Easter is coming - and we don't want eggs!

OK, so Easter is coming fast, but many ladies are on diets or are detoxing or just wouldn't appreaciate a chocolate egg. so what can you get for them?


Well I've had a wander through Artfire's shops to find some lovely presents that would really be happily recieved by any lady.


first how about some Jewlery? It's always a great idea. Here's a wonderful piece by alibalijewellery from Scotland The Red Sun Ray necklace. Made from fine silver and utterly beautiful.




How about something beautiful to hang on the wall?
This 5X7 print by soundslikerain
So wonderful and is actually called "sail away with me, honey" Maybe a little extra message there? Couldn't you just disappear into it?


And now for something really different; handmade clothes from Berlin. the ladies at m.i.p.h.i.a
have the most wonderful selection including this Jersey wool sweater with a collar. Mmm, stylish.

Is she a craft lover? In which case maybe she'd like the supplies and patterns to make something for herself? How about this clever purse making kit put together by U-Handbag from London. Isn't it just the sweetest? and you can never have too many bags!

Or maybe just something so very cute and Springlike. This little felted fairy carries a Snowdrop and is just one of many flower fairies made by Ignisfatuus from Norway. They are just so pretty and would look great on a dresser or on the table at a Springtime dinner party.

If you just take a look at the wonderful artists at Artfire you are bound to find something just perfect for your lady - and it's not chocolate!!!

Knitting Challenge - Week 9 - Monkeys and Daleks

OK so I've always loved those little dollies that old ladies tend to have in the bathroom hiding the spare toilet roll. So dainty and pretty and wonderfully "old fashioned" but I always thought of myself as being "too cool" to actually own one!



Well now I do! I knitted this great dalek out of sparkly lustre yarn (the label says it's beige but in real life I think it looks a great copper.) the pattern is for a fully stuffed dalek toy but I never made the bottom so he sits in the bathroom on his spare roll. pattern? well, it was a free one but it's become unavailable at the moment.





Oh I do hope the BBC (who make Dr Who) have not got to her! They've been having a clamp down lately on people selling homemade Dr Who merchandise. They've been doing this by targeting the pattern makers and asking them t0 remove the patterns from the internet. There really is no need to do this. We all know that licenced characters like Daleks and the Antropose mustn't be sold without permission. But this stops us from making them as presents and homewares too! How unfair.





Anyway, I also made this cute monkey. He's a cowboy yee-haa! I made
little yellow boots for him and a vest. This one was made as part of a
challenge on Cafemom. My linky to my Cafemom page is in the margin on the left.

The knitting and crochet group made him as part of a "Knit and crochet along" challenge. Not many of us did it but hopefully more will join in next time.

My monkey is named Monk Mick and he is sheriff of the toy box. I put pipecleaners into his arms legs and tail to make him super-posable. He is going to a teenager so I know they won't poke their eyes out with it! It's also very well stuffed and padded; those wires are not coming out of there no matter how hard he's played with.

Oh yes, patterns, I nearly forgot. The knitted monkey I have here is a clever adaptation of a crochet pattern that is also available for free
Knitted: http://knittedtoybox.blogspot.com/2008/04/monkey-moo.html
crochet: http://quesera.ojaru.jp/ don't be scared off by this crochet pattern; it is not all in Japanese you just click on the size of monkey you want to make and the instructions are all pretty self-explanitary. Clever Chimmu Chimmu made this pattern and keeps all the copyright rights to it - even in it's translated and knitted forms.

I think it is super that we can exchange patterns from different countries without having to learn a new language - it's a real internet world web family.

Knitting Challenge -week 8 - eek!

OK so it all began well enough.

I started to knit a fire engine. I thought it would be a very easy task to make a baby block shaped fire engine but it was a total disaster. It looks so horrid I can't bring myself to take a photo of it. I will try again in a few weeks (once i've got over the horror of it)

but for now the only item I made was a single hat It's a lovely fit. Can you see the cable pattern? It goes together to make 7 cute little owls around the hat. I got this pattern from a free download - hurrah - I love free. owls by Kate Davies. This is an entire sweater using the design. So if you have lots of time you can try it. So many clever people out there. I wish I could make my pattern work.

