pieced and quilted an entire lap quilt by hand over the course of a year - I promise to show you that one day.

I still feel as though I am getting used to the machine, and learning to think like a machine sewist rather than transferring hand-sewing techniques. So it seems a rather fitting time of year to have started my newest WIP - the Welcome Quilt from Quilt Yourself Gorgeous by Mandy Shaw.

I especially liked the idea behind this opening project in the book, a sampler quilt which aims to teach you lots of techniques. A perfect start to a new year!

Mandy Shaw suggests using a bundle of Fat Eighths. I was impatient to start so I raided the scrap drawer instead:

I completed the central panel today. In this small piece - a little more than a foot square - I have done traditional patchwork piecing, folded flying geese, prairie points, curved appliqué using sew-in interfacing and foundation piecing. The hearts above are from another part of the sampler which uses fusible webbing. I'm now foundation piecing a row of pieced flying geese.

Phew! That's a lot of techniques, and there are more to come - Pinwheel and Bow Tie Blocks among them!

This is like a crash course in piecing techniques. I'm struggling a little to line up my foundation piecing fabric perfectly, but I'm not stressing too much - it will come in time. I wasn't too sure about the dotty blue fabric as the background at first but now it's all together it looks like the school is in the middle of a snowstorm, don't you think?

How cute? :)

Christmas Scarf and Mitts

Another Christmas present here, this time for my mam. I fell in love with Rowan Cashsoft while in Hobbycraft - it is so soft and smooshy. This is probably the nicest yarn I have used so far.

I made her a Falling Water scarf using 2 skeins, shown here blocking:

And to go with it, a pair of Nalu Mitts in the same shade. I used pretty much an entire skein for these.

Here's the Ravelry page for this pattern, since this is the type of pattern you instantly fall in love with and I want you to be able to find it as soon as possible :) . I could hardly bear to give them away! I think I am going to have to make a pair for myself.

I hope they will help to keep my mam warm in the Scottish Highlands. Well, they will add another layer, at least!

Bliss WIP

I don't know if it was because of my knitcroblo post in April that reminded me of my previous obsession with cross-stitching, or whether it has been watching Kirstie's Homemade Home, or seeing Mooncalf make lots of cute little cross-stitch pieces. Whatever it was, when I saw a display of cross-stitching books at a local charity shop I stopped for a closer look.

Someone had had a clearout! Clearouts are wonderful for a thrifty-minded crafter, whether on eBay, a Ravelry destash page or a car boot sale. I picked up this lovely little gem for 50p:

Yes, it's a desk calendar from 2007, but each page has a cross-stitch chart, and they are so adorable:

How cute? I just love these patterns. It has taken me a while, but I am slowly falling in love with the Shabby Chic style of decorating, and some of these would just fit right in to a shabby chic kitchen, don't you think?

Giveaway Day

It's not me who is hosting a giveaway, but if you like handcrafting supplies or pretty handmade items (who doesn't?) get yourself over to the Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway day lists.

Sewing and Knitting Supplies list

Handcrafted Items and Supplies

Handcrafted Items list

The giveaways have been running since Monday, but they don't close until tomorrow so you still have time to enter and hopefully win some lovely goodies!

Of course, lovely goodies are not the only benefit of giveaway day. It also gives you the chance to discover some new blogs. Here are some that I have added to my RSS feed so far. Check them out!

A Day in the life of Val

Cluck Cluck Sew

Katie's Korner

EmmmyLizzzy

Amy's Creative Side

Quilt Taffy

Stolen Moments

Handmade by Alissa

Quilting Barbie

wishes, true and kind

I also came across this website and haven't been able to drag myself away. I've since added a lumber conversion chart to my bookmarks and checked prices for lumber and workbenches. I've thought seriously about replacing the dodgy 99p spirit level in the toolkit with something that actually measures straight(!). I've mentally decorated my house with The 5 Shelf, The Easy, Three Cube Bench, The Easiest Rustic Modern Console Ever, The Tryde Side Table and Coffee Table and The Simple Spa Bench! And these are all in the first-time-never-built-anything-before category.

I have a bee in my bonnet. Don't be surprised if you start seeing pictures of drills, jigsaws and sawdust here in the next few months.

Good luck in the giveaways!

WIP Wednesday the first

Look at these mouth-watering jewel colours:

This is Rico Superba yarn. I am currently working on a pair of Flutter-by socks with this. The pattern is very cute and works particularly well with variegated yarns. I think this yarn might be a bit too variegated though, so I'm leaving the foot section in plain stocking stitch. I can't wait until these are done!