Tuesday 29 October 2013

Swapsies!


I love a swapsie, I do. I really enjoy it. I like making things to swap as I enjoy thinking about the person who will receive my gifts and shamefully I get rather excited with anticipation about what I might recieve. Truthfully, I would be happy with any old thing as long as there was a teeny bit of thought behind it. Yet when it is a swap with an awesome crafter extraordinaire, well, I could pee my pants with giddiness and fear. Sending off my swap parcel was nerve wracking because I just knew I was going to get the better deal.

So imagine, if you will, my sheer glee when this little lot turned up from Ness.


Ooooooooooo! Yessssssssss! These babies are mine all mine! I'm cackling here. You see, Ness had instagrammed (back in the days before she left) the big doily below and so many people had gone bonkers over it. 


She is a very clever bugger.

I sent her some wrist warmers, she couldn't knit at the time and had said she loved the Button Moon wrist warmers she had seen on ravelry. So I made her a pair. Actually this was how the whole swap thing came about. She mentioned the button moons, I said I'd knit her some, she said only if we did a swap. I wasn't going to argue, I mean who would?



I love reverse stocking stitch. I really like how the colour change makes little stripes.


I left the buttons off so that Ness could have fun with her own choice. She would certainly choose better ones than I could. But when she received them she said she liked the bows. Nutter.


They knitted up so nicely and the pattern was a doddle to follow. Looking at these I'm reminded that I would quite like several pairs myself. Just to add to my ever growing collection...



What do you think of these fair isle wristies? Fab huh! Whipped these up in just 20 minutes.  Am I not the most marvellous knitter these days? No, I am not. I didn't knit these. They were a little tank top that my boys all wore when they were 12-18 months. I couldn't bear to part with it, I couldn't even pack it away. I wanted to see it around so now I wear it myself and feel terribly smug at my upcycling. 

On to another swap. This was an Easter swap organised by Rising_dawn on instagram. I was lucky enough to get so_laura as the person to send my swap items to. I swoon regularly over her photographs of her gorgeous home so it was a pleasure to have an excuse to stalk her and work out what to make.

Any ideas what this is?



It's a heart shaped oven mitt, or trivet pot stand thing.


You use it like this:


I sent Laura a few other bits and bats too but it was so long ago I can't remember what they were. Ribbons and trims I think. I can't show you what my swap person sent me nor can I thank them as my parcel must have been lost in the post. Dawn never revealed to me who it was. But if it happened to have been you, I thank you and I'm certain I'd have enjoyed whatever it was you made. Thank you.


Suzie wearing her Button Moons

My mate Suzie nearly, so very nearly, moved away. Well, she did move away but happily for me she returned. I made her a leaving gift, a little something to hang on the wall.



Bit of a rubbish photo, I really must get to grips with my big girl camera and stop relying on my iPhone all the time. You can't see very clearly from this but the word "Beans" is cross stitched on to some pretty ditsy floral fabric. Suzie's nick name is Beans because she eats millions of baked beans every year. I used waste canvas for the first time. It's fantastic stuff. My mind is swimming with oodles of ideas using this magic stuff.

Been a bit of a jumpy post, hey? To finish, I'd like to show you this Spring Time throw my friend Jen made. Crochet has helped her keep sane through some tough times. Crochet is amazing therapy. But I do not need to tell the majority of you that, do I?


Shame it is such a blurry pic
xxx

8 comments:

  1. Looks like you got some really nice things, what a fun thing to do.

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  2. I've been wearing the Button Moons on the school walks in the mornings when the start of the day is a crisp and nippy one. Love them. I definitely got the better deal. Love your 'Beans' hoop too....and i'm DEFINITELY knicking your wrist warmer idea. I found two really cute little jumpers in Baby Bears drawer at the weekend. I could not bring myself to get rid of them and I didn't want to put them away either. Making them into wristies would be a lovely way of upcycling and keeping hold of memories.

    Hope you are well my friend

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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  3. Oooh I love that upcycling lark! How fabuli.........and very clever.
    Oh balls, just looking out the window and it's raining and I have two loads of washing on the line and used up all my physical energy just hanging it out.
    And have all the bedding spinning around in the washing machine waiting to be hung out too. Pants.
    Sorry, was sharing my grief there.
    Anyway, loving all your makes, am convinced you definitely DO either have 4 more hours in your day, or nannies, cleaners, gardeners, seamstresses, au pairs and twelve pairs of hands more than the rest of us as I've never seen anyone achieve so much in their days and I thought I was busy!!!!
    Those wrist warmers are delightful and I love that Beans stitchery thing (gosh how teechnical am I?!?!?!)
    Right, better decide what to do with all this wet washing now. GRRRRRRRRR. ROARRRRRRRRRRR! (hormones).................
    x x x x x x x xx

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  4. Cuando dices que tejer es una terapia asombrosa... ohhhh sí!
    lo compruebo día a día... me ayuda a mantenerme cuerda (si es que eso es posible jaja)
    te mando saludos desde Chile,
    te leo/veo desde hace mucho!
    abrazos.

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  5. Fab swap there and that crochet is wonderful! :) x

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  6. I've been cruising Ravelry and Pinterest looking at all the pretty wristwarmers and fingerless gloves. I can't knit any pretties like yours, but I think it might be my next crochet project.
    Love that potholder!!!

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  7. gorgeous blanket, even blurry :-) x

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  8. Oh I did laugh when you said you'd knitted those arm warmers and then admitted you didn't. At first I thought "how the hell did she do all that in 20 minutes!" Doh! Great piece of upcycling :)

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I L♡VE your comments. Thank you ever so for taking the time. I do try to get back to everyone but I am rather scatty and I have these 3 big distractions....(and I'm just generally a bit rubbish lately, so please don't feel obliged to leave a note) Sorry about the word verification too, too much spam.