100 Crafty Days: with a sudden halt in the middle, but a sweet bit just afterwards

Having an acute asthma episode(s) left me totally wiped out.  There are times when even sitting on the sofa takes effort, and during those times a person should do as little as possible.

It's also at such times I re-discover my love of the National Health Service.  It cost me more to take a taxi back from the GP's surgery than to see him, and come away with medication that makes it so much easier to breathe again.  (sigh) Breathing is something that should never be under-rated!  

After a week of being weak, I managed to swim half a mile on Friday afternoon. I'll be hitting the pool again on Monday afternoon, and again on Friday.  At this rate it is not going to be long before I've finished the swimming section of the slow triathlon!

I baked for a coffee morning, only to find I'm a day early.  Here's a picture of the cookies:

The top ones have a walnut half pushed in before baking.  The cookies on the bottom tier are the same mixture with a bit more flour added.  Then rolled into balls and baked.  They were then topped with some water icing and a jelly sweet.

And, (yes, there's more of today to describe), the lovely Mrs B was a very patient teacher today.  She talked me through how to crochet a star blanket.  The only problem is that my hook is a metallic red, and it clashes horribly with the red yarn I'm using.  Thankfully the red yarn is just the centre of the blanket, and I'll be able to clash some orange against the hook soon.  

100 Craft Day: a new chip, and a complicated pattern

It passed me by!

It's now 128 days since I last bought yarn. This means that just over a week ago I earned my Cold Sheep 120 Days chip.   It passed me by, and I didn't even notice.

Last night I was working on a pattern called 'Dutch Windmill'.  It was going well, and I decided to draw it to make it easier to piece it together. 

It wasn't until I had drawn it out I realised that the repeat is 100 squares!  The design is really simple in concept.  There's a tessellation of purple and cream plus signs, and in each plus there's a little windmill. 

100 Craft Days: A very crafty weekend

This weekend has been pretty full on.  It's been great.

Saturday started with a trip to Peel for the WOSAT festival of arts.  We met with Nicola Dixon, a wonderful Manx artist, and we bought a few tiny paintings and a large print.  These are going into my new craft room (it doubles as a dining room when needed).

Another artist's work we bought was Juan Moore.  The one that really took my fancy was a sepia water colour of a giant walking nose with a hankie.  When I was in my teens my parents could tell when I had wakened by the sneezing. My elder offsping has the same thing.  «sneeze» Ah, H has just woken.

Saturday also included a trip to Sweet Ginger.

This was primarily to buy fabric for C's blanket, but also to buy some new fat quarters for the Friendship Blankets we started at Messy Church.  I've managed to make 6 little lap blankets.  These will be given to people in the church family would would love to get along to church, but aren't able to do so. 

  

The crafty road trip concluded with a stop at Joan's Wools and Crafts.    

A few more fat quarters were purchased, as was a wad of fleece for backing C's blanket.

It was rather touch and go whether I would be able to get all the blankets finished for the Sunday service, but they were.  The minister invited me up to help explain what they were about, and was asking questions about Messy Church.  Six people who had been involved in the making of the Friendship Blankets came up to the front to hold them up so everyone could see.

At coffee time afterwards, one person asked that we do not stop with the blankets, and make more as people's situations change.  Another person said she would be very happy to get involved with the blanket construction.  Children and arty/craftsy adults said they would be happy to make more squares for future blankets.  I'm delighted.

100 Crafty Days: Cooking up a storm in the kitchen

Yesterday was a high successful day with regards to the kitchen. Creative chaos was perpetrated, and deemed extremely tasty.

First up was apple and cinnamon pancakes at breakfast time. 

At dinner time I was inspired by a tale of a glorious Cottage Pie. The idea of a meat dish being topped with potatoes stayed in my mine.  My chicken dish started out with two onions sautéing in a pan.  When they has been softened, chopped garlic was added.  A few minutes later stock joined them, along with cream cheese and then end of a lump of Stilton.  Water was also added until it all looked saucy.

