Baking

Just to let you know that I have been baking. Not as much as I would have liked to do but at least I have done some.

So for Halloween we made some gingerbread biscuits (made with Maple Syrup instead of Golden Syrup - umm tasty).

Now I prefer to eat them just like this but the kids like to decorate......

...a bit of icing, a bit of chocolate, some M&M's, sprinkles.....

So this is how they ended up. Small actually took these to school today for his class party. Guess I'll have to make more for us then!

I also made a bread (does it count even though it was made in the bread machine?). I haven't made any for ages.

Now apart from baking, we have obviously been carving...

Mostly Small's own work.

Mostly Smallest's own work done at Beavers.

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

 

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Woyww #178 - legless, finished and a limboing monkey!

Hello on this windy Wednesday. Hope none of you are anywhere near this horrible hurricane. It has certainly had an impact on our weather but thankfully nothing like as serious as in New York. So today we check out desks around the world via the WOYWW as hosted by Julia.

My desk was all nice and organised and tidy and I took a photo ..........

Cushion cover (so much trouble that I should have given up when it started to go wrong, but no, I persevere).

Sock, coming along nicely but slowly. New sock monkey (finished waiting for a new home). New balls of wool (just waiting for new project). Radio 1 on the IPad sitting on top of my Granny Blanket.

Sewing machine with one piece of bunting. A new baby monkey I am crocheting.

And I think that is it......

......and then I started doing a bit here and there and before I knew it, it was a right mess. So I thought I would show a during (and in fact after) as I have now left it just as seen above. Can't be doing with tidying up every time.

A pile of buttons as I was looking for just the right ones for the baby monkey's eyes. The cushion cover has been hidden under the IPad. The monkey now has a nose, eyes and one ear. I have no idea what the big monkey is doing, looks like he is limboing, maybe he is showing off in front of new sock monkey.

Right, I am grabbing a gingerbread and a cup of tea and popping round to look at everyone who's number ends the same as mine, plus a few I always visit in the middle, and definitely those who visit me, and if I can fit in any other desks I will certainly try.

 

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Saturdays Sewings

I can believe it, but my lovely family let me craft for two hours solid this morning. There was other things they wanted to do that didn't include me (football, Wii).

So I went upstairs, turned on the sewing machine, grabbed my crochet and looked at my ribbons. This is what I achieved.

 

A sock monkey made from a pair of Smallest's old English school socks and which he is going to send to his friend in England.

I kind of like him. He was machine sewn (my first one). Not very neat, but more secure than my hand sewing.

My British Heart. I s this on another blog somewhere. It didn't work exactly as I wanted it to, but I am still learning. ....and the bit I am not showing is where I had to undo a huge amount of crocheting (cushion cover) as part of it fell apart (and it doesn't seem to fit on the cushion I bought!!!!).

 

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WOYWW #177 - nearly cushion and a quarter sock

Wednesday crept up on me again this week. The day to show my desk. The day where all the woyww'ers also show off their desks, whatever the state. A place where I always find lots of inspiration and helpful tips.

And so, to my desk. I'm not showing my normal desk today because I've been working on my lap mainly this week, in front of the TV.

My sock. My lovely lovely sock. Just knit knit knit! Coming along nicely now. Need to keep going till it gets to 8" and then it gets difficult trying to do the heel but I'm not worrying about that just yet.

My cushion cover. Done on one side and only six to finish the other side. I love the way it looks despite the fact that I had to add another colour on each round square so I could have enough wool to stitch them together in the same colour. It's a bit PINK but its effective. I have been using my sewing machine a bit but nothing to show as yet. Still playing.

I am off to look at other desks now. See you soon.

 

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Works In Progress

I don't seem to have finished anything for ages, so I thought I would just show what I am trying to finish (completely apart from what is on my craft desk - as that is littered with lots of little ongoing projects).

I am hoping that this will make me work harder on these things and that by Wednesday (woyww) I will have moved on considerably.

My cushion cover (now that I have had to add another colour) is coming along nicely. You can't see from the photo, but I have sewn both sides, which means I only have fourteen more to sew.

My sock is coming along a great now that I have finished the rib. Just knitting means I don't have to concentrate too much and can knit this whilst watching TV.

 

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WOYWW #176 - sock, square, sew

Hello. It's Wednesday again. That means it's time for What's on your Workdesk? Wednesday. That also means it's time for me to show you my desk, whatever state it is in, and also for the rest of the World to show you their desks.

So, today, my desk.

I am, as you can probably see, the proud owner of a new sewing machine. My first. I don't really sew, but I want to.

I'm so excited about some of the stitches it does. I want to do quilting and free motion sewing (one day) and this one does that! Wahoooooooooooo.

So I started to sew a new sock monkey. Normally I hand sew but after a while it falls apart (much loving), and then I realised machine sewing is not only stronger but quicker.

There is a pile of 'ends' which I painstakingly cut from my Round Squares. Now I have enough for a cushion cover, back and front. However, in true 'me' style, I have not got enough wool to sew them all together. aaaggghhhhh, so I'm thinking I might have to add another row in another colour (obviously one that I can also use to sew them together). What a numpty!

I also have the start of my Christmas Bunting. I have only done one - Grandma and I went Thrifty shopping and picked up a bag of scraps for just $1 - bargain. All Christmas bits too. Who doesn't love bunting at Christmas?

Also on my desk is my resident monkey (pattern from Annaboos House) that I crocheted, glass of coke to keep me going and some new patriotic ribbon. I was going to make union jacks but I bought the wrong width white ribbon.

Anyway, that's me done for today. I will try much harder to visit everyone (especially if you end in the same number as me), I was missing last week (visitors) and the week before I posted but still had visitors so couldn't visit as many as would have liked.

See you soon.

 

 

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Birthday

I had a lovely birthday with many lovely presents. The main one being a sewing machine. I have never really been a sewist (saw this word on something else - is it a real word? Or should it be sewer, as in where the rats live!).

The machine is still in its box but I am very excited to get started.

On the craft side, I have crocheted two Snoods, one for me and one for a present.

I used a huge crochet hook (15mm) and a lovely chunky wool

I used a pattern from Annaboos House. It was very easy once I got started and very quick. Myopi can make one easily in a couple of hours (with no Small people around).

Hope to show sewing machine in action soon.

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Woyww #174 - woolly stuff

It's Wednesday. It's time for What's on your Workdesk, Wednesday, as hosted by Julia over at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com.

So, this week we have visitors. Huffle's Mum and Dad from England. My craft space is one half of the loft and their space is the order side of the loft. I am not sure how much time I will spend up there but this is how it looks at the moment.....

 

A pile of crochet round squares. Enough for a front and a few more for the back. (Also purchased a new cushion for this project). I haven't done too many since last week. My sock that I started again after I went back to my knitting group and a lovely thick woolly scarf/cowl. This has been knitted once (well probably more than that) and then I undid it because I only wanted to use one ball of wool and I felt it was not long enough and maybe too wide. I am using a basket weave pattern that I made up. (I'm sure I haven't invented it but I mean I'm not following a pattern).

So that's me for this week. Short and sweet (ooh just like me).

P.S. I had a really good tidy up this week. Wool is in boxes, sewing things put away, magazines nicely stacked. All I need now are some lovely shelves and they can all be displayed where I can see them. Still, you can't rush perfection.

 

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