Knitting Challenge - Week 7 - one each.

Ok kids are off school so that's why this post is a little late. but I promise that I did all this work in this week.

One for me

So last week I made a sheep; this week she has a Welsh Rugby jersey. Now she is all ready to watch Wales win in the 6 nations rugby tournament! Handy for St David's day toOne for my daughter

So I've just learned to crochet. I can do a single crochet, an increse and a decrease. So armed with just these stitches i made "Ray-Lee the Manta Ray". It's a free download if you want to make one. Brigitte Read is so cool putting it up for free.

One for my son

Ok that's the downside of having two kids. You have to make two to prevent jelousies! With his love of all things tech. This could only be "Blu-ray" LOL

One for my neice

with a 4th birthday coming up, I made this sweet little bag (she will be getting some cute books inside it too and colouring pencils).

The bunny is actually a finger puppet. Clever isn't it? Unfortunately I did not invent it. It's also not a free one (sorry guys) but she offers 7 different variations on this bag in the pattern including some cool halloween ones and how to line them too. So it is worth looking into. You can buy the pattern here

so it's been a busy old week for me. Especially with the kids off school! But they go back soon hurrah. I think they are missing their friends.

Knitting challenge - week 6 - some for the charity box.

This week I got out those dredded DPNs again. The double pointed needles. This is only the second project that I have completed using them I think it turned out pretty well.

It was a free pattern from a cafemom challenge (so two challenges in one!) Free pattern for the Chevron Bag

This little sheep was knitted from an Alan Dart pattern. (sorry you'll have to buy your own pattern for this one) called "Simply Sheep." for the Simply Knitting magazine; Feb, 2009.

She is completed but has no clothes yet. The one in the pattern has a stripey dress and a pair of knitting needles. But I think mine, like any self-respecting Welsh sheep will get to wear a rugby jersey which I will make next week.

I also knitted half a dozen of these little guys. Wee knitted chicks in chemo hats.

They are for the Velindre Cancer hospital appeal. The chicks will be filled with chocolate eggs and sold in the hospital shop. Good use for all that leftover yellow yarn.

The pattern for this is free from the hospital too, and was designed by one of the volunteers that works there; Mrs. Joyce Davies. I'll put a copy onto my scibt files so you can get that too. Probably tomorrow.

Knitting Challenge; Week 5 - Still knitting...

Well, this week, I found this cute and easy little pattern, called Teddies for Tradgedies. There are no increases or decreases making it perfect for someone learning to knit as a first project.
At first glance I thought it was a charity asking for people to knit and send in the teds. But on closer reading, it seems that it is just a pattern and you have to find the charities that want them yourself. So I've stopped at one. If I find a home for them I will knit more.

One little teddy is just not enough for me; so I made a partner for my daughter's horse. This one is made with some really nice denim-effect yarn in purple with a lilac mane and tail. I think this one turned out even better than the first. My daughter is not that soppy and she says he doesn't need a girlfriend so she will go on sale in my Artfire shop. You can go there to see more pictures and maybe even buy her?

Knitting Challenge: Week 4: O.E.S I did!

Rosco the Old English sheepdog cushion / pillow/ toy



















Ok so this week was a double whammy.

Not only did I design and make a cute Old English Sheepdog Cushion /pillow/toy,

but I wrote out the pattern for it too!


If you love him and want to make one the link to my pattern is here.

Rosco the sheepdog

You can download it for free as a PDF or a word document. I put in loads of photos to help you put him together. There is only some simple increase and decreasing so it makes a great "first big project" for someone quite new to knitting.


If you haven't the patience or time to make him, he is for sale in my Artfire shop at Eddy's Pressies


I'm feeling very proud of myself so...tickle my belly!