At this point diced chicken, sweetcorn, broccoli florets and sliced courgettes joined the sauce.  This was transferred to an oven-proof dish, and was finished off by adding sliced potatoes to the top, which were brushed with a little butter.  It was left in the oven until the tops of the potatoes were a beautiful golden brown and everything was hot and smelling fantastic.

The day was rounded off by 'apple roses' - apple slices tucked into a dough (gluten-free shortbread for me) and arranged in such a way as to look like a rose. The roses tasted fantastic, but a great deal can be done to improve them. Three big things come to mind. Use a softer dough. Cook the apple slices for longer - this makes them far more flexible, and this is required. And lastly, line the bottom of muffin tray. I buttered it, and that was not enough. The roses look good in the tray, but not so good when hacked around when I try to remove them!

100 Crafty Days: an update

One of the most important things I have learned from this experiment is that don't just suck at giving daily updates, but I truly, truly suck at it.

Since my last post, almost a week ago, the knitting on the cardigan has been finished and it has been blocked.  Now it's time to add the crocheted edging, and then add the decoration.

I've also been playing with watercolours, and am part way through a paper and watercolour picture of a sunset at Peel Castle.

On the baking front, I'm adapted my great-grandma's recipe for Scottish pancakes.  Out goes the refined sugar, and instead in comes apple sauce, apple juice and cinnamon.  These pancakes are now gluten-free and dairy-free, but they still taste good. :o)

The recipe is:

2 cups of self-raising gluten-free flour (eg Dove Farm)

1 egg

1 heaped tablespoon of apple sauce

1/2 level teaspoon of cinnamon

about 2 cups of apple juice.

Mix the ingredients, and then pour some of the pancake batter onto a warm, but not hot, non-stick pan.  When there's lots of bubbles all a- bubbling, turn the pancake and cook the other side.

My family has enjoyed them with butter, and also Nutella.

100 Crafty Days: Blankie Time

At Messy Church today we were making Friendship Blankets. People drew their design on squares of white fabric, and these squares were sewn together and backed with fleece. The blankets will be given to people who would love to be able to come to church but can't.

Crafting for others can be a sign of friendship and of love. It takes time to make things, and it shows the person that you want to spend your time making for them.

100 Crafty Days, quite a number of them!

I was supposed to write each day about my crafting and my thoughts on it. And, as you can see, I didn't even make it to the one week mark! This last week has been so very busy. The only time there wasn't something happening was Thursday evening.

It might be reasonable to expect that with a free evening I would be rather crafty, but no. All the other days I managed to knit a chunk of the cardigan, but on Thursday all that was accomplished were 12 stitches. Twelve whole stitches!

Yesterday was Day 10. And, for the first time, no knitting was done!

As I was walking home from work I saw some guys re-roofing a building. To one side were some hugely long pieces of wood, and to the other side, offcuts. A number of these offcuts are taller than me. I had been offered some strawberry plants and thought that the offcuts might make a good strawberry container. The guys very kindly said 'Yes' to my request for offcuts.

My crafting yesterday was cerebral. I spent time planning how the strawberry planter will be constructed, and then went to buy the supplies needed. The actual construction will be done almost by proxy. I will draw up plans, mark the wood, and where it should be screwed together. The Beloved will do the actual cutting and construction, and I will be his 'chippy's mate.

Oh, I've just realised we have some green wood stain. That would look nice on it!

100 Crafty Days: Day 6

Two very different activities today, gardening and baking.  Oh, a bit of knitting got knut.

After planting a new rhubarb plant my hands and nails were absolutely filthy!  To get those hand ready for baking I washed them, then the dishes,  and some handknitted socks, and then scrubbed them again!

A sponge cake was made, and tomorrow cream and strawberries will be added.

Oh, a bit of knitting got knut.

It was whilst the cake was being mixed I realised that I hadn't used a recipe.  I do seem to have been making a number of cakes recently.  This is one that was made earlier this month.

