Tuesday 26 February 2013

The Husbando had a birthday

The chap turned 40 way back in July and I still haven't shared what I made him. Yeah I know, it was ages ago.



I made him socks and hankies and an eye mask. For his 40th. Hmmmmm. Yes, rubbish wife. What does one buy or make a man who literally has everything he has ever wanted? Aside from the helicopter, yacht etc... which I couldn't ever stretch to, not on this weeks pocket money.



I don't earn my own salary. Every penny I have available to spend comes out of his pocket so it didn't seem right to buy him a heap of gifts and anything more elaborate, like a weekend away would have to be pre-authorised by financial control and subject to work commitments.

I felt, and I know for certain you'll all be with me on this, that me spending my limited free time on making something for him would be better. The fact that I love crafting didn't enter my head. Noooooooo, it was ALL for him. If he was into shaven headed ladies with abs like a washboard and DIY tats then I'd have done what was necessary to morph into that and gift wrap myself up. Sounding a bit pervy now. Where has my odd head taken me now? But luckily for me he likes me as I am (No comments about sit ups not going amiss, Mr C) so I knitted and stitched him gifts. I poured hours of time into his gifts. I poured love into each and every stitch. Because I really do love that Husbando of mine, even though he leaves his coffee cup in The Most Annoying Place (right next to the dish dosh) every morning. Yes I do love that chap very much. I shall say no more here, for he will get a big head.

First up, socks. He loves crazy socks. so I bought some self striping sock yarn from Twisted Limone (I've been trying to find her on Etsy but drawing a blank...grrrrr) thinking I could make a more professional looking pair if I didn't need to carry the yarn up like I did with my heart socks. What I hadn't thought about, and only realised when I got to it, was that I'd need to chop out big chunks of colour and rejoin the yarn in order to have the heels and toes in a block colour. Man! I had no end of ends to weave in. What a daft sentence, "no end of ends".

They aren't as garish as they appear here.

Since having the Childerbeasts neither Mr C or I sleep very well very easily (another daft sentence). I am like Princess and the Pea and have to sleep on a pillow of puffiness, I need to wear ear plugs because the slightest sound wakes me and Mr C snorts all night long. Mr C isn't as precious and pathetic as me but he needs a dark room. He took to wearing a lovely big pink velvet and satin eye mask of mine. He wore it to death. It fell to pieces. Shame, he did look so masculine in it. So I set about making him a new one. One that was big and soft and just right. Also I wanted to keep it less butch than, say, a camouflage print, therefore Liberty Lawn in a gorgeous deep purple was the best option.


When I first met Mr C I was astonished when he pulled a clean hanky out of his pocket. I forget why. Maybe beer had got on his fag packet (these were our wild days of smoking, drinking, dancing on board room tables whilst consuming a kebab), whatever the reason I loved that he carried a hanky, for a gentleman is not properly dressed unless they have a handkerchief about them.  I'd never met a gentleman before. I found this little hanky beguiling. There was this super cool bachelor with his fancy mansion house flat and sports car standing at the bar in The Place To Be Seen In wielding an old fashioned bit of cloth and not giving a hoot who saw. It was the hanky that made him stand out for me straight away.



These hankies are also made from Liberty Lawn and are embroidered with his initials. I had to fathom how to work the embroidery bit of my sewing machine, I've had it a few years now and I still haven't played around with it properly. I had to figure out how to get the embroidery gizmo attached and then work out how to use the special sticky sheeting stuff so I could set the machine to embroider near an edge. I don't know why I was so reticent to give it a go. It was logical and user friendly. I was delighted anew with Brother Brian, my name for my machine.

