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