100 Crafty Days: Day 5

A very short post tonight.

I want a goat.  Sadly goats don't like to be alone, so I need a pair at the very least.

Today my yarny group visited a goat farm.  They had Boer goats and Angora.  Both were wonderful.  It has left me with a hankering after a goat.

And knitting on the cardigan happened.  Goat!

100 Crafty Days: 3 and 4

Two days filled with craft!  My own crafting has continued on the baby cardigan.

On Friday evening a group of crafters met up with Norwegian crafters over on the Island for a holiday.  There was coffee, cake and crafting.  It was a truly delightful evening sharing with them.

Today, Saturday has been very busy!  There was  a craft fayre in Sulby with loads of different items for sale, and some crafts being demonstrated.  I was talking with a Ken who works in willow, and he very kindly gave me some willow to make into some climbing structures for sweetpeas. The demonstrated crafts were wood craving, willow weaving, signs made by wood carving, stone painting, latched rug making, spinning, and metal striking. 

Nicola Dixon was there too, and I have decided to buy one of her prints.  Her work is beautiful.  I also loved the rug making using locks from a fleece.  

I have been inspired  to make a stone cactus decoration, and also the support structures for sweetpeas.  But this cardigan needs to be finished first.

100 Craft Days: Day 2

Being crafty doesn't always translate into being able to write about it! The work continues on the raglan baby cardigan.

My Mam is a very crafty person, as was my Grandma and Great-Grandma. When I was four I badgered them to teach me to knit, and they did. With three experts around, and also a Daddy and Grandpa who could knit, I learned quickly and there was always someone who could help.

As an adult looking back, I think of my grandparents and my Great-Grandma with great love and affection. Daily, they showed me the importance of work and spending time getting things right. They also instilled within me the idea that if you love someone you spend time on that relationship. 

First Day of Craftiness

To start things off, I am engaging in one of the crafts I am most at home with, knitting.

I grew up surrounded by knitters.  Everyone I knew could knit, Mam, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Great-Grandma, aunts, everyone.  At the age of 4 I picked up needles and asked to be taught how to knit.  

This project is a top-down, v-neck, raglan cardigan for a baby.  The yarn was bought at Sweet Ginger and came from the £1 bin.  It  is 'Lilac Blossom' and is a beautifully soft Merino yarn from Millamia.

Notes:

The raglan section is worked by using yarn overs and the knitted increases I have used are Lifted Right Increase, and Lifted Left Increase.  Social Knit Girl has made an excellent demonstration of these increases. If you are not familiar with these increases do have a look, or feel free to substitute your preferred increases.

Using 3mm needle, cast on 38 sts.  Knit 2 rows of stocking stitch.

1.  K1, lri, yo, k1, yo, k2, yo, k1, yo, k26, yo, k1, yo, k2, yo, k1, yo, lli, k1

2.  Purl (and every even row)

3.  K1, lri, k2, yo, k1, yo, k4, yo, k1, yo, k28, yo, k1, yo, k4, yo, k1, yo, k2, lli, k1

5.  K1, lri, k4, yo, k1, yo, k6, yo, k1, yo, k30, yo, k1, yo, k6, yo, k1, yo, k4, lli, k1

7.  K1, lri, k4, yo, k1, yo, k6, yo, k1, yo, k30, yo, k1, yo, k6, yo, k1, yo, k4, lli, k1

Continue in this manner until the work measures X cm from the middle of the back.  

100 Crafty Days

A friend was blogging about her involvement in the 100 Days Project.  Initially I had thought it was to try 100 different things, and this rather appealed to me.  However, the idea is to repeat a simple creative task every day for 100 days and record each days effort.

At the moment I can't see myself being about to do this, so I've changed it up a bit into  "100 Crafty Days".  With this, you do something crafty each day for 100 days, and record it.  This will give me a chance to include knitting, crochet, baking, quilting and other random things.  The crafting can be a one-off item or can extend over days or even weeks.