I hand rolled the hems because I wanted a very fine finish. I do have a rolled hem foot for my machine but I could not get it to do a neat finish. I think a bit of practise is needed. I found the hand hemming very therapeutic, no need to have a furrowed brow or tense shoulders. I sat and peacefully sewed while letting my mind wander and ponder over our marriage. I wish that my memories could transfer into the fabric and then, upon using the hankies be transferred into my husbands head. How wondrous that would be.


xxx




21 comments:

  1. Lovely yarn and great socks!!
    Esther.

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  2. I was just off to have a bath. I'm not sure why but I suddenly felt I needed to check my blog feed. ???

    Found this post really quite moving.

    xxx

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  3. :-) All the gifts you made are lovely but I just adore the hankies, what true luxury, handmade hankies with your own initials! Your husband was delighted with them all I'm sure. X

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  4. Such gifts for your husband I bet he loves them all. My dad always had a hanky in his pocket.

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  5. My (late) Great Uncle John, at the age of 87, still dressed in a shirt, tie and trousers every day. He was frail and whatnot from having had two strokes but still dressed smartly even thought he was only going to be at home. I always thought that was very gentlemanly.
    xxxxx

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  6. Such thoughtful and loving gifts for your Husbando! I bet he loved them all!
    The hankies are beautiful!
    x

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  7. A handkerchief is what defines a gentle gentleman. My dad would always ave one ready for me when he sensed I would be tearful before I even realised I was going to be so xxx

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  8. I love your quietly philosophising writing style. Touches a chord with me. Thank you for sharing again, your posts always cheer me up.
    x

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  9. I love your quietly philosophising writing style. Touches a chord with me. Thank you for sharing again, your posts always cheer me up.
    x

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  10. You are just too good at all sorts of different crafts aren't you?! What a lovely gift and I hope he appreciated it. I don't even bother wasting my time making home made gifts for D as he wouldn't appreciate them. Unless I make him biscuits which wouldn't last much longer than half an hour! In fact he said to me just last night "When the kids go to school, don't send them in knitted or home made clothes." He comes from LA and just can't comprehend why someone would make something when they could buy it!
    xXx Helen

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  11. lovely post and lovely gifts, definitely an awww moment... xx

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  12. good work clever clogs!
    I did suggest Cleggy needed to add a hankie into his get up...but so far no luck. Maybe TB's gentlemanliness will rub off on him over Easter!! (that doesn't sound right either!)
    Lovely to see a blog post from you BTW
    fee x

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  13. Knowing you two as I do, and feeling like I was there at the beginning (if you know what I mean), I too found this post quite moving. I treasure all the things you have made for me and the girls as I have always felt they were imbibed with that special love. Love-stitches so to speak.

    Really hoping to see you at Easter xxx

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  14. What sweet, wonderful presents. How very thoughtful, they are all so pretty as well.
    I imagine he had a brilliant day.

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  15. What great pressies!
    And a great post! I love your writing-style, my dear!!!
    :-)
    Carly
    x

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  16. This made me chuckle all the way through, I think it's great to make things for those we love....your pressies are great although ii couldn't see Mr Bea wearing those eye thingys, even if they were made of the most gorgeous Liberty lawn! :) x

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  17. Wonderful presents, full of love and thought, the very best sort.

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  18. Ahh, you are just the most beautiful pair I know, I don't know of any other hubby that would love and appreciate what you have made, mine would have laughed in my face! It is so heartwarming that you love and accept each other 'just the way you are'
    xx Sandi

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  19. My gosh you're a clever bugger! The socks are very lovely, brilliant yarn, I figured you'd been busy matching your stripes, but it sounds as if it were just as hard work anyway. I think your pressies sound perfect, I've made a scarf for my hubby recently, which he literally has worn everyday which is some undertaking as he's always laughed at everything I've made...in a nice way of course! I think your thoughts definitely weave their way into the things you make....mind, if your hubby is tall, the message from his socks has a long way to travel. So chuffed to see two new posts from you....wher've (now that's a good word for you) I been?

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  20. Those hankies are gorgeous! My hubby too always has a clean hanky - something very gentlemanly about it! XX

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